MAGAZINE

NEWSLETTERS

BLOGS

RSS

FAIRS

HOT TOPICS >> • Chives • Multipurpose poultry • DIY homes • Compost • Stay sharp

Peppermint Discourages Mice in Walls

You may be able to get rid of mice in your walls by scattering about cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil.

By Norm Noe
December 2010/January 2011

Content Tools

Comments

Related Content

Video: Hong Kong Apartment with Moving Walls Is a Brilliant Small Space Solution

Gary Chang's brilliant solution to making a 330-square-foot apartment work for his family was to cre...

Not Welcome in My Bed: How to Prevent Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are taking over America. You can prevent them naturally.

Things to Go With Your Bread

Want to add some flavour to your breads? Here's two suggestions, one sweet and one savoury. Enjoy!

Best way to sharpen an axe?

Summing up the past week with a few highlights that help to illustrate how we've been getting along ...

I live in a 102-year-old house, on a small acreage, which helps explain why I had a problem and needed to know how to get rid of mice in my walls. (It sounded like they were having a party in there!)

The young lady that works where I shop said she had heard from her grandma that all you need are peppermint-soaked cotton balls scattered about, and mice will split!

So I placed small, peppermint-soaked cotton balls all around the kitchen. I unscrewed two wall plugs and carefully slipped some in behind the sockets and, like magic, no more sounds of mice. Twenty-four hours later, no sign of the mice at all.

Norm Noe
Vancouver, Washington

Post a new comment

Join!

Follow my comments

Suzanne Horvath

Created:
1/7/2011 8:14:44 AM

The only thing you have to be careful about is getting the pure peppermint oil. I mistakenly bought what I thought was pure oil - evidently it was not. I think it was for cooking, which meant it had other additives (sugar?). My mice loved it - made a nest of the cottonballs under my stovetop! Good thing I heard a little noise and removed everything. I could have had a fire, and some very happy mice. :-}

1902 Victorian

Created:
1/7/2011 10:07:38 PM

I would not use cotton in any concealed spaces, as it is flammable and poses a fire risk. Suitable materials would be fiberglass, cellulose insulation, or steel/copper wool. Never let any of these materials come in contact with electrical components (e.g. placed inside outlet boxes). My experience is that mice will use everything except steel/copper wool as nesting material.

Gwyneth Chenoweth Knolls

Created:
1/8/2011 2:22:47 AM

Awesome. Now how do you get rid of rats? And racoons? In my town it's illegal to trap a racoon (even if he's living in your attic or under your house) and relocate him down to the stream or to kill him. They're not so squeamish about rats. I have cleaned up all the fallen fruit, the wood piles and anything else that looks tempting for a rat. I've tried rat traps, but they ignore them. My dog doesn't even bark at them. They use her shed hair for their nests, so I've been brushing her more and disposing of her fur. I do have a suggestion if you have bees in your chimney. I did have this problem once and a beekeeper told me what to do. Place a large bow/pot/open container of Ammonia in the fireplace, block off the entrance into the room with a large piece of plywood (to make sure odors, and bees all go upwards) and wait for about a week. They will move on.

Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 72% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *	Last Name: *
Address: *	City: *
State/Province: *	Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:	Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds. Canadian Subscribers - Click Here Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

**Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget**

MOTHER EARTH NEWS is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. MOTHER EARTH NEWS helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At MOTHER EARTH NEWS, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.

Mother Earth News • Utne Reader • Mother Earth Living • Grit • Capper's • Motorcycle Classics
• Farm Collector • Gas Engine Magazine • Steam Traction • Ogden Publications

Special Interest Websites : Great Green Careers • Community Chickens • Mother Earth Now • Good Things to Eat • Utne AltWire