Natural Methods To Get Rid Of Mice From Home

When temperatures drop, mice will begin to enter homes to find food, water, and shelter from the cold. These small rodents often carry disease and can cause extreme damage to your home, so it’s imperative that you address the problem immediately, even if you see only a single mouse in your home.

While there are many measures that you can take to eradicate mice and prevent them from coming back, you may need to call in a professional depending on the scope of the issue—for example, if you’re dealing with a colony of mice and various entry points. Here’s how to identify a mouse infestation and how to get rid of mice.

# Box traps

A humane option, box traps are designed to catch a mouse without injuring it. Just place bait in the trap and wait. When the mouse enters, it will knock over the support for the door and trap itself inside. Once you trap a mouse, be sure to let it go at least a mile away so it won’t find its way back to your house.

# Electronic mouse traps

Traps like the Victor Electronic Mouse Trap-M2524S deliver a high-voltage shock that eliminates mice in five seconds. This option is a bit more expensive than other natural methods, but it gets the job done quickly and effectively.

# Glue traps

These traps are strips of paper with a sticky substance on them, similar to the material on fly paper. Even though these traps will not kill the mouse, this is not necessarily a humane option.

# Traditional snap traps

Armed with a basic spring-loaded bar to crush the mouse, snap traps are effective, but sometimes fail to fully kill the mouse, injuring a limb instead. If you use this type of trap, make sure to keep it away from pets and children to reduce the risk of injury.

# Bait stations

This method is designed to kill mice inside and outside of your home. Mice crawl into the traps, consume poisonous bait blocks, and then return to their nest, where they die. The Tomcat Mouse Killer Refillable Bait Station can kill up to 12 mice with one pellet and are designed to resist tampering by children and pets.

# Dryer sheets

Placing dryer sheets around your home can get rid of mice because their scent overpowers a mouse’s senses. Remember to replace the sheets once the odor fades or mice could use them for their nests.

# Peppermint essential oil

Though just a temporary fix and a stopgap measure, mice do not enjoy peppermint. Place 5–10 droplets of peppermint oil on cotton balls and place them around potential mouse entryways, like doors and kitchen cabinets.