Home Remedies for Mice in Walls

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There are three reasons why mice choose to invade a home: warmth, safety, and food. Once they find a way inside, they will build a nest in the dark corners of the home including wall cavities, air ducts, and crawl spaces. While calling a professional exterminator is the best way to solve the problem, there are a few things in your home that can help eliminate them too.

So what home remedies can get rid of mice nesting inside the walls? Peppermint oil, eucalyptus, citronella, and mothballs are used as mice repellents because they produce strong odors that mice find unpleasant. Steel wool can also keep mice away because this material makes it hard for these pests to chew through the hole and enter the home.

5 Home Remedies for Eliminating Mice in Walls

In 2018, around 7,802 accidental rodenticide poisonings were recorded in the US alone. This made people wary of the chemicals they utilize in their home to get rid of mice and other pests. To avoid possible rodenticide poisoning in their houses, homeowners choose home remedies for mice control instead.

Aside from avoiding the use of strong chemicals inside a home to repel mice, homeowners are also concerned about how these toxic substances might affect the environment. People make the conscious choice to switch to an environment-friendly alternative that is also better for the family. Most of the time, these natural solutions are also budget-friendly because they are the same things you can easily find in a home.

Here are five natural mice repellents that many homeowners swear by:

1. Peppermint Oil

This essential oil emits a strong mint smell that people may find pleasant but are repellent to mice. Peppermint oil odor can irritate the nasal passage of mice, preventing them from getting closer to the area where the natural repellent is placed.

There are a few ways to utilize peppermint as mice repellent. The easiest way is to buy a bottle of peppermint oil and put a few drops of the oil on a cotton ball. Place the cotton ball on areas where there are signs of mice activity such as droppings and gnaw marks. You can also create a diluted solution and spray it on the gaps found on walls.

2. Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus works in the same way as peppermint oil in keeping rodents away, but more people prefer this option because it produces a milder scent than the latter. According to a study in 2014, even just a 5% eucalyptus oil solution is effective in repelling mice. The rodents avoided the food placed in the area where the eucalyptus solution was sprayed.

Since it produces a milder scent than peppermint oil, the eucalyptus solution must be sprayed on the same spot every day to repel mice. Eucalyptus oil concentration is typically formulated at 5%, 10%, and 20% to be effective in keeping mice away.

3. Citronella

Citronella is commonly utilized as a mosquito repellent, but it’s also been observed to repel mice. Aside from irritating their nasal passage, citronella can also decrease the mice’s appetite.  In a 2015 study, it was observed that inhalation of citronella oil can lower the mice’s weight gain by decreasing their appetite.

Like eucalyptus oil, the diluted citronella oil solution must be sprayed on mouse-infested spots to ensure that they will leave the area. You can also plant citronella grass in the yard to keep mice away from the home.

4. Mothballs

Mothballs are solid substances that are made of naphthalene, a strong-smelling chemical that causes the blood cells in the body to lose their ability to carry oxygen. When mice inhale this odor, the tissues in their nasal canal will break down and the lungs will be inflamed.

However, the main problem with using mothballs to keep mice away is that it produces a foul smell that people also find unpleasant. The scent will linger even after the mothballs are long gone.

5. Steel Wool

Unlike other home remedies that attack mice’s sense of smell, steel wool is used to plug holes in the walls where rodents may pass through. Mice have strong teeth that can chew through almost everything, but they will have a hard time gnawing through the steel wool.

Mice only need to find a hole the size of a dime to enter a home and build a nest there, which is why it’s important to thoroughly check the walls for small gaps that these rodents might use as an entry point. After finding these holes, plug them with steel wool and put caulk around the material to keep it in place.

Getting Rid of Mice in the Walls

Once you start noticing signs of mice infestation, such as mice droppings and scratching noises, search the walls for gaps and holes that these pests might be using to get inside the home. Place mouse traps in these areas and bait them with food like peanut butter or chocolate.

Remember that there’s always more than one mouse in a home, which is why you should prepare multiple traps and bait to get rid of them from the walls permanently.

Why Do Mice Love Hiding in Walls?

Mice prefer wall cavities whenever they’re invading a home because these areas provide them with a secluded and dark place when they’re resting during the day. The walls also offer them a pathway that can lead them to any place in the home without being detected.

Are Home Repellents Effective?

Most natural mice repellents are not as effective as they claim. Even if they manage to keep mice away for some time, it’s not enough to rely on them for severe mice infestations. Their effects are temporary and won’t stand a chance once mice aren’t bothered by the smell anymore.

Mice are smart and adaptable creatures. These pests know that there are many predators out in the wild, which is why they tend to stick around in a home that provides them with shelter and a stable food supply. They are willing to put up with the scent of the natural repellents rather than give up their nesting place in the walls.

Safe Mice Removal Methods by Pinnacle Pest Control

For a safe and effective mice removal in your home, it’s still better to leave it to experts like Pinnacle Pest Control. We offer comprehensive rodent removal services that include the elimination of rodents in the property and restoration of damaged attics.

Read more: House Mouse VS Wood Mouse: What’s the Difference?

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