How To Repel Mice Naturally
Can’t believe it is already November. We have had a really warm fall and have only just started to have cooler temps in the mornings and evenings. Unfortunately, the cooler temps send mice looking to find a warm place to spend the winter and my barn is not an option. No matter how clean your barn is, or how many cats you have, mice will still try and find a way in. Since I do have two barn cats (who would be offended that I am suggesting we need more than them to keep the mice away) and four dogs who regularly come to the barn, I need a mouse control product that is non-toxic. I refuse to use poison and don’t like traps (both seem so cruel and inhumane. I don’t want the mice to die; I just want them to stay out of my barn). This led me to research natural ways to repel mice and after trying the following two methods for two years, I can honestly say they work.
Mice have a very strong sense of smell and are often repelled by very strong odors like cinnamon, vinegar, dryer sheets, clove oil, peppermint, tea bags, and cayenne pepper. I decided to try diluting peppermint oil in a spray bottle and misting it around my feed room and tack room. I was honestly shocked at how well it worked at keeping mice away. I went from occasionally finding mice droppings to none within 48 hours.
I still use it once a day (fall/winter) to every few days (spring/summer) and rarely (very rarely) find any hints of mice. The only downfall is that the scent dissipates so you do have to use the spray regularly. I also make the spray really strong and spray the feed room and tack room at night and then close the doors to really hold in the smell. I mist it all over, in corners, on the floors, in cabinets, all around feed tubs and the walls. Make sure you spray all along the doors and door jambs, anywhere the mice might try to get in. I also spray all along the bottom of the main doors in and out of the barn to repel them from coming in during the cold winter months.
I order the largest bottle of Peppermint Oil I can find on amazon (I like the size and potency of this one) and then add about 4-6 ounces of oil to a 32 oz spray bottle and then fill with water. Give it a good shake before use. It’s safe, non-toxic and makes your barn smell good. If you don’t have your own barn this works well to keep mice out of your tack trunk or locker, garage and attic too.
The other mice repelling product I use is Grandpa Gus’s Mouse Repellent Pouches. When Garrett built cabinets in our tack room to hold horse blankets, I knew I was going to need something to keep the mice from making condos in the cabinets. My research led me to try Grandpa Gus’s Pouches (many people use them in classic cars to keep the mice away). These handy pouches are filled with peppermint and cinnamon oil and are non-toxic and safe around other animals. I buy the 10 pack and set one in the corner of each shelf in my blanket cabinets and have never seen any evidence of mice. It says they last 1-3 months but honestly I just replace them once a year. If you have a really bad mice infestation or don’t use the peppermint oil spray you might want to replace them every 3 months. Another bonus I have noticed is that spiders also stay away from the cabinets that contain these pouches. They apparently don’t care for the smell of cinnamon and peppermint.
All in all, these have both proven to be winners for our barn. Here’s to a mouse-free winter! Here is another great post that suggests other natural ways to repel mice.
Bandit is highly offended I use anything but him to keep mice away. Although on more than one occasion he has brought a live mouse to the barn and played with it in our stalls. I then have to put him in the office while we catch the mouse and return him to the farthest corner of our property.
