It seems like there are a million different “ways to kills mice.” The truth is, however, most will waste your time and frustrate you. The toothpaste method is different.
Using toothpaste to kill mice is highly appealing to homeowners dealing with mice and rats because it’s a common household item and an easy method to implement.
Keep reading to learn how to use toothpaste in an effective way to kill mice and rats.
Does toothpaste kill mice if they eat it?
Toothpaste can kill mice if they eat it, but they need to eat enough of it for this to happen. In small amounts, mice will survive, but like anything, too much can be toxic. In the case of toothpaste, a deadly dose is likely about the size of a pea.
A pea-sized amount of toothpaste is roughly 0.4 grams, and this amount contains 0.972 mg of sodium fluoride (NaF). NaF is the chemical in toothpaste that would most likely kill mice if they eat it. A rat can be killed with 52 mg NaF so we can use that as a reference for mice if we take their smaller weight into account. Mice weigh between 17 and 25 grams (0.017 to 0.025 kg). So, 52 x 0.017 = 0.884 mg NaF. This would likely be enough to kill a 0.017 kg mouse. And, 52 x 0.025 = 1.3 mg NaF. This would be enough to kill a 0.025 kg mouse.
While toothpaste can kill mice if they eat a pea-sized amount, will they actually eat this amount? It depends. Most likely, however, they will not. In the average home dealing with the average mouse infestation, there will be many more appealing food sources to mice than toothpaste. Toothpaste is not a delicacy to mice, while foods like peanut butter, candies, and sugary snacks are (peanut butter is THE biggest delicacy).
In other foods, if you want to use toothpaste as an effective way to get rid of mice, you should combine the toothpaste with other ingredients to make it more appealing to mice.
How to make toothpaste poison balls for mice
So, now that we know that toothpaste has the ability to kill mice, let’s learn how to use it effectively.
One way to use toothpaste to kill mice and rats and to simply squeeze out small amounts (pea-sized) of toothpaste into little balls and place them near areas with high mouse activity. If your home does not have many other sources of food readily available for mice, they might go right for the toothpaste and eat themselves to death.
The best toothpaste method, however, is a more complex concoction of toothpaste poison balls. In These are the ingredients needed for this method:
- 4 tablespoons of salted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 2 tablespoons of toothpaste
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
This is the best method because the poison balls are much more appealing to mice due to the many ingredients in them. For a detailed walkthrough of how to create these poison balls, watch this video.
What other household items get rid of mice?
Baking soda is a common household item and one of the most effective home remedies to kill mice and rats. Mix some baking soda powder into a bowl with a sugary ingredient, such as chocolate or sugar. Mice will flock to the bowl and their stomachs will essentially explode when they eat the concoction, causing close to immediate death.
Peppermint oil is another household item and one of the best ways to get rid of and repel mice. Peppermint oil is an enjoyable scent to most people, but the fresh, overwhelming aroma can be quite annoying to a mouse’s receptive nose. Try placing a few drops of peppermint oil on cotton balls and placing them around your house. Put the cotton balls in places where mice are gaining entry into your home and in your kitchen cabinets to keep them away. You can also plant the raw mint plants or drops of the oil around the exterior of your house to keep them away from your home. As a bonus, peppermint oil will also kill pesky insects like spiders and mites.
One other household item that is poisonous to mice are bay leaves. To kill mice and rats naturally in your home, use a bay leaf. Mice and rats are attracted to the nice scent of a bay leaf. However, the leaves contain secondary metabolites that are lethal to mice when ingested. Try placing bay leaves around your home to get rid of mice.
Some of the best home remedies are the more traditional types of pest control efforts. Steel wool works wonders at keeping mice out of small places. When you notice small holes and cracks in and around your home, put some steel wool in them to keep mice from entering them.
Furthermore, while not quite exactly a home remedy or common household item, snap traps with peanut butter do an excellent job at trapping and killing rats mice. You can get snap traps at most local hardware stores and peanut butter is one of the most attractive foods for mice.
There are many, many more ways to get rid of mice, but it’s very easy to go down a rabbit hole when researching for ways to get rid of them. It’s best to pick and choose a few tried and tested methods and stick with them until you see results. The best methods are the best for a reasons…they work. Many people get discouraged when they don’t see results right away, but it can take weeks, especially if you have a really large infestation, for you to start seeing results of your trapping methods.
Just remember, if you want to get rid of mice, pick a reliable method, and stick with it.
