Asked on May 19, 2014

How to get rid of mice?

Jessica Hill
by Jessica Hill
+293
Answered

We seem to have some unwelcome Mickeys and Minnies in our house. What is the best way to get rid of them?

q what s the most effective way to get rid of mice in the house, pest control
  110 answers
  • Z Z on May 19, 2014
    I don't know if this will make them leave, as I'm not sure they can find their way back out, but 100% Pure Peppermint Oil (about ten drops) on cotton balls placed throughout your home, will keep them out. Rodents are allergic to peppermint and will steer clear of its scent as long as it's from pure peppermint oil. Not extract. It has to be pure to cause an allergic reaction. Whole Foods has the best price that I know of, but it can be found at health food stores also. To get rid of those you have now, you may have to use traps. Partially cooked bacon or peanut butter works very well to draw them to the trap. Place the traps along the walls behind furniture where your pets and children cannot get to them. Good Luck! P.S. We've used the Pure Peppermint Oil on cotton balls for a decade now and I can attest to how well it works, even living in the country surrounded by corn and bean fields.

    • See 15 previous
    • Chet Putrite Chet Putrite on Apr 02, 2023

      White bread works also.

  • Stacie Vaughan Stacie Vaughan on May 20, 2014
    Cats were helpful for us!

  • Jan Kohlman Jan Kohlman on May 20, 2014

    I agree that 100% pure peppermint oil (not extract) does work. We have had "issues" with the pesky little furry critters in the past, but since using the peppermint oil they have vanished. Instead of putting it on cotton balls, we used some cheap glass salt & pepper shakers from the dollar store, enlarged the holes in the tops of the shakers and put in reed diffusers then added the oil. The only problem for us with using the cotton balls is that you are supposed to add more oil to them daily. As our "happy place" is 200 miles away from home, that wouldn't have been possible. We've used if for 3 years now and it works like a charm!

    • See 5 previous
    • Sue Sue on Mar 28, 2023

      Good idea. I have used peppermint essential oil but the salt shaker/reed method is ingenious.

  • Shelley Nelson Shelley Nelson on May 20, 2014
    Good ol poison! We had an infestation once when our kids were little and we had two dogs. My husband was against poison but I had had enough. I put boxes of it where our kids couldn't get it. Under our dresser in our room, behind our fridge. Never had another mouse again.

    • See 6 previous
    • Nelly Nelly on Apr 24, 2023

      You realize poisoned mice may not die on the spot and go outside where wildlife picks them up and ingest the poison....its a sad way to do it.

  • Susan Susan on May 20, 2014
    First you have to search every area of your house to determine where these little guys are entering. These little holes, nooks and crannies are usually located under sinks, cabinets, etc. Once you find these openings, fill them up with stainless steel scouring pads. Works GREAT - better than any other method! Since using this method I've not seen a trace of another little critter!

  • Jeanette Sharples Jeanette Sharples on May 20, 2014

    Snake poo is the best. I put it where they come in and presto not a mouse poo insight for 4 months. A friend of mine has a snake so that's were I get the poo from or you can ask the local pet shop.

  • Glenda D Glenda D on May 23, 2014

    Scatter bay leaves everywhere and plug up holes

  • Curt Warkentin Curt Warkentin on Jul 13, 2014

    One trick I have not tried yet but I heard works is a 5 gallon pail with a few inches of water in the bottom. Smear some peanut butter around the inside of the pail low enough so the mice can't reach it but can smell it. Then set up a board they can follow to the top of the pail... they fall in and drown since they can't get out. A buddy suggested that for my farm. I may just bury a pail in ground a ways to make life easier. Scoop dead mice out as necessary (with a net or anything you wish).

    • See 5 previous
    • Sue Sue on Mar 28, 2023

      That works even better with poison in a locked box for pest control supplies. If they eat the poison it makes them desperate for water. They get in and cannot get out and drown. Make sure there is at least 6 “ of water and put it near a wall even better under a shelf. I used this as a last resort but it really does work in our chicken coop! If it works there it will work anywhere. The lock box of bait keep the bait away from pets and kids (or at least helps) because the door is small and the bait is in the center away from the entrance. They come with a key and can be found in farm stores, online and we bought ours from a pest control company that had no appointments availability. Check the bucket every day and be careful that toddlers don’t get near the water bucket. I hope this helps someone when nothing else works. There are usually more than one.

  • Lagree Wyndham Lagree Wyndham on May 18, 2015

    I have a house on a raised foundation, I keep Decon poison under the house in the crawl space year round. Been in house 12 plus years and never had any inside house.

    • See 3 previous
    • Nelly Nelly on Apr 24, 2023

      so bad for wildlife ingesting poisoned mice who might get outside

  • Riserman Riserman on May 20, 2015

    I had mice, not wanting to kill them I bought a good live capture trap. I caught about 5 mice and relocated them, now no more mice and I feel better that I didn't kill them, cute little creatures just trying to survive.

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    • Gary La Gary La on Dec 27, 2022

      We use live traps at work. One day last year we had a 4 day weekend. Came in on the 5th day and had 6 mice in the trap. 4 of the "cute little creatures" cannibalized the other two. I doubt that was an enjoyable way to die. Sorry animal lovers, but we all felt the remaining 4 did not deserved a right to live even if they were just trying to survive.

  • Start by eliminating what they need to survive. They can't live too long without food. Use sealed containers to put all your food in. If you have pets, make sure you put the pet food in sealed containers also. Mice love pet food, grass and bird seed etc. Place traps...many traps, perpendicular to the wall. Mice follow lines/like to run against another surface. Use food or even cotton on the traps. Mice pull the cotton to use as nesting material. It's more difficult for mice to remove the cotton without getting caught. Mice are naturally curious and will investigate anything new in their environment. Rats are the opposite. They will avoid anything new in their environment. Therefore, with rats it's important to pre-bait the traps. Place the rat trap without setting it to go off. In this way, the rat gets used to eating from this "new" item without getting hurt. Once you gain their confidence, then you can set the traps. This takes about four to six days.

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    • Linda V Linda V on Apr 27, 2023

      It isn't just food that attracts them. They like silicone also. We had the silicone collapsible measuring cups and basters as well as the straps on diving goggles stored in our RV. No food. But they got in and chewed on the silicone.

  • UpState UpState on Jan 12, 2016

    2 Ways:

    -Pepsi - they drink it and explode

    -Sponges drenched in Pepsi - they get exhausted chewing the sponge, then explode


  • Rats and mice dislike the smell of ammonia because it smells like predator urine. Fill a spray bottle with 1 cup ammonia and 1 cup vinegar. Mix well and spray all areas the rodents frequent. Spray cotton balls with the solution and set them in the areas as well.

  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Jan 08, 2020

    Soak cotton balls in apple cider vinegar and the scent will keep them away. If you don't like the smell you can use peppermint oil and/or cinnamon oil. You have to re soak the cotton balls as the scent fades. I purchased some rodent spray and you can just spritz it around.

  • Call the pros and get an inspection! They will show you points of entry and suggest how to fix. Keeping a neat and tidy exterior helps too.

  • 2dogal 2dogal on Sep 25, 2017

    Use mice traps to catch them. In the future, you can tuck dryer sheets in out of the way places. For some reason, they don't like the smell. Also, caulking all cracks and little holes on the outside of the house will prevent them and other insects from coming inside.

  • Hbet Hbet on Sep 09, 2016

    Sprinkle crushed Penny-Royal leaves (mint family) on your outside perimeter. Sprinkle whole cloves on the inside perimeter. These remedies do not hurt people or pets. May need to be repeated. Where they are entering is the place for packing steel wool, usually at plumbing. Good luck to you.

    • Draco Draco on Apr 24, 2022

      Don't use regular steel wool as it will rust and deteriorate. Stainless Steel or Copper scrub pads are best. Hurts their gums and teath.


  • Darline Darline on Sep 09, 2016

    Steel wool sometimes does not work as well as copper wool, harder to find, but stronger than mice can handle. They really don't care for cayenne pepper either, or if you can find chili pequin pepper, that's even stronger.

  • Kwalker Kwalker on Sep 10, 2016
    This may sound crazy but it works. We had that problem in our trailer. First of all get some cheap steel wool and put it around all your pipes going in and out of the house. Make sure you do the water pipes under your tub and shower. Don't forget to do the washer and dryer vents . Mice cannot eat through the steel wool. Next go buy the biggest can of black pepper you can find. Put it at the back of all the cabinets, drawers, closets and if you can go without the AC for a day put some in an open container in the vents. We cleaned EVERYTHING in the house and then did this and we have not seen any evidence of mice for the last 2 months. At the first sign we will repeat the process.

  • Rebekah Rebekah on Feb 23, 2022

    If you are using Peppermint Oil to rid your house of mice BE CAREFUL if you have cats!! Peppermint and also Cinnamon Oils are highly toxic to cats and can kill them! Yikes! Just do a search: Is Peppermint Oil Toxic to Cats? to find out.

  • Ken Ken on Dec 15, 2017

    Check your drains. Most drains have cross bars, a pop-up waste, or a screen over the drain. Yours may be missing or never had any of these. If it did not, replacing either the entire drain, which is not as difficult as you might think, may be the best option. If the current drain is a standard size there are replacements for the chrome ring that you see in the tub which will allow you to install a pop-up drain or screen that will keep the little beggars at bay for less than $20.


    • Linda Sandsness Linda Sandsness on Jan 30, 2023

      So you think they are coming in from the sealed plumbing system? Sewer rats could come in from the sewerline if in a City. But in the country, rats & mice do not live in Septic tanks that I have ever seen. (Many decades in plumbing) Without a break in the system they cannot get in & out to forage.


  • 27524803 27524803 on Dec 15, 2017

    Check if mice are coming up the actual bath tub drain, if they are then you have more problems than just the mice. If they are entering up the inside of the bathtub drain pipe, then the drain pipe is disconnected or broken somewhere under your house which means the bath water is draining underneath your house and could compromise your foundation. Your drain line to the septic tank or sewer line could also be broken or has come apart. If this is the case contact HomeAdvisor.com or AngiesList.com and get a plumber or plumbing contractor out there right a way. Have them run a camera down the drain and find out how the mice are getting into the tub drain line.

    • Linda Sandsness Linda Sandsness on Jan 30, 2023

      Exactly, 27524803! Even if the mouse got in they could not get out to forage & eat. Big cities' large sewerlines have sewer rats with many breaks in the system to let the sewer rats (snakes and alligators?!) in.

      But a residencial system tying into a septic tank has no breaks in the line hopefully. And IF they were to fall down a vent they would die without food. They cannot get out.

  • VintageHippie VintageHippie on Mar 31, 2015

    Not sure if this actually works or not, but a friend of mine used a product called Fresh Cab in her RV to keep critters out. It's pine scented as I remember. She always said it was the only thing she's found that worked. Now, I have never used it myself, and I'm sure it needs to be rotated and replaced fairly regularly, but if you are bothered by the peppermint, this may be an alternative. I'm sure amazon has it.

  • Oliva Oliva on May 05, 2019

    Check your chimney, does it have a device installed to prevent access to rodents?

    Have you checked gable vents or soffit? You may find the gable vents pushed in to permit rodent access, or holes in soffit/siding. From there, rodents can gain access to the attic and walls or lower areas of home, depending upon the home's composition.

    If gable vents need repairing, screw in "hardware cloth" wire mesh, with edges folded over and secured to prevent future entry.

    Make sure the areas are not infested with rodents, which will require installation of high intensity strobe lights or a professional exterminator.

  • Jlj8260515 Jlj8260515 on Aug 10, 2016

    Mix one cup of lime and one cup of corn meal in an old bowl very well. Then place this mixture with a thin layer of “cornmeal” over the top in small foil pie tins and scatter them where ever you have rodents. They love cornmeal and will eat down into the lime mixture. This will not kill any other animals. I use this on our ranch.

  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on May 11, 2018
    Mice are attracted to food no properly stored or left out. Keep the food in tightly closed containers so they can't get to it.

    Feed your Guinea Pig at certain times during the day and do not leave food in the cage. People tend to put out food for pets and leave it out! Not good!

    • See 1 previous
    • Wab68721032 Wab68721032 on Oct 06, 2022

      Obviously, you do not have cats. They like to nibble all different times of the day.


  • Mix 1 part flour, granulated sugar and baking soda. Place in shallow dish where mice are most likely to find it. You can sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar, chocolate powder or finely chopped nuts to make it more enticing – just add a bit more baking soda to compensate. What happens is when this hits their stomachs the baking soda forms a gas which rupture their stomachs = dead mice.


    • See 1 previous
    • Kathy C Kathy C on Jan 25, 2023

      But won't they crawl in your walls, die, & stink really bad ? Or does it work really fast while there standing there eating ?


  • Karen Karen on Mar 08, 2022

    potato flakes and cats and easy setting traps especially in the spring,,,besides closing all holes esp, by pipes and wires,,we live in the country..flakes blow up mice but not cats,,

  • Richard Richard on Mar 09, 2022

    Tried and true!!!!! Make a mixture of two (2) cups of Plaster of Paris, one (1) cup of Self Rising Flour and one (1) cup of Cup 'o Soup and set out on their "runs" and replentish as mixture gets lower!! This mixture "ruptures" their bodies and the problem is taken care of!! They are infestive creatures and carry many diseases and therefore are NOT needed in the hierarchy of the scheme of things!!!!! Think "Bubonic Plague"!!!!!

  • Elle Elle on Mar 10, 2022

    We use peppermint - we found even very strong peppermint tea made them avoid the area, but we didn't use pure peppermint oil, because we do have a cat. Peppermint extract seemed to work fine for us.

  • Jjf9789637 Jjf9789637 on Mar 14, 2022

    We live on a farm and always have trouble with mice. We bought several of the electronic plug-ins things. NO MORE MICE!! You can also get battery powered ones to put in camper and vehicles.

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    • Myr78512458 Myr78512458 on Feb 20, 2023

      Yes! When I bought my house those giant spiders were all over. They have a beam

      Do not put anything on front of them. They work on everything but silverfish.

      I have a lot of boxes. When I fill them, I add boric acid to each box. Instead of newspaper ask retailers if the have any foam sheets their products came wrapped in.

      After reading the posted solutions, I have asthma and no way I could use peppermint oil.

  • Kevin Kevin on Mar 28, 2022

    no electricity needed.

    A 5 gallon bucket, a sheet stiff plastic, approximately 6mil thick

    super glue or hot glue the plastic to the rim of the bucket. next, draw a circle in the center of the plastic and draw a pattern of 8 wedges in the circle, cut the wedges from circumference to circumference to let mice in. do not cut the circle out

    Make any kind of ramps to allow mice to gain access the floor to the top of the bucket, one on each side of bucket.

    sprinkle some seed around to bucket to entice and some in the bucket. That's it


    Now you just have to get past the demise of a ton of mice that this will catch, because they will not be killed by this method

  • Olivia Canela Olivia Canela on Mar 30, 2022

    Be careful peppermint and other citrus oils are toxic to pets, so make sure they are able to access them.

  • Peanut butter in a glue trap. It's sad, but it works. Just check on them daily.

    • See 2 previous
    • Yes, the traps are really awful. I agree. Thankfully we haven't had to use them in decades.

  • Susan Frost Gerhold Susan Frost Gerhold on Apr 17, 2022

    take dead mice with no poisons injested and put out side like on a stump or a table or a big stone the crows or hawks wwill eat them recycled yes?

  • Suz62764205 Suz62764205 on Apr 22, 2022

    Cats. Mine kill rats too! A rat won't last five minutes in my house. I literally went out to the shop for that long to briefly close it up - leaving the back door open, and when I came back into the house, there was a dead rat on the floor with my two kitties looking it over to see if it would still twitch. I think the poor critter came right in the open door.


    • Merrilee Bauman Merrilee Bauman on Jan 24, 2023

      And cats are a pretty fast and humane way to deter rodents. When a person told me, many, many years ago, before I had cats and hadn't researched much about them, that cats are "cruel" because they "play" with their prey before they kill it - - the real explanation is that the cat is trying to keep the prey from biting him, and trying to position it, and/or wear it down so he can get a bite in the back of the neck to make as swift a kill, and as safe of one for himself, as possible. They DO chase most things that run, or move fast, etc., but that's just nature. And, yes, when a Pope (one of the early Gregorys, and possibly more than one person in authority or of influence) declared that cats should be killed whenever seen because they were associates of witches, what happened? - - as someone also said previously - - the plagues. I'm not saying other methods are not fine, too, and even better in some cases. I'm just adding my two cents about cats. (There were more reasons for plagues than cats being almost obliterated in west Europe, such as lack of knowledge about sanitation. But lack of sanitation DOES lead to mice/rat populations, and cats help keep their numbers lower).

  • Suz62764205 Suz62764205 on Apr 22, 2022

    Of course every once in a great while, the cats will fail to completely dispatch the poor animal to the afterlife - and for those occasions I have a bottle of chloroform in the shop (I keep it safe from tipping over and breaking of course) but I hope to ease the suffering of "the un-dead" by placing gently in a plastic tight-lidded box on a soft towel with a chloroform-soaked paper towel. It kills them in the most humane way I can think of.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Apr 25, 2022

    Call in the Cat!

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on Apr 30, 2022

    Start by eliminating what they need to survive. They can't live too long without food. Use sealed containers to put all your food in. If you have pets, make sure you put the pet food in sealed containers also. Mice love pet food, grass and bird seed etc. Place traps...many traps, perpendicular to the wall. Mice follow lines/like to run against another surface.

    • Mary Munsch Mary Munsch on Jan 29, 2023

      In my pantry, where all dry food is stored, I have mice eating holes in the potato chip bags, donut bags, etc... I keep lots of different kinds of chips for the grands. The mice do not put holes in the Frito or shrimp chip bags. ??? Way too many bags to put into other containers, yes I will try the blow em up technique as I am soooo tired of them. Right now I have a container of Jiffy cornmeal muffin mixed w/sugar and baking soda. I put this out about a month ago...no more mouse poop on the chip shelf and no holes in new bags. I saw poop on one of my bathroom shelves under the sink, no food there. Gonna put a container under there also. This concoction will not harm other animals or humans.


  • Tambra Tambra on May 02, 2022

    Cats are Great. You will need to get a Female. They are the hunters in the den. As long as we had a female, NO MICE INFESTATION, if you get a male all they want to do is eat and sleep. They have got to be one of the laziest creatures that I have ever seen. No hunting skill whatsoever. Keep that in mind when you are choose your little Exterminator...Get a Girl...Good Luck.

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    • Fji14935081 Fji14935081 on Mar 12, 2023

      I WENT TO LOCAL RESCUE SHELTER - GOT A NEUTERED TEENAGER MALE TIGER STRIPED CAT - I NAMED HIM "OPIE TAYLOR" AFTER OPIE ON THE ANDY GRIFFIN SHOW - ANYHOW, MY OPIE TAYLOR HAS TURNED OUT TO BE NOT ONLY LOVING, BUT A SUPER "MOUSER" - HE CAN'T PURR NOR MEOW, BUT SO FAR, IN THE PAST 3 WEEKS HE HAS FOUND AND KILLED 16 ADULT MICE AND 3 BABIES. I USE FOOD CONTAINERS TO DETER, BUT STILL HAVE MICE!! WE LIVE OUT IN THE BOONIES ON A FARM - NEVER HAD MICE PROBLEMS LIKE THIS YEAR(2023) - GUESS I'LL BLAME IT ON THE PRESENT DAY GOVERNMENT AND COVID - AS I ALWAYS GET THESE EXCUSES EVERYTIME I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE INEFFICIENCIES OF SOME BUSINESSES!

      AND, I DO AGREE WITH BONNIE (ABOVE) - SOME MALE CATS DO MIMIC SOME OF THE HUMAN MALE!!!!!!

  • Lauren Lauren on May 03, 2022

    I found that my 9mm worked good! But ya gotta be quick and good!

  • Richard Richard on May 05, 2022

    Make recipe of:


    One (1) Cup of Plaster of Paris

    Two (2) Cups of Self Rising Flour

    One (1) Package of Cup O' Soup


    Take my word for this as Gospel. I used this and in "jig time" there were NO mice. Just make sure that you continue setting this recipe out long enough to make sure there are no more of them!! No poisons, no traps, just be sure that you keep any pets you may have away from the area that you have this in until you are sure you have eliminated the problems!!!!!

    • Tony Tony on May 17, 2022

      Ok but which copy of the gospel shall we trust? The first one several comments ago or this one? The first stated 2 cups plaster of Paris 1 cup self rising flour, and 1 cup o soup


      Now this one flip flopped the plaster of paris and the self rising flour (1 cup and 2 respectively) I tend to better trust recipes that do not change each time they are made. One almost certainly would be more effective than the other.

  • Sba30773758 Sba30773758 on May 15, 2022

    The absolute best way is to get ultrasonic sound generators. Believe me...as weird as it sounds, it really works!

    • See 5 previous
    • Sue Sue on Mar 28, 2023

      We have been using them since Hurricane Michael in 2018 when everyone had problems. If you get rid of the ones already in the house by any means necessary they keep them from coming in and some bugs as well.

  • Amanda Amanda on May 29, 2022

    Equal parts baking soda and hunny cornbread mix in a container with a small hole for them to get in and out. They will eat leave and never come back.

  • J.dexter J.dexter on Jun 01, 2022

    If you want to Kill them equal parts of cornmeal and baking soda works on mice and rats. Get dollar store quart containers cut a hole large enough for them to get in to eat the mixture and the the stomach juices activate the baking soda. That takes care of the problem.

  • Judy Mitsui Judy Mitsui on Jun 08, 2022

    I learned from a neighbor that mice hate to touch steel wool, so I found the hole where they came in, went to the hardware store and bought steel wool and packed it as tightly as I could into the hole. No more mouse droppings in my kitchen drawers and it lasts a very long time until someone or something pulls it out. And there were no more new holes to contend with and no one gets hurt.

  • L L on Jun 26, 2022

    2 o

  • L L on Jun 26, 2022

    Ultra sound waves work. every time. I have used them in every place we have lived in. They work on spiders too .

    WARNING. Do not used if you have any rodent pets like rabbits hamsters gerbils etc

    It may take a week or more to make all critters leave..

    Humane method and does not bother other pets like dogs and cats.

    • Jackson Jackson on Jul 11, 2022

      which kind did you get ? I bought seven different ones in different price ranges. My niece is the only one in the house that can hear them, the mice love them so much they built their nest beside it

  • Can56115167 Can56115167 on Jul 01, 2022

    Best Answer - Not a Cat

    My cat is apparently a conscientious objector. He kills nothing. The solution is the green cakes you buy at Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, and any other hardware stores. You don't need the trap portion so save your money. Use your empty plastic bottles. Cut off the mouth portion so that the opening is just barely big enough to fit the cake into. Put these bottles in strategic places (of course, the kitchen) but also in the basement, underneath the house, and in your storage shed. Mice give birth to their babies inside your home walls and in roof rafters and crawl spaces. These cakes are desiccants that the mice will take enough of these cakes to their nest (killing their spawn).

    I had a LOT of mice until I placed enough cakes around for about six months. I now have zero mice but I still keep a bottled cake or two underneath the house and in the shed. Cats are great but they can't get into the wall spaces and... you could end up with a useless cat (except for eating & petting) who turns out to be a conscientious objector (or perhaps they think that the mice are just another pet around the house).

    • See 3 previous
    • Sol48694404 Sol48694404 on Mar 18, 2023

      How mice are getting in my house ? My cat helps ! She plays with the mouse or the country rat and come with it in my home (cat door)... Then, as she's tired, she lets the mouse or rat run away. And runs after the mouse, then rests, then runs...

      And the mouse finds how to hide...

      Sometimes the mouse is too hurted, but often I must run or check where the mouse is !


  • Kate Groves Kate Groves on Jul 01, 2022

    If anyone does use a glue trap - and regrets it as i did, I found a solution. Dip a q-tip in baby oil [generous amounts] run it on all sides of the mouse repeatedly. Hold the mouse by the tail and gently pull up as the glue gets neutralized by the oil. Have a jar handy to put him in and release it at least a mile from home. Read somewhere they can find their way back if you let them go too close to where you found him. Will definitely buy the peppermint extract in the future!

    • See 1 previous
    • Sue Sue on Mar 28, 2023

      Good to know when we got desperate after a hurricane I broke down and got a couple glue traps. Our dog found one in the middle of the night and got it stuck to his foot then his case trying to get it off his foot. Nightmare for all. Didn’t catch any mice either.

      Going to have baby oil handy lol even without glide traps it may help everyone sleep lol

  • Barbara webber Barbara webber on Jul 03, 2022

    mothballs scattered away from pets and left in in RVs will eliminate mice problems~

    • See 1 previous
    • Marie Hooke Marie Hooke on Oct 28, 2022

      Don 't use Mothballs - they are toxic to humans and pets because of the toxic gas that is part of the mothballs. Look it up. Really bad idea.

  • Ellen Ellen on Jul 08, 2022

    We had a 2nd floor walk-up apartment in Center City Philadelphia and, at the sight of the first mouse, I did the peppermint oil/cotton ball thing. The building had mice in the 1st, 3rd and 4th floor apartments, but not ours. The landlord even called to say he was sending an exterminator and offered us his services. But there was absolutely no need! Peppermint works. (I also line my 13-gal. kitchen trash can with Mint-X trash bags from Home Depot).

  • Zepher Zepher on Jul 09, 2022

    Last year I started traps I caught 77 mice and 4 pack rats . We have 5 cats and they don't go near the pack rats . I seen a spray at Lowe for mice was going to buy some but no tellers anywhere , they said go to the self checkout, well I refuse to do that people need jobs ( the ones that want to work ) so I left it on the counter and went home . 30 miles away , I'm in the mountains .

    • Charlotte murray Charlotte murray on Apr 09, 2023

      I won't use "self-service either. Love all these suggestions! Never had any mice trouble & I will be 77 in 2 days!

  • Mommaduck Mommaduck on Jul 10, 2022

    A few years ago our whole neighborhood had mice everywhere from too much construction in the neighborhood and we also got skunks that moved in under our shed. I'd read coyote urine (yuk!) worked or ammonia. I went with the ammonia. I bought tiny glass jars on amazon (like what they use for jelly samples). We used a nail to make holes in the cover, tucked a piece of old towel in the jar and filled with the ammonia. We tucked them everywhere! Under the shed, deck and around the inside of the cellar. I got ones with a gold color lid so they are easy to spot so we can refill as needed. We have cats and wild bunnies in the yard and didn't want them to ingest the ammonia so the jars worked great. The skunks moved out and so did the mice....now to get rid of the tunneling chipmunks......

    • See 1 previous
    • Nap75118844 Nap75118844 on Dec 17, 2022

      and gentleman said Ammonia will also rid the attic of squirrels. Soak rags in ammonia and drape over rafters around entry areas.

      Cinnamon for chipmunks. scatter profusely on ground. They hate it being in soil where they dig.

  • Karyn Mounsey Karyn Mounsey on Jul 12, 2022

    I have a solution for mice getting into your garage through the air vents. Measure your vents from the inside of the garage. Get punched, patterned tin sheets, tin snips (and the appropriate drywall screws from your local hardware store. Cut the tin sheets to size and secure to wall with screws at 1 inch intervals (mice are amazingly able to squeeze through small spaces). I did this a month ago and haven't seen ANY evidence of mice in my garage since. Outside in the wide open spaces is an entirely different story, but I would NOT use poison--cats, coyotes and other wild critters rely on mice for snack food.

  • Shelia Moreno Shelia Moreno on Jul 17, 2022

    Someone told me to use chips of Irish Spring soap. It works great and doesn't fade. They won't go near it! I put the chips in my motorhome and have never had a problem with mice!

    • Bett Bett on Aug 01, 2022

      Irish Spring did not work for me, and it didn't deter the flies either, as I had read. However, clove oil did deter them. I had them in 3 areas of my house. Put out the store bought deterrents (mostly peppermint) and that did not work at all. Then, I sprinkled clove oil around (you can soak cotton balls in it and stick them in crevices). No more mice and it's been nearly a year.

  • Stoppit Stoppit on Aug 07, 2022

    I KEEP poison out at all times in areas where mice like to enter. I THINK I have eliminated all points of entry, but you NEVER can be sure they will not find or create a new one. I have dogs and one must be very careful to put the poison where they can NEVER have access to it. I also use glass jars to contain the poison and drill/cut a hole in the lid the size of a dime. In all the years 21 to be exact I have had ONE mouse die in a stairwell to the basement wall. The poison makes them LEAVE the area seeking water. I have had a few die in the house but always where they could be seen as they are seeking water and most places they LIVE, no water available. I have had them chew through heavy totes so yes, never store food in plastic long term if you suspect or know you have mice. The season(fall) is also prime time for these wee invaders so keep a sharp eye out for evidence. They ca even destroy CANNED food by urinating on cans so if like me you have basement cabinets where you store them be sure to check there too.


    • Mark Mark on Oct 29, 2022

      Rodent urine and feces can cause kidney and liver damage if ingested in even small amounts. You can detect urine with a UV light as it glows. Can tops need to be scrubbed and labels removed before even thinking about opening the can and eating what’s inside. Look up the horrible things rodent urine and feces can do to you on the internet. Once you read it you won’t have any mercy on these horrible vendors of disease and death. Boxed goods I just threw away when mice got into my pantry. I store all boxed goods in metal, glass or heavy clear plastic containers with airtight lids. Don’t have any shelf closer than 3 feet from the floor as mice can jump amazing distances to get to a food source.

  • Rosieflynn Rosieflynn on Aug 14, 2022

    Cayenne pepper sprinkled around point of entry and/or any areas you see mouse dirt. Works instantly. No harm to mice. Best deterrent I've ever used except when I had cats. Reapply as often as you want. I've never had to reapply and it's been almost a year since they've a mouse has ventured into my place.

  • Rosieflynn Rosieflynn on Aug 14, 2022

    The word "they've" in my above post doesn't belong. Please ignore it.

  • Stanleyj Stanleyj on Aug 19, 2022

    how to fix clogged drains

  • Cheri Schumacher Cheri Schumacher on Aug 21, 2022

    We use the peppermint oil on cotton balls, in the house (just in case) and in the camper. It seems to work in both places---haven't had a mouse since we started this way to keep them away.

  • Stephany Stephany on Sep 05, 2022

    A farmer told me that a natural poison you can make but won't harm your pets (if they eat it or the dead rodent) is equal parts honey corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy) and baking soda. He uses it for mice and pack rats. The baking soda reacts with their stomach acids the same way it would with vinegar and because rodents can't burp or pass gas it kills them. Dogs and cats can pass gas (as any of us with furry friends I'm sure knows 😉) so the mixture doesn't affect them if they were to get into it. I can't stand the sticky traps and the more humane spring traps, with the crafty little devils in our house, I find the traps unsprung with the peanut butter eaten away. I don't like the idea of dead mice in my house tho so I think I'll try the clove oil ideas shared on here first. I'd prefer not kill them if I can help it but I'm very tired of them getting into the pantry. 😠