Got Mice? There are a number of ways to get rid of a mouse infestation problem and discourage their friends from ever coming back, here are 20+ tried and true home remedies to get rid of mice and keep them out . . .
20+ Ways to Get Rid of Mice
We realize that most people just want the mice out of their homes! They’re unsanitary, often urinating and defecating on counters or in cupboards where food and dishware are stored; causing the spread of various diseases.
They’re annoying, chewing through food packages in the pantry, etc. 
Homemade Mouse Repellent
Make your Own Deer & Mice Repellent Spray
Bay Leaves– this natural repellent works wonderfully in the Pantry, simply crush a few leaves and leave them on the shelves and on the floor in the corners of the pantry, etc.
Mothballs– these work well in basements and attics but are toxic to pets and people, so ensure they’re placed where they can’t be reached.
How to Kill/Remove Mice
Get a Cat- cats are notoriously effective for removing unwanted mice. The downfall, they don’t always eat them and may leave surprises for you (examples include: squirrels, rabbits, snakes, and the occasional Opossum (or is that just MY cat??)
Mouse Traps
Mousetraps come in all different types and sizes such as:
Wood or Plastic Snap Traps: (which can be frustrating to set) and need to be placed where fingers, toes, and pets will NOT come into contact with them.
Glue Traps– these are placed flush against a wall in areas where mice have been seen.
Glue traps are not necessarily killing traps, you can release a mouse by spraying their stuck parts liberally with cooking oil (vegetable oil), do not spray it’s face or eyes, or by pouring some vegetable oil on the trap itself. The mouse will more than likely need your assistance to remove itself from the glue. This really should be considered a “kill” trap though.
Please note, disposing of mice in this method is a long, painful, drawn-out death.
Live-Traps– where the mouse can be taken outside and let go such as Havahart brand.
The mouse is caught and later released into an area that is more suitable for the both of you!
Make Your Own Water Bucket Mouse Trap– an effective way to get rid of large populations in a very short time, particularly in barns, sheds, storage buildings that hold grain, bins of pet food, etc.
Homemade Mouse Bait aka Poisoning Mice
Mouse Poison– There are several issues with poisoning- firstly, as foragers mice are relatively smart. They consume small amounts at a time, if they don’t get sick, they’ll come back and eat more. So the item that you put out to poison them must work in very small doses and must work quickly.
There are several different types of poisons available:
Commercial Mouse Poison– these are available in the Pest Control aisle of the grocery store/supermarket (place in area where pets/young children cannot reach)
Homemade Mouse Poison, including:
Instant Mashed Potato Flakes– place instant mashed potato flakes on a shallow lid and place in areas where signs of mice have been found. Once they consume it they will seek out water, causing the flakes to swell in their stomachs, killing them. This is generally considered a pet-friendly method as you’re only placing a couple of tablespoons of flakes out at a time for the mice and most pets won’t be remotely interested in consuming mashed potato flakes. (MOST). Will Not harm Pets or Young Children.
Nutrasweet/Equal (anything containing Aspartame) this is known to kill mice quickly as well. Mix a packet or two into a teaspoon of peanut butter and place it in an area where mice have been seen or noticed. (place in an area where pets/young children cannot reach)
Vit D– crush 3-4 vitamin D tablets into a powder and mix it with a tablespoon of peanut butter. After a sufficient enough amount has been consumed the free calcium levels are raised causing calcification in the heart, effectively killing them. (place in an area where pets/young children cannot reach)
Zinc– crush zinc tablets into a fine powder and mix it with a Tablespoon of Peanut Butter- the acid in their digestive system reacts with the zinc to create a toxic phosphine gas. (place in an area where pets/young children cannot reach)
Keep in mind, if you live in an area where there are many predatory birds such as hawks and owls, poisoning mice should be reconsidered.
Preventing Mice from Entering
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure… If you’d prefer not to kill them at all and want to prevent them from entering your home in the first place try these methods:
Seal areas around pipes/plumbing with steel wool pad pieces. Mice do NOT like to chew through this and will avoid them. They will, however, PULL them out, so be sure you ensure it’s jammed in tightly.
Alternatively, you can cut up some pieces of steel wool and tuck them in while spraying expanding foam to seal around pipes. Allowing the foam and steel wool pieces to mix together ensures that mice will not attempt to chew their way into your home.
Mice are naturally repelled by plants in the mint family. Growing these as a border to your home it will go a long way in preventing mice from moving into your basement, garage, or other areas of your home.
Mice are excellent climbers and will enter through open windows, doors, etc. Ensure that you have screens in any doorway or windows, or keep them closed.
Inspect the foundation of your home for cracks and crevices, Mice can squeeze through very small areas (1/4″) Use mortar, sheet metal, hardware cloth or steel wool to seal any cracks. Mice will chew through caulking or expansion foam.
Remove items that attract mice- keep floors swept and vacuumed, clean up any spills immediately as dirt and debris attract mice.
Clutter is attractive to mice, it gives them areas to hide and make nests to have their babies, keep old cardboard boxes, cans, bottles, boots/shoes to a minimum.
Mouse-proof your pantry by storing good in plastic or glass storage containers. Mice will easily chew through boxes of cereals and grains.
If you have dogs or cats and you know you have an issue with mice do NOT leave your pets food dish setting out with food in it. The mice will have a field day collecting pet chow and storing it in your walls for later.
When I was a kid, my mom regularly made molded chocolates in various designs. The chocolate melting discs routinely disappeared and we kids were blamed for it. When we moved, we discovered some boots in the attic, completely filled with the stolen chocolates. The mice really had a field day with them!
Need More Ideas:
- Tin Cat Metal Box
- Deer, Rabbit, Mice Repellent Spray
- Kill Mice with Salt
- Mice Repellent Spray
- How to Kill Mice with Toothpaste
Interesting Facts about Mice:
- Mouse Urine glows under a blacklight so if you’re wondering whether they’ve been in your pantry, screw in a blacklight bulb to a lamp, or use a blacklight flashlight to look for glow spots of dried mouse urine.
- Mice are omnivores and will literally eat almost anything, they eat 15-20x’s per DAY.
- A mouse can jump down 12 feet without sustaining injury.
- Mice see best in dim lighting
- Did you know that mice are the 3rd most successful mammal on earth, following Humans (1st) and Rats (2nd)?!
- Female mice can give birth to up to 12 babies every 21 days, each of those babies is old enough to breed within 2 months.
House mouse urine can contribute to the spread of several diseases, primarily through direct contact or contamination of food, water, or surfaces. Mice are known carriers of various pathogens, and their urine can harbor bacteria, viruses, and parasites that pose health risks to humans.
Key Diseases Spread by Mouse Urine:
- Hantavirus:
- Transmission: Hantavirus can be transmitted through inhalation of airborne particles from dried mouse urine, droppings, or nesting materials.
- Symptoms: Early symptoms resemble the flu, including fever, fatigue, and muscle aches, but can progress to severe respiratory distress and even death.
- Leptospirosis:
- Transmission: This bacterial infection is spread through contact with water, soil, or food contaminated with the urine of infected mice.
- Symptoms: Symptoms range from mild flu-like symptoms to severe illness, including liver damage, kidney failure, and meningitis.
- Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV):
- Transmission: LCMV is transmitted through exposure to fresh urine, droppings, saliva, or nesting materials of infected mice.
- Symptoms: Initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and nausea. In severe cases, it can lead to neurological diseases like meningitis or encephalitis.
- Salmonellosis:
- Transmission: Mice can spread Salmonella bacteria through their urine and feces, which can contaminate food and water sources.
- Symptoms: Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, typically occurring 12 to 72 hours after infection.
Why Mouse Urine is a Concern:
- High Urination Frequency: Mice urinate frequently, and their urine can be difficult to detect, leading to widespread contamination.
- Unnoticed Contamination: Because mouse urine is often odorless and invisible to the naked eye, contaminated surfaces or food can go unnoticed.
- Pathogen Reservoirs: Mice are reservoirs for various pathogens, meaning they can carry and spread diseases without showing symptoms themselves.
Prevention Tips:
- Seal Entry Points: Prevent mice from entering your home by sealing cracks, gaps, and openings in walls, windows, and doors.
- Keep Food Sealed: Store food in airtight containers and clean up spills promptly to reduce attractants.
- Regular Cleaning: Regularly clean areas where mice may be present, using disinfectants to kill bacteria and viruses that may be present in urine or droppings.
- Use Protective Gear: When cleaning areas contaminated by mice, wear gloves and a mask to minimize the risk of inhaling or coming into contact with harmful pathogens.
By understanding the risks associated with house mouse urine and taking preventive measures, you can reduce the likelihood of disease transmission in your home.
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / alptraum
How to Kill Mice with Toothpaste
Toothpaste is an effective poison that works quickly to stop mice infestations. Create a bait ball using the following ingredients:
4 tablespoons of finely chopped salted peanuts
1 tablespoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of toothpaste (I use plain colgate)
1 tablespoon of sugar
Leave the bait balls wherever mice have been seen. The mice (or rats) will die within 10 minutes of ingesting these bait balls. These toothpaste baits should not be left where pets or small children can reach them.
Will this mixture kill squirrels or pets?
How to Kill Mice Using Salt
My grandfather used to make this mixture of dry cement, flour, and salt to feed the rats that hung out in his pig barns.
1 cup of flour
1 cup of dry cement
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tsp cocoa powder -optional, but a very good attractant
Combine the ingredients until well mixed, then place it on a paper plate. Leave a dish of water nearby. Once they drink, it’s all over with. Maybe this is more of a dry cement mouse poison recipe.
OMG, I didn’t know about instant mashed potatoes or Equal. I am going to use them both, so I can finally get rid of ours, for a while anyway.
They always seem to find a way into our house.
We have a cat, but… she thinks they are just toys and is too old to play anymore, I guess.
did u try this and if so how did it work
I live in a wooded area so mice and rats are a constant problem. I would prefer not to kill them as they generally die in the most inconvenient place possible, like under the dryer. Ever dried a load of clothes after one of those nasty little buggers died under the dryer?
I did.
Unknown to me that there was a dead mouse under there. Took several washes and vinegar rinses to get that stink out. Most people hate snakes, not me however.
They eat mice and rats.
So I will be trying some of the deterrent methods. Don’t want the stink or to kill the good snakes that eat them.
The steel wool method doesn’t work – we’ve tried it. We’ve used decon, snap traps & my pit Bandicoot, the mighty playmate hunter without success. It’s extremely frustrating – I lived here well over a year before we saw them, or their remnants, for the first time…..
Me too!!! I lived here a year and a half before I ever saw any. They scare me to death!!
I can deal with snakes and spiders but you put a mouse in front of me and I will completely freak out!
I put some D-Con bait out last week. Its definitely working; however, they are dying inside my house. I keep paying the neighbor kid $5.00 to remove the bodies.
I’m going broke!
I need to try the potatoe flakes and aspartame so they will leave. I had some stuff from the pest control people which also deydrates them but that’s getting too expensive, as I only get about 2 weeks where I don’t see either them or their presents before it starts again. I want to move!!
If you or your neighbors have any pets I side or outside, decon will kill them if they see & eat a dead mouse or rat, just fyi. Potatoes flakes might as well BUT I would think they already expanded after the mouse or rat drank water? Decons supposed to make them go out & get water also, then die, so be careful there is no places they can get to water inside aka a pet water bowl, forgotten glass of water, etc. ?
The steel wool probably rusts or isn’t pushed in tight enough. Try using the pot scrubbers that are metal, they don’t rust but mice don’t like to chew on them. Put lots of glue, caulk, whatever on it and push tight into the hole. As long as it stays there, no mice will come in.
Now look for the babies, because when they came in they had some!
We have mice outdoors but neighbours are not concerned (urban setting). That’s what I decided. I bought food that attracts mice, mixed it all up and sprinkled it (late in the evening) along their fences and backyards.
I want all mice to go there and plenty of food wii attracts lots of mice.
I sprayed my fence (bottom part) with ammonia and plan to put felted wool balls soaked in mint oil or/and ammonia in my backyard at strategic points. Hopefully mice will stay where there is a better supply of food. I’m letting neighbours to deal with it.
Yes, I can be very mean.
Well…. I’m very extreme situations 😉
I’m with you….I have an extreme rodent phobia and am physically sick after seeing a mouse outside on my patio. My trainers at the gym made me feel better but then coming home i’m feeling sick again and can’t eat or go outside. It’s an awful phobia and most people don’t understand how bad it is and how it affects one physically and mentally.
I like this idea …of letting the neighbours involved …lol
Search for “walk the plank mouse trap”. They cost ~$10 (or you can make one from scrap). Attach it to a 5 gallon bucket with a teaspoon of peanut butter, and add 2-3 inches of water.
The mouse walks the plank to get to the peanut butter, once it passes the fulcrum the mouse gets dropped in to the water, AND it automatically resets itself and the peanut butter is usually untouched.
I’ve had issues with mice making nests in the engines of yard equipment (mowers, snow blowers, etc) while they are stored in their off season. It’s a pain to get the nest out or if you don’t realize there is one, you will either not be able start the engine or (speaking from experience) end up with an engine fire.
Now, once a week during the winter I empty a bucket of dead mice (they pump out 12 babies every month, I don’t feel bad) and replenish the water & peanut butter as needed. It is a better mousetrap.
Yes, it’s already listed above, “Make Your Own Water Bucket Mouse Trap– effective way to get rid of Large populations in a very short time, particularly in barns, sheds, storage buildings that hold grain, bins of pet food, etc.”
Thanks for sharing the tips. It is very important. mice and rats are very dangerous. They will damage clothes and wooden furniture.
Dangerous to the furniture close and you because mice urine carries diseases and the diseases can kill you for all you of you boomers out there do you do y’all remember the black plague well yeah that was mice
The Black Plague was in 1350 which is slightly before we boomers were born.
Interestingly, their are still cases of the Bubonic (Black) plague in the United States every year.
Technically, it’s caused by the fleas carried by the mice.
The fleas carry the disease to the rats and mice, and people through the bites of the fleas ; in the same way as malaria is transmitted through mosquitoes. Mouse urine doesn’t cause plague.
A few years ago my wife came up with the brilliant idea of attracting a few natural predators near our home to keep the mice at bay.
I installed several barn own nesting boxes on our property. The nesting boxes must be about 15 feet off the ground, else the barn owls will not take up residence.
Side note, these beautiful creatures also eat the moles that visit my yard too!
Mice will pretty much chew or gnaw on anything, so you can use any number of items to poison them. When I was an art student I routinely had mice show up in my apartment.
I mixed a mouse poison made with Plaster of Paris and Cornmeal
3 1/2 ounces plaster of Paris
3 1/2 ounces cornmeal
1 ½ cups milk
Form the mixture into balls and roll them behind appliances, in the pantry or anywhere that you see signs of mice. When the balls harden, replace them. They last for a couple of weeks or so and work well to kill mice.
Rodents carry a plethora of deadly viruses, bacteria and parasites! Disgusting little creatures.
These pathogens will not only give you an upset stomach for a few days, but will kill you or do severe organ damage.
Frequently, with the onset of symptoms, a person just thinks it’s a flu and tries to rest and ride it out. By the time they present at the emergency room, their illness is too far along for medicine to do much to correct the problem and they die or end with lifelong disability.
If you get sick, go to the hospital early and be sure to tell the doctors you have had a rodent infestation recently. They may have gotten into your food, dishes or utensils drawer before you realized it.
Common symptoms may include everything from severe headache to GI upset to difficulty breathing.
We must be proactive to protect ourselves and families from these pests.
They aren’t just a revolting annoyance, but a real danger to our health. I like the intervention with the electronic repellent you plug into the wall. If you buy these, be sure to check the reviews online because some of them don’t work that well.
As an extra layer of deterrence, I put out cloth soaked in peppermint oil or cloves. I’d rather not find dead ones, even though that would tell me the intervention is working.
I’m afraid the carcasses would attract other pests like flies or roaches to feed on them before I’d be able to find them. ??
I was ill from February to July last year. At the er I was diagnosed with copd. However you do not recover from Copd. I couldn’t walk from my car to the house(20 feet) without losing my breath. I am now sure this was due to a rat/mice infestation. While we have tried everything under the sun and are still struggling with the critters my reason for writing is to back up your words on how very sick they can make you. Be forthcoming when seeking medical treatment as the symptoms can easily be confused with other ailments.
Mice love chewable grape flavored vitamin D tablets! I leave peanut butter mixed with equal and put tablets which I leave whole the tablets are gone first then the peanut butter. My mouse problem is getting better.
When using the mice poisons ie. mashed potatoes, aspartame, cement, homemade bait balls, etc. do you find that the mice/rats die somewhere that is not visible? If so, isn’t it hard to find them? I can’t imagine having the stench of dead mice in my house. ???
The smell is horrendous. I worry about that; I worry because I have 2 dogs; I don’t want them to die a horrible death; I don’t want to possible poison another animal!!!!
Irish Springs soap has been the only thing to work for us. We cut it up put on a paper plate in our kitchen cabinets and under our house, and have not seen one in three years
On the soap does it matter if it’s classic or other scent/version?
Does the scent tyoe matter, does it need to be classic/original?
Does not work.. I put it all over my camper they still get in and make nests and chew up everything even tupperware lids to get at what’s stored inside
We live in a rural area, so mice are a constant issue. I’ve used steel wool around small openings, and it’s definitely made a difference. I’m planning to try the ultrasonic repellents next, as I’ve heard good things about them. Has anyone used these devices and noticed a big change? Any advice on the best places to put them for maximum effect?