What Smells Do Mice Hate and How to Use Them to Keep Mice Away

Mice have a very sensitive sense of smell and dislike strong scents such as lavender, garlic, eucalyptus, peppermint, chilli, cloves and vinegar. Used near a gap or in a cupboard, these scents can keep mice away from that spot while the smell is strong. They won’t drive out mice already living in your home, so use them alongside sealed gaps and traps.

Not sure it’s mice? Check the signs of mice first.

Scents that repel mice naturally

Mice rely on smell to find food and get around, so strong natural scents can keep them away from parts of your home without harsh chemicals. Here’s how to use each one:

Lavender

Do mice hate lavender? Mice tend to avoid the strong smell of lavender oil, so it can keep them away from a cupboard or gap while it’s fresh. It won’t make mice that already live in your home leave.

Put 8 to 10 drops of lavender essential oil on each cotton ball. Place the cotton balls by gaps, along skirting boards and inside cupboards where you’ve seen droppings. Replace them when you can no longer smell the oil.

Garlic

Do mice like garlic? No. Mice dislike its strong sulphur smell, and crushed garlic smells stronger than whole cloves. Like other smells, it keeps mice off a spot rather than driving them out.

Put whole or crushed cloves by entry points, behind units and wherever you’ve seen mice. For a spray, crush a few cloves into a cup of water, leave it to steep, then spray it around gaps. Garlic works poorly in large open rooms, and you’ll need to replace it when it dries out.

Eucalyptus

Does eucalyptus repel mice? Its sharp smell can put mice off for a while, which makes eucalyptus oil one of the more useful oils to spray around entry points.

Mix 2 teaspoons of eucalyptus oil with 1 cup of water and a few drops of washing-up liquid. Spray it once a week around drains, cracks, holes in walls, floorboards and skirting boards.

Peppermint and mint

Do mice hate peppermint? Peppermint oil is the scent most often recommended, and mice avoid it while it’s strong. Of all the smells here, it’s the one most often sold as a ready-made mouse repellent.

Put a few drops of 100% peppermint oil on cotton balls and place them the same way as lavender. If you’d rather use plants, grow spearmint or peppermint in pots by doors and windows. Plants give off far less scent than the oil.

Vinegar

Does vinegar repel mice? White vinegar’s sharp smell can put mice off, and wiping with it removes the scent trails mice follow around your home. It only works while the smell lasts, and it fades as the vinegar dries.

Wipe skirting boards, shelves, the backs of cupboards and entry points with undiluted white vinegar. It does little in large, airy rooms or outdoors, where the smell disperses or rain washes it away.

Chilli

Does chilli keep mice away? Chilli powder and chilli oil contain capsaicin, which irritates a mouse’s nose and eyes.

Sprinkle a line of chilli powder, or a few drops of chilli oil, at entry points outside or in crawl spaces. Keep it away from where children and pets play, and wash your hands after handling it. Rain washes it away, so top it up after wet weather.

Bay leaves and cloves

Bay leaves and cloves have a strong herbal, spicy smell that mice tend to avoid. Put a handful in a cloth sachet and keep it in food cupboards. Replace it when the smell fades. They won’t keep mice out of a cupboard they can still get food from, so store food in sealed containers too.

Ammonia

Do mice hate the smell of ammonia? Ammonia smells like the urine of predators, which is why it’s often listed as a mouse repellent. Its fumes also irritate your eyes and lungs, so we don’t recommend it indoors. Never mix ammonia with bleach: together they give off a toxic gas.

Do smells get rid of mice?

No. Smells can keep mice away from a spot for a while, but they won’t make mice already nesting in your walls, loft or under the floor leave. When there’s food and shelter nearby, mice soon put up with a smell they dislike. Use scents to protect a cupboard or a gap while you deal with the cause:

• Block the way in. Our guide to finding mouse entry points shows where to look.
• Remove the mice. Follow our step-by-step plan to get rid of mice.
• Skip the gadgets. Plug-ins and sprays don’t do better than smells. See whether mouse repellents work.