How to get rid of mice and rats: 20 effective home remedies

What is the danger of mice for the home and human health

From my own experience, the author of the article knows that the appearance of mice in the house certainly does not bring any benefit. Seeing a fluffy rodent, be prepared for the night rustling in garbage bags, gnawing on everything papery and even more so smelling of food. Also, leaving the bedroom in the morning, you can find a mouse on the kitchen table, carefully licking a teaspoon of jam forgotten on it and not washed.

But all this is nonsense compared to what mice threaten your health and safety of things. So, a mouse invasion can lead to:

damaged electrical wiring, which can cause a fire;
gnawed furniture;
the appearance of a characteristic unpleasant odor from mouse excrement.

Once mice have tasted your food, it becomes a potential source of various infections.
If the mice get to the grocery store and gnaw, for example, cereals, they will have to be thrown out. In the tested products, rodents leave particles of their saliva, microbes, dirt from wool and feces. And even heat treatment will not save such food. Having eaten it, you can get infected:

tularemia;
typhoid;
plague;
salmonellosis;
bartonellosis, etc.

The freely available water that mice have tasted is also dangerous and can cause food poisoning and other illnesses.

Useful Tips

Wanting to get rid of annoying pests, it is imperative to put things in order in your home, paying special attention to the shelves, corners and pantry. There should be no food residues on the floor. It will be useful to wash the floors with bleach.

You can place mousetraps. A piece of cheese or bacon will serve as an excellent bait. You should regularly check the traps you have set.

The mousetrap will help to cope with small numbers of rodents

The cat will help scare the mouse. Pests do not like the smell of this animal, so after the appearance of a fluffy pet, they will not stay in the house for a long time. You can mix cement with any cereals and spread the poison in the corners. Tanks with water are placed next to it. This method is highly effective.

Mice are afraid of sound. Their fear is caused by ultrasonic vibrations emitted by a special device. One of the most popular devices is the Grad. It covers an area of up to 500 sq. m. The repeller affects the hearing of rodents, causing them to panic and intolerable pain in the ears. If people do not pick up these frequencies, then mice suffer greatly. Trying to escape, they hurriedly leave the territory.

A device that emits ultrasound negatively affects the nervous system of pests, literally driving them crazy. In this case, addiction does not occur in mice. This method gives excellent results, is safe, but there is also one significant disadvantage: the device is not cheap.

The ElectroKot device affects pests within 200 sq. m. It has a lower current strength. The device works in day and night mode. It allows you to get rid of intruders within 8-13 days. Usually mice are gone forever.

Repeller Electrocat solves the problem with mice in 1-2 weeks

Also, rodents can be frightened off by unusual sounds that arose unexpectedly.For example, this is the work of a washing machine, playing a musical instrument, listening to music loudly.

How to get rid of mice in a private house and apartment

Before starting the direct destruction of rodents, you need to carry out the appropriate preparatory work. So, you should:

Remove all products and food leftovers from open access: hide ready meals in the refrigerator, store cereals and flour in glass containers;
throw out the trash at night;
after cooking and eating, thoroughly sweep all the crumbs, wipe the table from food debris;
do not leave water open;
Cement any rodent holes and burrows you find.

Cover ventilation openings with metal wire mesh to keep out mice.

Biological remedies for mice

Such methods are completely safe for humans, while allowing effective disposal of mice.

Animals that hunt mice

These include dogs, cats, hedgehogs, and snakes. Of course, taming a snake or a hedgehog for the sake of catching mice is hardly worth it, especially since the thorny lumps have an extremely unpleasant smell. Therefore, try to get rid of rodents in simpler ways.

Many yard dogs are happy to diversify their menu with rodents, but they still prefer rats, since they are larger and easier to catch. Among purebred dogs, the best hunters are terriers and dachshunds - they have it in their blood.

A cat is perhaps the most effective and environmentally friendly "remedy" for mice if you are not allergic to wool. Usually, even the scent of a furry pet is enough to keep the rodents at bay. However, for greater efficiency, try to choose a hunter with short hair, thick and long mustache and camouflage color - a gray "tiger", black or tricolor. Outbred female animals are also more effective at catching mice.

The best mouse hunters are mongrel animals with short hair, gray and striped.

Microbiological preparations

The principle of such means is based on rodents eating Salmonella bacteria, added to various preparations from mice. Once in the body, the bacteria cause infection with typhoid fever, which can cause a real epidemic among the mouse population. Also, agents with bacteria from Prokhorov, Isachenko and Merezhkovsky are very effective, and they do not pose any danger to humans and other animals.

Mechanical methods

These methods of controlling mice are safe for your health, but can also significantly deplete the rodent population in your home. True, try to prevent children from seeing the result of the work of the mousetraps, since this can be a heavy blow for the child's psyche. It is sometimes difficult for a little man to explain that a small and cute-looking animal was killed not out of cruelty, but for the safety of the household.

Mousetrap

The design of mousetraps has not changed much over the past few decades. Usually it is a support to which a spring and a frame attached to it are attached. The last part is pulled back and fixed with a steel pin, on which the bait is attached.

Once in a mousetrap, a rodent has no chance of escape.

In an effort to swallow the bait, the rodent pulls it down, releasing the pin, and he lowers the frame, which, returning to its place, kills the mouse. You need to load the mousetrap carefully so as not to pinch your finger, especially if it has teeth. Place the device in a place where children or pets cannot get in.

Rodent bait should be fresh and tasty. A spoiled product will not only not attract mice, but may even scare away from the trap.Cottage cheese, bacon, smoked meats, sausage, hard cheese, rice porridge, etc. are best suited as bait.

Zhivolovki

Such designs are designed to catch the rodent alive. After capture, you can release or kill yourself. The device is a cage with an entrance tunnel connected to a pedal. Stepping on the latter, the rodent at the same time releases the hook and closes the door behind it. Naturally, you need to put bait inside the cage before you start hunting for rodents.

It is quite possible to make a primitive live trap with your own hands. For example, you can use an empty 1.5 liter plastic bottle for this purpose. A hole 2-3 cm in diameter is cut in the container not far from the neck.

The neck is tied with a strong cord, the free end of which is hooked to a heavy object located on the table. In this case, the length of the lace should be such that the bottle does not touch the floor when dropped.

A bait is placed on the bottom of the trap, while the bottle is positioned so that the bottom with the "yummy" hangs above the floor, and the edge with the slot is on the table. Having penetrated the live trap, the mouse goes to the bait, and its weight makes the bottle fall without touching the floor. At the same time, the rodent cannot get out.

There are many ways to make a mouse trap out of scrap materials.

The author of the article remembers how in childhood a mouse was caught using such a primitive means as any container (flower pot, glass jar - with a capacity of no more than 1 liter) placed on the edge of a coin. Inside, of course, put some kind of "tasty" to attract a rodent. Often in the middle of the night you could hear the glass clinking from a shattered trap. By the way, first you need to put plywood or cardboard under the bottom of the container so that it is convenient to turn the can or pot over.

Glue traps

Such a device is a thin plate on which a very viscous glue is applied, which does not even allow the mice to tear off their paws. The main advantages of the glue trap are as follows:

the glue is not toxic to humans and animals;
no need to look for a dead rodent by the disgusting smell;
ideal for rooms where chemical treatment with toxic substances cannot be carried out.

For use, the base is thickly covered with an adhesive. A bait is placed in the center of the trap and the structure is placed in a place hidden from the human eye - under furniture, behind cabinets, in the far corners of storerooms or basements, etc. The glue retains its viscous properties for about 3 months if not used in a dusty room ...

Glue Mouse Trap is an economical and durable product for fighting mice

Chemicals for the destruction of mice in the home

If you want to get rid of rodents in an accelerated way, poisonous substances, both factory-made and domestic, are best for this. Chemical preparations for rodents can be produced in different forms and act on different principles. So, they can be:

contact (cause burns of the respiratory tract);
fumigant (poison the rodent after inhalation of the agent);
intestinal (enter the body of the mouse with the bait and poison it).

Remedies for mice can be produced in the form of:

briquettes;
hard granules / pellets;
poisonous grain;
poisons in liquid form;
gel;
powders.

Briquettes

Such a product is similar in consistency to plasticine and often tastes like cheese and other rodent-favorite foods to attract rodents. In fact, this is a ready-made bait, which is enough to put in places where mice are most often seen. Examples - Hunter Anti-Rodent, Alt, Storm.

Solid granules / pellets

Such a poison is usually acid-bright in color (green, pink, blue) and a smell that attracts mice.Externally, the pellets look almost like dry pet food and are very attractive to rodents for their consistency. This shape allows you to pour the poison into almost any hard-to-reach place. Popular brands Ratobor, Bros.

Various poisonous agents for mice - photo gallery

Poisoned cereal mixtures are especially attractive to rodents, but they should be poured only with rubber gloves. Liquid mouse poisons can be used in pure form or "flavored" with them bait

Mouse pellets are very simple and convenient to use and are ready to use immediately after unpacking

Gels for getting rid of mice have an appetizing smell and taste for mice, therefore they are very effective in getting rid of rodents.

Mouse powders are used exclusively for addition to edible baits for mice and rats

Dough briquettes with a taste and aroma that attract mice are the most effective remedy for rodents

Poisonous grain

In general, the principle of operation of the grains is similar to the properties of granules, while their taste does not betray the presence of poison in the product and is completely natural. But as rodents absorb the product, the poison gradually begins to act.

When choosing a poisonous agent for mice, it is worth giving preference to drugs with a mummifying effect. This will avoid the stench from decaying rodent corpses.

Poison in liquid form

Without liquid, mice, like other creatures, will not live long, while blocking all their paths to water is unrealistic. It is a sin not to take advantage of such a weak point of rodents - that is why it is possible to place poisoned liquid in saucers in all the places favored by mice. An example of such funds is Deratomin, Brodivit.

In order not to think about where to look for the source of the stench and possible infections - dead mice, give preference to drugs that cause suffocation in rodents, for example, Nutcracker briquettes. Such drugs make mice strive for air and quickly leave the room, while they die on the street. After all, you see, there is nothing worse than the terrible stench from a dead mouse, which hid itself before death in some gap or under the baseboard.

Gel

The poison in this form has a very attractive taste and aroma for animals and at the same time retains its toxic characteristics for a very long time, without losing them due to temperature changes or changes in lighting. Moreover, mice often prefer this poison over food. For use, the product is mixed with cereals, flour and other baits, placing it near the minks of rodents or in secluded places. Examples of such funds are MediRet, Absolon, Bacterontsid.

Powder

These are great for adding to baits. They can be mixed with grains, flour, sugar, cookies, and other rodent favorites. Pure powders do not attract mice in any way. Among such remedies, Rathindan and Ratin are popular.

Attention! Powders and poisoned grain are dangerous for people, because when they are unfolded, the smallest particles of a poisonous substance float in the air and enter the human respiratory system.

Home remedies for mouse poisoning

You will be amazed to learn what elemental foods can lead to the death of rodents.

Gypsum (plaster) and chocolate

To create such a poison, mix in proportions 1: 3 chocolate chips and dry plaster. Spread the product near the holes of rodents or in places hidden from the eyes. They put water nearby. Attracted by the chocolate flavor, the mice eat the mixture and then feel intense thirst. After quenching it, the mixture turns to stone in their stomach and leads to death.

Gypsum and flour

This tool works on the same principle as the previous one, only in this case you have to mix equal amounts of wheat flour and gypsum.

In every home there is a tool with which you can get rid of mice.

Sugar, soda and flour

To use the product:

make a mixture of 150 g of wheat flour and the same amount of soda, as well as 100 g of sugar;
the mixture is poured into several saucers;
arrange the container in secluded corners.

After entering the stomach of rodents, soda causes active gas release. And mice, due to their physiological characteristics, are not able to regurgitate, and therefore die.

Carbonated soft drinks

Such drinks, it turns out, are harmful not only to the human stomach. Once inside the mouse's body, they cause a quick death of the rodent for the same reason as the previous remedy. For use, the drink is poured into several small saucers or even nylon lids and placed in hidden places.

Cork powder

Once in the rodent's stomach, this substance swells up in it and leads to death. However, to attract mice, cork powder in equal proportions must be mixed with flour or any cereal and placed in saucers where rodents are most often found.

Mice repelling folk remedies

Folk remedies are known to be the safest, but not always effective. They can be used as an addition to other methods of getting rid of rodents, as a means of prevention or if it is not possible to use chemicals.

Mice do not tolerate the smell of peppermint, therefore, to scare them away from the home, put pieces of cotton wool dipped in the essential oil of this plant in the places where they live or from which they can come.

The rodent also does not like the pungent smell of onions, so you can spread the heads cut in half in the places inhabited by them. True, the vegetable will have to be changed as it dries.

Ultrasonic scarers

Devices for scaring away mice using ultrasound help to quickly get rid of rodents without any pesticides. In addition, you do not have to think about where to put animal carcasses. The repeller constantly emits ultrasound waves at different frequencies, so rodents do not have time to get used to it.

From the room where such a device is installed, the entire mouse family is guaranteed to leave. At the same time, new rodents will be afraid to even approach your home, because ultrasound is extremely painful for their sensitive hearing, forcing them to run as far as possible.

To check if the device is on, under no circumstances should it be brought to your ears! Although you won't hear a sound, it is there and can seriously damage your eardrums. The start of the device is usually indicated by a special indicator on it.

It should be noted that people and pets, except for hamsters and other domestic rodents, do not hear any extraneous sounds at all. On average, mice leave the room where there is an ultrasound source within 10–30 days. One device must be installed in one room, because the walls are impervious to ultrasound. Also, upholstered furniture is capable of absorbing it, so it is better to take it out of a room infected with mice.

To correctly install the ultrasonic repeller, you need to imagine how the light of the searchlight spreads - along a cone. Therefore, the device should be placed so that the wide part of this imaginary cone covers the entrance to the room and does not intersect with upholstered furniture. Ideally, ultrasound should bounce off solid walls and cover the entire room.

An ultrasonic rodent repeller is considered the safest and most effective remedy for mice, but it is only effective if installed correctly

Ultrasonic scarers

The principle of operation of the devices is based on the release of ultrasonic waves that are not perceived by the human ear. However, in mice, the waves cause a great deal of discomfort. After a month, the rodents will leave the territory.

The only drawback of such devices is that the presence of furniture prevents the passage of waves and the efficiency decreases.

Ultrasonic devices can be powered by an outlet or batteries

There are many devices on the market designed for different areas and operating conditions: "Electrokot", "Grad", "Typhoon", "Tornado". When buying, you must carefully study the instructions and choose the best option.

If you want to know how to scare away mice, you need to understand the basic models of ultrasound devices. There are not many reliable manufacturers on the market, so it will not be difficult to make a choice.

The most popular is the Tornado brand device. The device is installed in close proximity to the rodent colony. Otherwise, an effective result should not be expected, since the sound waves will not reach the animals.

If you use the device in a two-story house, you need to purchase several devices, otherwise you will only observe the migration process from one level to another. To answer the question of how to scare away mice in the house, instructions for the use of ultrasound will help. It is necessary to turn on two devices at the same time to eliminate the risk of animals moving around the house.

The LED lamp on the panel allows you to determine the health of the device. Parasites leave the house a few weeks after the start of using the device if the manufacturer's operating rules are followed. Read the recommendations in detail before use in order to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Several models are produced under the Tornado brand - 200, 300, 400. The figure indicates the area of ultrasound action. Tornado 300 and 400 can be used in warehouses, large enterprises and workshops. Tornado 200 is often used in garages as it runs on battery power.

Typhoon is an excellent remedy for rodents. The device is able to automatically switch audio frequencies so that rodents could not have time to adapt to new conditions. The device provides an effective and quick result (10-30 days of use). Models of the brand differ in power and performance - on the market you can find Typhoon 600 and 800.

Plants against mice in the home can be a rescue from a small amount of parasites or help prevent rodent infestations. If you want to understand what rats don't like, then you shouldn't dwell on scent alone.

Means for repelling mice have a wide variety of principles of action, so it is necessary to correctly approach the choice of a method for solving the problem. The best way to scare away rats and mice is difficult to determine. Finding the right way out of the situation is possible only through the use of trial and error.

Mouse scarers

The devices emit ultrasound, to which the sensitive organism of the mouse reacts. The animal begins to experience a strong sense of fear. He loses his appetite, behaves restlessly, tries to leave the hole.

Waves scare away mice and do not harm them. The device is harmless to humans, but it can cause discomfort for pets.

Each device has its own range. To scare away mice in a large house, you often need to buy several devices.

How to get rid of mice in the country, in the garden, cellar

Quite often, mice appear not only in a private house or even an apartment, but also in a garden plot, in a cellar or in a country house. In this case, it is also necessary to take appropriate measures to exterminate them.

For more information on how to get rid of pests in a summer cottage, read our article - How to deal with mice in the country.

How to get rid of mice in the summer cottage and in the garden

Field mice can cause considerable harm to your plantings, so you need to fight them mercilessly.

Blackroot

Blackroot medicinal (a plant from the borage family) has a practically intolerable smell to mice. Therefore, it can be placed fresh or dried in a compost heap, scattered over fallen leaves, or shoved into a haystack.

Blackroot officinalis has a smell that repels mice

Black elderberry

This plant is also unloved by mice, so it can be effectively used in a summer cottage in the garden. For this purpose, you can tie the trunks of fruit seedlings with twigs of black elderberry. And in order to protect bulbs and other perennials from rodents, the branches of this medicinal plant can be placed under the covering material.

Mint

Along the perimeter of the garden or around the summer cottage, you can plant peppermint, the smell of which the voles also cannot stand.

To protect fruit trees from damage by voles, they are wrapped below with roofing material, spruce branches, birch bark, and broken plastic from bottles. The land around the bushes and fruit crops is sprinkled with finely chopped celandine, and in winter the snow around the trees is carefully compacted.

How to deal with mice in a cellar

You can use wood ash to get the mice out of the cellar. The product is scattered on the floor (usually 1 bucket is needed for 6-10 sq. M) and left until the parasites disappear completely. The alkali contained in the ash corrodes the legs of rodents, moreover, they lick it off, and the agent irritates the entire digestive tract.

Also, in non-residential premises, finely broken glass can be poured onto the floor. The sharp crumb painfully wounds the delicate legs of the rodents and makes them leave the dangerous place.

In the cellar or basement, you can sprinkle the corners with kerosene or formalin, the smell of which mice cannot stand. Naturally, this should be done when there is no food in the room.

Quite effectively, a piece of rubber burned in a bucket with a blowtorch gets rid of mice.

If you soak a rag in turpentine and stick it in the rodent's hole, you can drive the mouse out of the room. True, the operation must be performed at least twice with an interval of a week.

Well eliminates mice in the cellar smoke from sulfuric bombs. To use it:

All holes in the room are carefully caulked.
A piece of plywood or brick is placed in the middle of the cellar, on which a sulfur block is installed.
Set fire to the wick and quickly leave the room. There is usually a margin of time for this, since the wick burns for about a minute.
The checker is left in a closed room for a day, after which the door is opened and ventilated until the sulfur smell disappears.

Such an operation allows you to get rid of not only rodents, but also mold and microbes.

A sulfur checker will not only get rid of mice in any utility room, but also destroy mold and germs.

What to do with dead mice

Disposal of the corpses of poisoned rodents is a difficult problem if you poisoned them with factory pesticides. The danger is that such a mouse can be eaten by a pet (yours or someone else's) animal. Of course, it happens more often that a cat catches a poisoned, but still living rodent and eats it, but all the same happens.

If you live in an apartment building, the killed rodents can be collected by wearing rubber gloves and placed in a box with a lid, then tightly wrapped with duct tape. And then throw it into the trash can. If you live in a private house, the corpses can simply be burned in the garden plot, having previously watered with any fuel and lubricant.

When to call specialists

In some cases, when rodents appear, professional deratization (destruction of rodents) is indispensable. You need to call specialists if:

mice appear on the apartments on the first floors from the basement, and their "nursery" is also located there;
no folk and factory remedies help get rid of rodents in the house;
mice flooded the premises where food is stored or produced;
we are talking about medical or other socially significant institutions where rodent prevention is regularly required.

Rules for the preparation and conduct of deratization

All food, personal belongings and items used by pets are removed from the premises.
All kitchen cabinets are emptied of contents.
Removing bed linen.
All carpets are folded in such a way that they can be handled on both sides.
Furniture is moved away from the walls at a distance of 30 cm.
Carry out wet cleaning of the room.
Wipe the bathtub, sink or sink dry from water.
All openings in the room, including gaps and cracks in ceilings or walls, must be sealed.
Full access to ventilation and other utilities (pipes, batteries, etc.) must be provided.
During processing and after 2 hours of airing, there should be no people and pets in the room, including aquarium fish (if possible).
Two days after processing, wet cleaning is not carried out, after which all surfaces that come into contact with food and products must be wiped off.
For 24 hours after deratization, it is advisable not to use the sink, shower and bath.

When choosing a pest control company, pay attention to the safety of the methods used. So, you should know that the method of pollination with pesticides, which gives a 100% effect due to the enormous toxicity for humans, has been recognized as prohibited for use. The method of gassing is extremely rarely used, which is very effective, but also dangerous for all living beings.

The cost of deratization directly depends on how many rooms are to be treated from rodents and what activities will be carried out.

Deratization specialists allow you to forget about the problem of rodents for a long time in any room

Traps

Various mouse traps and live traps help to get rid of single pests. But you need to start catching as soon as it was noticed that a mouse was scratching under the floor.
At home, people have adapted to get rid of mice with various traps:

Trap. This is the most common means of struggle, it has been used for several hundred years. You need to charge the trap, put a piece of food on it. For bait, they usually use cheese, a slice of bread dipped in butter, bacon.
Glue. You need to put bait in an unnecessary plate, smear the edges with special glue, which is sold in any store.
Poison. It is necessary to mix unnecessary products with chemical poisons and feed the mice. However, one must not forget about the harm to the person himself; such funds should be used with extreme caution.
Glass jar. You can spread the inside of the jar with vegetable oil and put a piece of bait. Set at an angle. A mouse looking for food will climb into the jar, but will not be able to get back out.
Deep basin of water. Collect an incomplete basin of water and put a light cardboard with a piece of bait in the water. Move the pelvis to the platform so that rodents can climb there. Jumping into the basin, the mouse will drown.

Dealing with unnecessary rodents is not easy. Getting rid of them requires patience.