Key Points

• Peppermint, rosemary, and citronella oils can effectively deter mice for up to 60 days.
• Once combined, spray along walls and entry points, anywhere where mice travel.
• Long-term protection comes from sealing gaps and cracks.

As the seasons change, it's necessary for renters and homeowners alike to fall- and winter-proof their homes to prevent against damage and disasters like frozen pipes, cracked and leaky faucets, snow and ice buildup, and more.

Protection against pests, vermin, and rodents in particular should also be top of any winterizing to-do list; taking the steps needed to make sure that critters like mice don't take up residence in your home won't just save you from any unwanted middle of the night visitors, it'll also save you from needing to make costly repairs.

While you might be inclined to take the traditional (and less humane) route to keep mice out—stocking up on traps, glues, essential oils, and other expensive (and often gruesome) killers—there are plenty of natural ways to repel mice worth trying, too. But is there one natural method that works better than all the others? In order to find out, we asked a pest pro for details on his go-to solution, and here's what he said you should try.

Meet the Expert

Jacob Cohn, A.C.E., is the COO and associate certified entomologist for Arrow Termite & Pest Control.

The Most Effective Natural Way to Keep Mice Out

If you ask Jacob Chon, A.C.E., COO, and the associate certified entomologist for Arrow Termite & Pest Control, his favorite and most effective natural mice (and rat) repellent is a "combination of several potent oils that drive rodents nuts."

Cohn's mice-repelling mixture includes a peppermint oil, rosemary oil, and citronella oil"that, when applied together as a spray, can repel rodents for upwards of 60 days.

After that initial 60 days ends, you can spray again, being careful to note where (if anywhere) you're continuing to see evidence of mice.

Though this type of rodent-repelling spray may sound like a scent explosion that veers on a touch too strong for your home—and your nose—Cohn says you don't have to worry about that. The smells thankfully fade quickly for humans and while you likely won't notice the smell after awhile, mice will.

And according to Cohn, that's exactly the point. "Mice have a sense of smell nearly three times that of a human, so the repellents last much longer for them."

 

Where to Spray to Keep Mice Away

Although the scent might initially bother your nose, it's safe for people—and pets. But that doesn't mean you should use spray it all over your home and onto your furniture as you might do with a room spray.

Instead, you need to think about where mice are getting in—and how they're traveling around your home. To be honest, you kind of need to think like a mouse.

"Simply spraying a few spots or around the floor won't cut it," Cohn says. "To get the most out of any natural repellant, remember that mice prefer to scurry along side walls with their whiskers touching and nose to the floor. So when sprayed along walls, they'll find the spray through their natural behaviors, and the smell will encourage them to scurry somewhere else."

Other Effective Solutions for Repelling Mice

Cohn is the first to admit that while sprays are effective, they're not perfect, and if you're dealing with an infestation or stubborn mice, you might need something stronger.

Rather than thinking about setting the next trap (and dealing with the cleanup), it's important to, as Cohn says, "focus on exclusion." He's talking a better, more sustainable long-term fix: ask yourself where the mice might be getting in, and then put your focus there.

"Mice can squeeze through holes as small as a dime," Cohn says, so he and his team focus on sealing these holes with things like steel wool fill fabric in order to fill the gaps in weep holes, siding, and more.

Using steel wool fill fabrics means you've got a strong enough solution to make chewing difficult, but Cohn says you're still in a position to allow your home to breathe—and you won't have to worry about any dead mice along the way.