Stronger Than Plain Essential Oils: Keep Mice Away With A Non-Toxic Alternative From Amazon

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

From ruining your food to causing structural issues, pests can do a lot of damage to your home. They're time-consuming to eradicate and professional pest control services can run into the hundreds of dollars. Fortunately, there are some easy steps you can take to repel pests naturally, like placing cedar blocks in your clothing for moths or setting out peppermint oil-soaked cotton balls for mice. Another odorous solution to try are ROTIAH pest repellent tablets, quarter-sized discs of non-toxic, corn-based pellets loaded with minty oil fragrance that annoys rodents.

At the time of writing, the ROTIAH pellets cost $23.99 for a pack of 24 individually wrapped pellets. They also come with small mesh pouches that help the tablet stay in place and improve its appearance. The pellets have a 4.1-star rating with more than 2,500 reviews, and when used correctly, the tablets usually successfully prevent rodents and pest insects from reentering a cleaned space. "Within minutes, a mouse ran out from under my desk and across the room, which was honestly pretty convincing evidence that rodents really don't like the smell," reported one reviewer. "Since putting them out, I haven't seen any further signs of mice." The trick is to not rely on the tablets exclusively, but instead incorporate them as the final step in a sequence of important tasks to complete to keep your home pest-free.

Mice and many insects dislike the smell of peppermint, and many reviewers report the ROTIAH repellent smells strong. However, these tablets alone aren't enough to get rid of an infestation. Peppermint oil, whether it's a DIY spray or a commercial repellent like these ROTIAH pellets, is recommended as part of an integrated pest management strategy that both eradicates mice and prevents them from coming back.

Before placing these tablets, you'll want to make sure the scent doesn't just drive pests into a different part of your house. It's essential to find where they're nesting and what's attracting them and clean up both. Search out the openings where mice or rats are invading your home and close them up using metal flashing or hardware cloth that are difficult for rodents to chew through.

Once you've done what you can to ensure nothing can attract rodents into your home and all their access points are blocked, it's time to set some traps and place some ROTIAH repellent tablets. Following the placement instructions matters. Reviews are mixed on how successful the repellent actually is, but in some cases, negative reviews came from users who tried to deter rodents outdoors, where peppermint oil is only effective for up to three hours. In order to effectively deter pests, these tablets should be placed indoors, no more than 10 feet apart, at known entry points or on shelves. They also need to be replaced regularly as the scent wears off, which can take as little as one week.