How to remove rodents from your house and basement once and for all with the popular method.
Encountering a mouse in the kitchen or noticing strange noises on the ceiling can be more than annoying. The presence of rodents in houses, basements, sheds or gardens not only implies material damage: they can also transmit diseases, contaminate food and affect quality of life. While traps and poisons are still traditional options, there are natural, accessible, and effective methods that help keep them away without risk to your family or pets.
Why rodents appear
Before fighting them, it’s important to understand why they enter your home:
- They are looking for easy food: food scraps, crumbs, pet food, or poorly stored grains.
- They are attracted to warm, humid and dark places where they can make nests.
- They slip through cracks, pipes, holes in poorly sealed doors, ceilings or basements.
The best strategy is to prevent them from finding what they are looking for and, at the same time, scare them away with natural resources that they do not tolerate.
Odors that repel rodents
1. Peppermint: Foolproof and Accessible
Peppermint has a strong aroma that mice and rats can’t stand. It works as a natural barrier that disorients them and prevents them from getting close.
How to use it:
- Buy peppermint essential oil and soak cotton balls. Place them in corners, cupboards, basements, attics, behind appliances and air intakes.
- Replace the cotton wool every 10 to 15 days.
- Plant mint near windows, doors, and areas of the garden where they usually enter.
- You can also prepare a homemade spray with water and a few drops of peppermint oil to spray key areas.
2. Wild rosemary or Ledum: less known but very potent
This shrub has an essential oil with an irritating effect on rodents.
How to use it:
- Use the essential oil on cotton balls such as peppermint.
- Ideal for closed areas or areas with little circulation such as storage rooms, mezzanines, disused closets or weekend homes.
3. Eucalyptus and laurel
Two other aromas that are unpleasant for mice. Dried bay leaves can be placed in cupboards and drawers. Eucalyptus oil is used in the same way as peppermint oil, in cotton wool or mixed with water as a spray.
Additional Natural Tricks
4. Used cat litter (in a closed bag)
You can place small cloth bags with some of your cat’s used litter near critical areas. The predator’s scent keeps them away.
5. White vinegar and cloves
A mixture of both can be used as a natural spray to spray areas where you detect presence. It does not eliminate mice, but it discourages them from returning.
6. Light and sound
Rodents prefer dark and quiet areas. Keeping lights on in basements or attics, or even using small ultrasonic devices (available at hardware stores or online stores), can break your sense of security.
General prevention recommendations
- Close all possible entrances: seal cracks with putty, polyurethane foam, or steel wool. Check grates, ducts, and cable entries.
- Keep it clean: don’t leave food outdoors, use bins with lids, and clean crumbs frequently.
- Store dry food well: use glass, metal, or thick plastic jars with tight-fitting lids.
- Regularly check underused places: old closets, basements, roofs and sheds are ideal spaces for them to build nests.
- Avoid leaving pet food overnight: remove it or cover it tightly.
What you shouldn’t do
- Don’t use baits or poisons without knowing how they work: they can be dangerous for children and pets, and leaving dead animals in inaccessible places generates bad odors.
- Avoid leaving open garbage bags or old cardboard boxes accumulated: they are ideal shelters.
- Don’t be overconfident just by looking at one mouse: where there is one, there may be several or an entire family.
When to Call a Professional
If you notice droppings, persistent odors, gnawing or directly see several mice in different sectors, it is time to consult with a pest control specialist. Early intervention prevents the problem from becoming a difficult-to-manage infestation.
Conclusion
Eliminating rodents naturally is completely possible if you combine perseverance, cleanliness, prevention and the correct use of scents that repel them. Solutions such as mint, wild rosemary, bay leaf or eucalyptus are not only accessible, they are also safe for the home and environmentally friendly. Turning your home into a mouse-friendly space, without the need for poisons or bloody methods, is a smart and sustainable way to protect your home.