While you may complain about having mice in your home, the one thing you can’t complain about is not having enough options and remedies to get rid of mice.
From snap traps, to humane traps, to rodenticides, to electric traps, the trapping and repellent options at your disposal are extensive and may even be overwhelming. However, you don’t only have to use a store-bought poison or trap to get rid of mice: many home remedies work just as well!
This article lays out 7 natural, home remedies to get rid of mice and will be a useful resource to people who oppose harmful poisons and pesticides and overpriced, store-bought traps and repellents.
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Reasons why you Should go Natural
There are many reasons why you should choose natural home remedies over traditional store-bought products.
One reason is that traditional pest control repellents and methods can be quite expensive. The pest control industry is massive (research estimates that the global rodent control market will generate $4.2 billion by the year 2028), and so people have gotten creative in finding alternative pest control solutions at fractions of the cost of big brand pest control products.
Another reason why you should go natural is that many of the natural remedies are safe for pets and children, while many of the traditional methods (such as rodenticides and snap traps) can cause great harm.
7 Natural Ways to Kill Mice
Mashed Potatoes (BEST method—#1 Recommended)
This method is the best, natural way to get rid of mice because of how effective and safe it is. The method actually involves using instant potato flakes, NOT homemade mashed potatoes or store-bought, pre-made mashed potatoes.
Sprinkle potato flakes wherever you’ve seen mice or traces of mice. The mice will eat it and the dry flakes will induce instant thirst in the mice, causing them to seek out water. As long as you don’t have a water source near the flakes (such as a pet water bowl or a leaky faucet), the flakes will cause the mice’s stomachs to swell and eventually kill them.
This is also the best of the home remedies because the method will not harm your pets or children and potato flakes are relatively inexpensive.
Powdered Chocolate Milk Mix
Powdered chocolate milk mixed with plaster of Paris is another highly effective way to get rid of mice naturally and works in a similar fashion to the potato flakes method.
For those unfamiliar, plaster of Paris is a fine white powder commonly used to precast historical ornamental plasterwork.
This deadly, powdery concoction is one of the better home remedies to get rid of mice because the powdered chocolate initially attracts the mice and causes them to eat it (mice LOVE chocolate) and the mixed in plaster of Paris causing the mice to become incredibly thirst (just like the potato flakes). Again, as long as there isn’t a nearby water source, the mice will die of thirst very quickly.
Aspartame
Aspartame is toxic for mice and another great, natural way to get rid of mice.
Aspartame is a substitute for sugar and typically comes in small packets listed as “artificial sweeteners.” 2 common brands you can buy or find at your local restaurant or coffee shop are Nutrasweet and EQUAL.
Mix a packet or two of an aspartame sweetener into a teaspoon of peanut butter and place it in an area where you have seen mice or mouse tracings. Also, make sure that you do NOT place it in an area where pets or young children can reach (not necessarily fatal, but can be harmful/unhealthy).
Yes, aspartame is an artificial sweetener because it is not produced outside of laboratories. BUT, it is considered to be a natural remedy and a natural alternative solution to sugar because the two ingredients of aspartame are both are naturallyoccurring amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine). Therefore, it qualifies to be on this list of natural remedies to get rid of mice.
Vitamin D-3
Cholecalciferol (vitamin D-3), at high doses, causes the blood calcium levels in mice to rise to toxic levels. This causes kidney damage, bleeding and heart problems, and will eventually kill the mice.
To effectively use this method, crush 3-4 vitamin D-3 tablets into a powder and mix it with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Place the D-3 laced peanut butter in area that you’ve seen mice or mouse activity and wait. Mice will flock to it and eat it, and after a sufficient enough amount has been eaten, the increased blood calcium levels will cause calcification in the heart and effectively kill them.
This is also one of the natural remedies that is NOT considered safe for pets and children. Make sure you keep the remedy away from them.
Baking Soda Mix
The baking soda mix is another one of the more effective home remedies to get rid of mice.
The mix consists of one part baking soda and one part flour OR sugar (you don’t have to use both sugar and flour). Mix the baking soda and flour OR sugar together and put it out for the mice near possible entry points or areas that you’ve seen mice or mouse activity.
Once the mice eat it, the baking soda will produce gas in their stomachs causing their insides to bubble up and explode, which eventually kills them.
It’s important to note that you could also just use baking soda (and no flour or sugar), for it’s the baking soda that causes the gas that causes death. However, the flour or sugar is recommended because mice have a sweet tooth for both and will gravitate towards the mix even more if it contains one of them.
Also, this method IS safe if the kids or pets.
Zinc
Zinc is a fundamental chemical element and one of the best ways to get rid of mice. It is also one of the main ingredients used in commercial rodenticides, so it has been proven to be highly effective at getting rid of mice.
To best use this remedy, crush a few zinc tablets into a fine powder and mix it with a tablespoon of peanut butter. The zinc is so dangerous for mice because it reacts with the acid in their digestive system to create a toxic phosphine gas which eventually kills them.
Please make sure you place this remedy in an area where pets and young children cannot reach.
Natural Mouse Repellents
While natural remedies are highly effective at killing mice, some people may want to use the most natural AND humane method to repel mice and keep mice away, rather than kill them.
Luckily, there are many other natural remedies that work to repel mice, not kill them. For example, peppermint oil, used kitty litter, and steel wool are all natural, humane solutions that help keep mice away.
The scent of peppermint oil is believed to be irritating and off-putting to mice because mice have an incredible sense of smell. Therefore, you can spray 100% peppermint oil near possible entry points or near areas of suspected mouse activity, or you can drench cotton balls in peppermint oil and place them in those areas, too.
Used kitty litter also works at getting rid of mice because mice hate the smell. Scoop used some used kitty litter scatter it around the permitter of your home.
Lastly, steel wool works wonders at keeping mice out from entering your home. Place small amounts of steel wool in possible entry points that you suspect mice to be using and mice will no longer be able to get through.
Final Thoughts
Using home remedies to get rid of mice can be incredibly effective, but there are some final thoughts to keep in mind.
If you live in an area where there are lots of predatory birds, such as hawks, owls, and eagles, be VERY cognizant of your ways to get rid of mice. For example, it’s highly frowned upon and not recommended to use and type of rodenticide (natural or not) if there are predatory birds in the area because if a mouse eats some poison and goes dies outside, a bird could eat it and the poison in the mouse will kill the bird, too.
