Keep Mice Away From Your Home With An Item You Already Have In The Kitchen
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Mice can be destructive and unhygienic in any house; if you've lived in the same place for years, you have dealt with mice at one point or another. While the most important thing to remember is that mice control is heavily dependent on cleaning and organization habits, there are some natural repellents you can still use to make your home even more undesirable for these pests.
We found this study published by The University of California claims that herbal repellents with black pepper can be effective at helping you create a barrier against mice at home; we also found some tips for using it correctly as repellent around your house. If you're trying to mice-proof your home without having to deal with a professional pest control service, we'll show you how to use black pepper to prevent a mice infestation easily and without breaking the bank; we'll also present other methods that could help if you're already dealing with mice at your place.
The black pepper repellent hack
The easiest way to use black pepper as repellent is to simply take little piles of it and place them in high-traffic areas for mice; think places like inside cabinets, under your sofas and other big furniture, behind your fridge, etc. A better way to do it is by using coffee filters that'll serve as little bags for your repellent; this method will help you keep everything organized. Mice will be repelled by the smell, not by the mess created by piles of black pepper scattered around your nice furniture.
An even more elegant to use black pepper as repellent is to buy black pepper oil concentrate, mix it with alcohol and create your homemade repellent spray; in fact, the study we referenced used a concentration of 2% black pepper oil to repel female mice. Something like this from Amazon will make it easier than occasionally bagging and replacing black pepper to place it around the house.
Other methods to help you with mice at home
If you're positive that you're hosting mice at your place, you'll have to take extra measures to keep everything under control; while black pepper used as repellent will deter mice from coming in and eating around inside your house, black pepper won't make them go away if you have several of them already settled.
If you're already dealing with a few mice inside your place, try sprinkling a bit of hair in places where you've seen mice close to their nest. While gross, this method is effective as mice don't have a gag reflex and will choke on the hair. Traps might also be effective in this case, especially if you're not dealing with a full-blown infestation, but experts recommend using poison to eliminate mice inside the house entirely. If you need to figure out how many rodents you're hosting, it's better to call a professional pest control service provider to ensure your home is safe.