Keep rats and mice out of your home for good using these four natural repellents they 'hate'
The freezing Scottish winters often drive us indoors, and rats and mice are no different. They often invade homes during colder months - desperate for a warm place to nest in.
The unwanted visitors can certainly ruin Christmas, after all, who wants to see a rat running along a skirting board while you've got guests over for mince pies and prosecco?
Putting poison down is one option, but again - not ideal if you have pets, or young children visiting over the festive period, The Express reports.
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However, the good news is that there are all-natural, non-toxic products that you can use to drive the furry fiends away, and you probably already have them in your home already.
David, a pest control expert from Eliminate Solutions, has shared that instead one of the most effective ways to drive rats or mice away is to overwhelm their sense of smell.
He explained: “Mice are very sensitive to smell. The reason for this is that they have a poor sense of vision so their other senses must be heightened in order for them to survive.
“If you want to repel mice from an area, you will need to use strong scents that will overpower their sense of smell.”
Here are some of the smells that rats and mice particularly hate:
Pineapple juice
Rodents don't like pineapple juice as it has a strong odor and contains acidic compounds that are repelling to them, as well as an enzyme called bromelain which acts as an irritant to the skin.
You can soak cotton wool balls in pineapple juice and leave them around the house near to where mice or rats are likely to enter.
Alternatively, David suggests putting a couple of tablespoons in a spray bottle of water and spritzing areas where the wee tim'rous beasties have been seen in the past.
Peppermint oil
Peppermint oil gives off a particularly powerful pong that rodents are definitely not a fan of as it irritates their nasal cavities and disorientates them.
As with pineapple juice, you can soak cotton balls in peppermint oil and leave them around the house, or put some drops of the pungent oil in a spray bottle of water.
David explains: “Peppermint oil is effective at keeping mice away because they dislike the smell of menthol.
“When mice come across the scent of this essential oil, they associate it with danger and fear. As a result, they’ll avoid areas where it’s present or try to stay away from it as much as possible.”
However, it's worth noting that peppermint oil is toxic to dogs and cats, so only do this if you don't have pets.
Lavender
If you don't like the sound of pineapple or peppermint, how about turning to lavender? This intensely scented plant is also a natural rodent-repellent and it's also a popular fragrance as well.
David advises planting lavender in your garden as well as having some indoors - they make good house plants too.
He says: “Mice hate the smell of lavender and will avoid it at all costs! If there’s a lot of lavender around your home, then you’re less likely to have problems with mice coming inside.”
It isn't just lavender, either, other strong-smelling plants that mice and rats dislike include eucalyptus, rosemary and thyme.
Cayenne pepper or chilli powder
It isn't just herbs that are off-putting to rodents - spices are too.
Cayenne pepper and chilli powder both contain capsaicin, a compound which will greatly irritate mice or rats if they smell it and drive the animals away. In fact, it can be lethal to mice and impair their brain function - so they don't want to go anywhere near it.
Rather than scattering it around your house, where it could act as quite a cruel poison, you should use the spray bottle method to make sure the scent reaches the widest area possible.
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