Of Mice and Home

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Hello,

For those who live in the country and have the occasional field mouse flitting across the floor, I want to share something  I have recently found.  It is an organic mouse mint "tea bag" if you want to call it that.  It can be placed in kitchen drawers, in the laundry room and where there might be a tiny place mice get in, and in corners of all rooms of the house. Toss the bag behind furniture, on windowsills, under beds, in closets --- don't forget under the sink, and anywhere out of sight.  It makes the house smell nice, too.    

People are always telling me how to trap or catch the field mice, but as I do not want the mice to want to come in the house at all, I find these tea bags a deterrant and a preventative.  The field mice are repelled by the strong mint scent of these bags. There are different brands in different kinds of containers, including some in cans that allow pouring the ingredients along the outside of your house.  I shake a little of the loose granuals just along the sides of the door, and I have not had any evidence of field mice in several weeks since putting out these little bags.  

The problem with other kinds of deterrants, such as traps, is you still have the mouse in your house. 

Using this method, they will not come in at all, or make a quick retreat.

Here is what the product description says:

"Shake away mouse repellent Get rid of mice with a hands-off, non toxic approach. The organic formula composed of mint, cedar and rosemary oil is free of chemicals. Just place the packs wherever you've seen mice and the scent will send them packing. Forget gross traps and dead finds. Each packet lasts up to 60 days with immediate results. Four 1.5 oz packets. Also great for RVs, campers, boats and garage."

The lable tells you how many bags you need per square feet. You will need two or three for the garage, one for each room if the rooms are small, and one for each drawer and cupboard.

The bags can be refreshed by shaking them a little to mix up the granuals. Its a little  extra work, but a lot nicer than allowing the mice inside the house in the first place. The scent makes them quickly go back out the place they came in.  We cannot always find those tiny places, and sometimes mice will chew through the areas we seal up. These bags do help a lot in keeping them out.

There are also other ways to prevent mice and bigs from coming inside, such as applying plaster on all holes and cracks you find, and using steel wool in places.  However the mice can get through sometimes, and the scented mice tea bags add an extra barrier if you need it.

Mice get into storage areas or anywhere things are closely packed, such as wood piles, clothing, boxes of papers, etc.  Since this is non-toxic, you can use it in your storage boxes, and it is sure smells better than moth ball, which in the past have been used in storage boxes.

I have been buying my mouse repellent at Wal-Mart and other places that sell repellents.

I found this brand to be effective, also.  It is called "fresh cab".  A good side-effect is they also freshenup your   dishtowels if you have them in a kitchen drawer. Some of the newer models of kitchen cabinetry have small air vents to prevent the mustiness of a closed up drawer, but for those of you who still have the older cabinets, these organic mint bags work well.

These other two brands are for shaking just outside your walls, on the ground, or the areas where field mice sneak in.  You could also make your own herbal bags from your home grown mint, but for those of us in a hurry, it is nice to have it ready-made.

Your home can be the cleanest, neatest, most uncluttered place, but if you live on your farm or near a field or have a large amount of property around it, the field mice find it a refuge and a place to nest. These priducts may also be useful in suburban, neighborhood, apartment and other types of dwellings, and i am only reporting how it has worked for me.  Too bad i am not selling the stuff, because it is a very popular priduct. Often the shelves are empty or nearly empty, as customers like it well enough to buy large supplies.