15 great ways to get rid of rats naturally (2023)

Small poop droppings and chewed holes in your kitchen packaging are two obvious signs that mice are in your home. Although they don't seem like aggressive invaders, mice and rats carry disease, and a bite can transmit disease to humans and pets. To protect yourself and keep your home free of rodents, find out how to get rid of them naturally.

Rats are active year-round, but it's common to find them indoors during the winter. As temperatures drop, rodents find their way inland, searching for a food source and a place to nest. Common areas where rats nest inside your home include behind walls and insulation.

If you find a rat or notice signs of rat activity, figuring out how to get rid of them is vital to preventing an infestation. Rodents are well known for their ability to reproduce quickly. A couple of mice can become a mouse infestation in a few weeks.

Natural remedies to kill rats

Rats are one of those home invaders that immediately trigger a response to hire a professional to control their presence. As a mouse infestation rapidly grows out of control, professional intervention may be necessary. Still, there are many home remedies to help control a rat problem.

How to use baking soda for rats

While commercial rat poison is effective at killing rats, having poison in your home puts you at risk of accidental ingestion by humans or pets. To get rid of mice without using a harmful substance, make a mixture with a baking soda base.

Baking soda is a crucial ingredient in getting rid of rats because of the compounds in the baking soda that react to moisture in the rat's stomach. Once ingested, the reaction creates a buildup of gas within the rats, causing fatal internal damage.

Combine ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Sprinkle the baking soda mixture onto plastic lids or onto paper plates. Put the mixture in the entire space where you noticed rat activity. Check these areas frequently for signs of rat visits.

Using Ammonia to Repel Rats

Ammonia has a strong odor and is beneficial for controlling rat activity in the home. Since rats have sensitive noses, placing a source of pungent odors in the right areas is an easy way to keep rats from roaming freely.

Use gloves to soak cotton balls in ammonia to deter mice. Place the soaked cotton balls in a plastic lid near areas where mice hide.

Can you use potato flakes to kill mice?

Since mice chew various materials in search of food, it may seem strange to use instant mashed potatoes to kill mice, but instant potato flakes are an effective method to get rid of mice.

The same instant potatoes found in the supermarket are deadly to rats once eaten. The flakes rehydrate and fluff up once ingested, creating a blockage in the mice's digestive systems.

Rats can consume potato chips independently; to increase the chances, add granulated sugar. Sprinkle the mixture into a lid or bowl and place near a small dish of water to encourage mice to drink. Keep an eye out for a dead mouse after using this method to get rid of mice.

How does cat litter help get rid of rats?

If you have a cat, used kitty litter is an effective weapon against mice. The smell of cat urine triggers a response in mice that causes them to avoid any odor-filled space. Cat urine has a strong odor, and the longer it sits, the more organic compounds break down, making the odor stronger.

Wearing gloves, remove a piece of kitty litter that your cat has urinated on and place it in a container. Place the container in the area where mice are most active to prevent them from venturing outdoors.

Cayenne Pepper Bag

The spicy aroma of cayenne pepper is popular as a homemade insect repellent. Pepper oil, when used on cotton balls, is easy to place around your home to prevent mice from roaming freely.

To use dried cayenne pepper against mice, wrap the cayenne pepper in cheesecloth or cheesecloth. Tie envelopes with string or staple them and leave them behind appliances or furniture to prevent mice from hiding there.

Using the smell of cloves against rats

When looking for natural remedies to get rid of mice, the smell of cloves is effective. When mice smell fresh clove or the aroma of clove oil, they will avoid the surrounding area. Rats avoid the smell of cloves in cotton balls.

Use an eyedropper to soak a cotton ball in clove oil. Place the cotton ball in areas where rats frequently visit or where you have seen their droppings or traces of urine. Use a piece of cotton cloth to wrap the entire teeth and place them strategically.

How to get rid of rats naturally

The essential oils extracted from the leaves of the plants are not fatal to mice; however, they are some of the best natural ways to get rid of mice. Rats hate many natural scents, such as peppermint, and using a concentrated oil in your home helps reduce rat activity.

Soak cotton in peppermint oil and leave cotton balls around the house to track where mice are active in the home. If you've identified an entry point in your home's foundation, leaving an oil-soaked cotton ball in that area will help keep rats out.

Spray soap to keep mice away

Use Tabasco sauce to make a strong-smelling spray that mice avoid. Add a thickening agent like washing powder and spray it around your house. Spraying outside helps keep mice away.

Fill a 16-ounce spray bottle with water before adding the sauce and detergent. Shake well before spraying around the house.

Kill rats with bay leaves

While the scent of some plants acts as a natural rat repellent, bay leaves are unique due to the damage they do to rats when ingested. Chopped bay leaves are one of the easiest natural remedies to get rid of rats.

Cut the bay leaves into strips and place them for the mice to eat. Eugenol is a compound within bay leaves that damages the rat's liver once ingested. The smell of bay leaves makes mice believe that it is a food source.

How to use boric acid for rats

Boric acid is useful for glassware, cosmetics, preservatives, and as an antiseptic. Boric acid also effectively kills insects and other indoor pests. Once ingested, boric acid reduces the acidity in the pest's body, causing respiratory distress.

Mix the boric acid into the chicken broth, adding a teaspoon of broth at a time until the mixture is thick and difficult to stir. Wearing gloves, roll the mixture into balls and place on a paper plate. Leave baited dishes in areas where you see rat droppings for rats to find and eat.

Make homemade mousetraps

Snap traps are tried and true methods of getting rid of rats in your home; however, most commercial traps are not humane. Live traps are not fatal to mice; instead, they help him catch mice, allowing him to release them into the wild. CanBuild a Simple DIY Bucket Rat Trapat home or design a glue trap.

To create effective glue traps, create a mixture that doesn't dry out like regular craft glue.

To make the bait, pour the corn syrup and water into a saucepan on the stove, heating until a paste is obtained. Remove the syrup mixture from the heat to cool before storing the sticky paste in airtight containers.

Cut the cardboard into manageable shapes to create a trap, and place a rolled strip of masking tape on the bottom of the cardboard. Spread the corn syrup on the cardboard pieces before setting the traps around the house.

Observation:Place pet food in the middle of the board to attract the mice to your glue trap.

Natural ways to get rid of rats

Since mice are sensitive to strong odors, using a homemade spray made from various peppers is a helpful way to keep mice away. Although this is not ahome spray to kill rats, spraying a concentrated spray where the rats live causes an unpleasant burning sensation in the eyes and nostrils, causing them to avoid the treated areas.

Bring the water to a boil on the stove while you mix the jalapeño peppers with the chili flakes. Pour the mixture into the bucket before pouring the boiling water over the peppers and cover the bucket for a whole day.

Cover the bucket with cheesecloth and strain into another bucket before discarding the solids. Use a cup to add the water to a spray bottle for use at home. Spray in driveways and in areas where you find evidence of rat activity. Keep bucket covered and out of direct sunlight.

Vinegar spray to repel rats

Vinegar is one of the safest natural ways to get rid of mice, as it is one of thearomas thatrepel mice. The pungent smell of vinegar is popular for fighting indoor pests, and creating a simple spray made from apple cider vinegar will keep mice from exploring your home.

Mix equal parts cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray around baseboards and near cracks or gaps in walls to use this solution as ahomemade rat repellent. Reapply vinegar at least once a month to keep rats away.

Pest Control Cats

Cats are natural predators of mice, and bringing a cat into your home is a natural remedy for dealing with house mice. Cats naturally hunt and kill smaller animals, and if you have a pet cat, they will hunt for mice on their own and sometimes bring them to you for your approval.

Deciding to get a cat isn't a simple decision, but leaving food out for stray dogs helps attract cats into your home, where they prey on any nearby vole populations. Having a cat around also works as a natural deterrent because the pheromones in the urine repel mice.

Create Homemade Bait Stations

Controlling rat activity can be challenging because rats are small and easy to miss if they escape. Rats often run the same route every day after deciding on a safe path. Rats chew through holes in wood and cardboard to find food and shelter, preferring to feed outside of the open air.

If mice aren't eating your bait, they may not feel safe eating there. Commercial bait stations provide mice with a safe space to eat the bait before returning to their nests. To make a station, use a wooden board or PVC pipe along a wall with homemade bait inside. These stations provide the rats with an entrance to feed on the bait and an exit.

Can you use the smell of mothballs against rats?

Mothballs are considered as useful as mouse repellents; however, they are ineffective. Mothballs contain mothballs; over time, the solid balls turn into a toxic vapor that kills the moths. The amount of naphthalene in mothballs is not high enough to kill rodents, and the odor it emits alerts rodents to toxicity to avoid.

The level of naphthalene needed to kill mice is also toxic to humans. Even prolonged exposure to mothballs with regular levels of naphthalene pose health risks such as nausea, headaches, and respiratory damage.

Tips to avoid rats in your home

Although mice thrive outdoors, as the temperature drops, the warm safety of a home becomes an ideal nesting place for rodents. To protect your home from intruders, inspect and seal all cracks in the foundation.

Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink or leftover food on the counter, and sweep the floor and cover the trash every night. Pet food is another food source; sealing pet food packages in airtight containers prevents mice from stinking.

Rats multiply rapidly; female mice give birth to new litters about ten days after mating. Finding a rat or two in your home should not be ignored, as their numbers quickly get out of control.

If you discovered how to get rid of mice naturally in our guide, consider sharing our tips on natural ways to get rid of mice on Facebook and Pinterest.