Mice Repellents

Summary: Fall is the time that leaves fall, golf courses aerate, baseball plays its World Series and mice come inside to escape the cold. Read about some outrageous and wonderful mice repellent suggestions and recipes.

As the weather turns cooler our thoughts turn to football, hot cider, Halloween and mouse control. Oops! What was that last one? Mouse control? Do our thoughts really turn to coming up with the best mouse repellent or does that happen after a mouse has surprised us by jumping out of a kitchen cabinet late one night? My guess is that many of us have had the experience and do not wish to repeat the scene. So, we improvise and come up with our own recipes for repelling mice. Some are different and others are outright strange, but reading them is great entertainment.

Here are some of my favorite “reader's mice repellent" suggestions.

Our first reader says, “Those white toilet bowl freshener blocks are a good repellent, until they melt away. I scatter them in areas where I've noticed

mouse droppings.” My question is do you take them directly from the toilet or use a fresh one? Nothing says "stay away mouse" better than a seasoned toilet bowl freshener, I always say.

The next reader says, “Put some antifreeze in tin pie plates.” I guess the antifreeze keeps the plates from icing over and the mice drown. Actually, antifreeze gives off a sweet odor that attracts animals, but it is deadly should they drink it. It will kill your dogs and cats, too.

One reader suggests putting out used cat litter. The reader says it works as long as the litter is fresh. Evidently, the mice think a cat is lurking nearby. According to the person making this suggestion, the mice eventually begin to ignore the litter when they never encounter the cat. So, imagine their surprise when the cat does, in fact, make an appearance. Boy, are those mice ever stunned to see a mouth full of sharpe teeth and slanted yellow eyes standing in their pathway.

A homeowner suggests using Bounce laundry sheets to repel mice. I would think that fluffy, floral smelling mice would make a nice pet. I'll bet Procter and Gamble never thought of that use for their laundry products. The funniest part of this is that another person wrote back and wanted to know which Bounce scent to use because P&G makes about ten different Bounce flavors. I've heard the Alley Cat scent works best in repelling mice.

Here's a new one for me. A reader says a mixture of mint and whole cloves wrapped up in squares of cheese cloth does a good job of keeping mice at bay. That mix either repels mice or serves as a nice potpourri for your dresser drawers.

The lingering odor from my wife's liver and onion dinners makes me run for cover. I'm almost positive it would do the same for a house filled with rodents.

One of my favorite suggestions is from a guy who chops up cork and covers it with bacon, hamburger and steak grease. He even adds a bit of anise.

Liver & onions

The mice gobble the stuff down, but the cork clogs up their digestive track and they eventually die. I have no idea if this works, but I did serve his recipe once at a dinner party and my guests loved it. Without the cork, of course.

It's back to the kitchen for this idea. Add one tablespoon of Tabasco sauce to ½ cup of soap detergent and mix it all up in a gallon of water. Spray around baseboards. This will either keep the mice away or remove the paint. I forget which one. Better test this mix on a spot that is not easily visible.

Okay! Here's one from deep left field. Grate a small paraffin block and mix it in flour. The person who suggested this method failed to tell me if he spreads it on the floor or on pieces of toast. I'm unclear if the stuff is eaten by the mice or if they are repelled by it.

One reader said he did some research and discovered that he could use ammonia to “mark” his territory and that would keep the mice away. Since urine contains some level of ammonia, the mice think that a very big mouse is “marking” a territory and telling them to keep out.

The winner, however, is the guy who put up a detour sign outside his door with an arrow pointing to his neighbor's door. The sign says “Free Food”.

No matter which method you like best, plugging up entry holes is the best solution to any mouse problem. It only takes a hole the size of a dime to say “Welcome Home” to a mouse.