Can you keep mice from invading your home? There has been a controversy over this topic lately among readers of The People’s Pharmacy.
Making sure that these rodents cannot get into your food or leave droppings that may carry disease basically means blocking any way they could use to get in. But is there a way to send them a signal to stay out?
Mothballs or Peppermint to Repel Mice?
Q. You wrote recently about the dangers of using mothballs to repel mice. I have a safer suggestion.
Mice despise the scent of peppermint oil! Place a few drops on a cotton ball and put it where the critters are a problem. Refresh the cotton every week or so when the scent fades.
This method will also repel other rodents, roaches and raccoons. Peppermint oil does not have the side effects (such as nausea, eye irritation or headaches) that you described for mothballs.
Will Peppermint Oil Work as a Repellent?
A. There appears to be controversy about the effectiveness of peppermint oil as a mouse deterrent. We could find no scientific studies, however.
The advice that makes the most sense to us is to put peppermint oil-soaked cotton balls in the crevices that mice use to get into the house. Once they are inside, peppermint oil might move mice away from the smell but not necessarily drive them back out.
Better yet, of course, would be sealing those crevices permanently, although that could be easier said than done. We’d have more confidence in such a tactic being able to keep a home mouse-free.
