Natural Pest Control:
Keep Mice Away Without Cruelty
by VaLerie K
Got mice? If, like me, you are not happy with the idea of killing or maiming mice to get them to vacate the premises, or if you are more callous and just don’t like the risk of them dying in your walls and stinking up the joint, I am thrilled to tell you that there is another way.
Peppermint oil - an essential oil, meaning it contains the essence of peppermint leaves - is reputed to be utterly repugnant to mice. Lore has it that in the essential oil form, it is too powerful for their sensitive noses. Whatever the case, there are loads of testimonials out there from people who claim to have used this method with great success in garages, kitchens, basements and boudoirs, so I was eager to give it a try.
Though I have not found an actual scientific article on using peppermint oil to repel mice, when I went to buy peppermint oil from my local natural foods store, and mentioned somewhat sheepishly why I was buying it, the saleswoman said, “Oh we sell more of it for that reason than anything else!” And peppermint oil does garner a list of health benefit claims as well as the breath-freshening qualities we have all come to know.
But think about it. I myself go through almost a roll per week, so let’s round that off to 50 per year. There are about 20 houses on my block, so the whole block probably uses up at least 1,000 rolls a year, probably more because houses with families would use more, and that’s just one block. I don’t know how many households there are in Philadelphia, but you can see where I’m going with this. Try imagining how high the rolls from Pennsylvania alone would go if you placed them end to end - to the moon? to the sun? Ok, ok, I have no idea, but just imagining a pile of 1,000 + rolls at the end of my block is enough of a deterrent for me