I OVERDID IT

A few weeks ago, I started hearing something scurrying (and sometimes gnawing!) in my walls and ceiling. Not good. Based on how loud it was, I thought squirrels had got in the attic and started looking for an exterminator in my area.

Before I called them, though, Timmy (my doxie) did his little mouse-indicator dance. We opened the door to that closet, and he excitedly inspected it, flushing out a mouse. He’s good at sniffing mice out but not catching them, so I put out my electric mouse trap (similar to THIS).

Wild mice can be terrible pests. Not only do they cause damage to your house by chewing on wood and siding, but they can also chew through electrical wiring creating a fire hazard. Even worse they can carry in fleas from outside, can carry diseases (like hantavirus, salmonella, and listeria), and they contaminate surfaces.

Not long after that, I happened to open a rarely used cupboard (under the kitchen sink) only to find a mother lode of mouse poop. I checked a couple of other cupboards where there had been mouse activity in years past and, sure enough, more mouse poop.

Disgusting!

This morning’s project was to empty the affected cupboards, vacuum them out, and disinfect them with bleach. Yes, knowing that you can get sick from cleaning up mouse droppings, we wore masks and, yes, we immediately disposed of the vacuum bag and replaced it with a new one. Then we sprayed expanding foam around a couple of pipes that were likely being used as mouse-thoroughfares.

Naturally, I don’t want them back, so I was going to put cinnamon down. Cinnamon has worked great when I’ve had mouse problems in the past but this time it would have taken a Lot of cinnamon. So, I got on Google to see if there were alternative mouse repellants and discovered peppermint oil also drives mice away. I happen to have peppermint oil on hand and put a drop in the two back corners of the affected areas.

Unfortunately, because of the number of areas affected, those two drops in the areas we found mouse activity was Way Too Much peppermint oil. The level of smell is so strong that even I can smell it (I have very little sense of smell since having covid).

I can believe the peppermint oil will drive the mice away – it’s certainly driving us out of the house!