How to Repel Mice with Peppermint Altoids

Mice might be cute to some people, but most find them terrifying, disgusting, or just plain annoying. No matter what your opinion is on these furry, little rodents, the fact is that wild mice often carry a lot of diseases, and they have zero manners; these tiny animals will eat and claw their way into anything, including your food containers, walls, and even through the wires in your home. And who needs any of that?

However, anyone who has ever dealt with mice knows how difficult it can be to get rid of them. Sure, there are a lot of ways to trap, kill, and/or scare away mice with things like mousetraps, poison, or even your friendly pet kitty-cat, but there is a much better way—especially if you're looking for a much more humane way than killing them.

If you are worried about your home becoming overrun with mice, skip the pest control and try using peppermint instead. Even better, just grab a pack of peppermint Altoids and you're set for a mouse free house. The reason for this is because mice really cannot stand the scent of peppermint, and won't go anywhere near it. The scent of peppermint makes mice feel overwhelmed and confused so they stay away from it.

And here's how you can use peppermint Altoids to keep mice out of your home.

Step 1 - Crush into Powder

The first thing you will need to do is crush the peppermint Altoids into a powder. You can do this by placing them in a plastic bag and crushing them by smashing each one with a hammer until they're all broken up. The reason you put them in a plastic bag is to keep all of your peppermint Altoid powder together.

Next, you're going to use your crushed peppermint Altoid powder in two different ways.

Step 2 - Sprinkle the Powder

The first thing you're going to do is sprinkle in any area where you believe mice have been or will go.

The next thing you're going to do is look around your house and think of all the places you've either seen mice or mice droppings, because those are the spots you will need to sprinkle your peppermint Altiod powder.

The reason you sprinkle the peppermint Altoid powder in the places you may have seen mice or droppings is because mice often stick to a trail that they mark by rubbing their fur against surfaces so that they can learn their routes from their nest to food sources, and also tell the other mice where to go. The smell of peppermint not only repels mice, but also helps mask the pheromone trail that they leave around your house.

Chances are you're going to find the most mice droppings in your kitchen cupboards because that's where they go to find food. Another thing you can do while sprinkling your peppermint Altoid powder around is to place any food you have in your cupboards into plastic containers with lids on them to keep them safe from mice.

Make sure to leave peppermint powder in other areas where you don't want any mice to go, like around the bedrooms, in closets, and behind furniture.

Step 3 - Make Spray

Make sure to keep 2 tablespoons of peppermint Altoid powder aside, because after sprinkling some around your house, you will also need to make a peppermint spray with it.

To do this, you will have to fill a spray bottle with the 2 tablespoons of peppermint Altoid powder, 2 cups of hot water, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Once you've added all three ingredients into a squirt bottle, make sure to shake it up before using.

Step 4 - Spray Around the House

Take your peppermint water and soap mixture, and spray it around all of the doorways, windows, baseboards, and anywhere else you think mice might be entering your house.

A lot of people forget that they also need to spray the outside of their house, too. So, after spraying around the inside of your house, make sure to also spray all around the outside of your house. This will help scare the mice away before they even enter your home.

Step 5 - Keep it Up

To keep the scent of peppermint fresh, make sure to do this at least once a month. Replace the powder and spray the mixture around your home every so often so that the mice don't return.

The great thing about the scent of peppermint is that it not only repels mice, but also helps repel insects and bugs like spiders.