Truth Or Urban Legend? Onions Or Bay Leaves Kill Rats

Everyone deserves a pest-free home; therefore, we are doing all the possible means to keep it safe from rodents. If you run through to my previous blog posts, you have read about bait stations, live-catch traps, and other means to deter and get rid of rats.

So, today you are looking for natural ways to get rid of them, and one of the most common household stuff you encounter is an onion.

To set the record straight, onions do not kill rats. Instead, onions are an excellent way to deter rats away from your place because of the pungent odor of onions that mice and rats cannot tolerate. The onion’s scent is one of the non-toxic and natural ways to repel rodents.

To make it work, remove the onion’s outer layer first, and then cut one slice and place it where rats and roaming.

However, make sure to replace them once they have rotten or every second day with a fresh one.

If you are wondering, “do rats eat onions?” then the answer is no; they do not eat onions. Rats will instantly run away from the smell since they hate it a lot.

Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Rats

Rats and mice infestation can make your life miserable. Besides, these tiny creatures carry infectious diseases, which can put you and your family’s health at risk.

You don’t want that to happen, right?

Therefore, the best thing to do is to try something such as home remedies to get rid of these pests before you go into something more deadly by using toxic chemicals.

Hence, here are some things that you can usually found in your household, which are non-toxic to you, your family, and pets.

However, they are not a hundred percent effective in killing rats fast; thus, they are proven effective to deter rats away from your place since the scent they give off is not appealable to rats.

Peppermint oil

Rats have a powerful sense of smell. We, humans, find peppermint scent as something calm and refreshing. However, the scent of peppermint is very offensive to rats.

To make this work, take a few cotton balls and pour 3 to 5 drops of the peppermint essential oil on the cotton.

Place these soaked cotton balls on corners of the house where rats are most likely inhabiting.

Change the cotton balls twice a week and then renew them to keep the area clean.

Make sure to place them in areas where your children and pets do not touch them.

Cocoa powder and Plaster of Paris

Plaster of Paris mixed with cocoa powder also works to get rid of mice. It is because the scent of cocoa powder can attract rats; therefore, combining it with Plaster of Paris (#ad) can mask the smell of Plaster of Paris.

To make this work, mix one tablespoon of cocoa powder with plaster of Paris and then sprinkle it around areas where rats are most likely to encounter it.

Once they eat the mixture, the rats will feel dehydrated and suffocated. They will rush back to their nests, where they eventually die.

Garlic bulb

Just like with onions, rats hate the strong smell of garlic that makes them drive away from your place.

To make this trick useful, mix chopped garlic with water and then sprinkle it around your house, or you can just spread garlic cloves in the pathway of their usual tray to deter them.

Bay leaves are dangerous for rats

The pungent aroma of bay leaves can attract rats and can think of it as their food. However, when rats consume bay leaves, they choke and eventually die. Try this bay leaves technique by placing some leaves around the corners of your house to get rid of the rats.

Potato powder

Another natural poison for rats is using instant potato powder. Sprinkle this powder at home in areas where rats and mice will go around.

Once they feed on this yummy treat, the powder enters their body, which can result in inflammation of their intestine and then eventually will cause their death.

Black pepper

Another essential condiment that can be found in the kitchen is black pepper. Black pepper also produces a sharp smell that is toxic to rats. However, when they feed on to this spice, it is harmful to their lungs and causes them to die.

Hot pepper flakes

Hot pepper flakes can make you sneeze because of its strong aroma. Hence, it can also keep rats aways from your place.

Just sprinkle flakes of hot pepper along with the doorways and the corners of your house to get rid of them.

Baking soda

Baking soda alone cannot kill rats; it does not have acute toxicity for rats either. Instead, baking soda is a substance that can’t be adequately digested by rats.

Once the rat eats baking soda, it will contact in contact with the acids in the stomach. The baking soda will then turn into a bunch of gas, which mice can’t repel.

What Kills Rats Fast

If you want to kill rats immediately, sad to say natural methods won’t work, and it requires repeated steps to get rid of rats. Luckily, there are effective ways you can use to get rid of rat infestation.

Mostly, they include trapping such as the following:

Traps

When you talk about killing rats, traps are still the fastest, simplest, and most effective methods of getting rid of rats.

However, when using traps, you need to be wise, cautious, and strategic about since your enemies are notorious and smart as well.

The trick is here is to use traps that are mainly designed for rats and not for mice. Mousetraps are often too small and are ineffective in getting rid of rats.

The second important thing to consider when using traps is the location where you should place it. It should be placed in areas where rats are frequently inhabiting.

It can be placed in dark corners, behind the refrigerator, the attic, kitchen countertops, or any place where you see mouse droppings. You can also use baiting traps with peanut butter to attract rats.

Here are some types of traps to consider:

Snap traps

Snap traps are the best-known traps since they are easier to use than other traps on the list. They come in two different categories:

• Traditional wooden strap: It uses a spring-loaded bar to snap down a rat
• Plastic trap: It features a set of sharp jaws that kill the rat immediately once the trap is triggered and eventually shut the snap

Live traps

If you are looking for a humane way to get rid of mice, live traps are your best option. These traps don’t kill the rat; instead, they will trap it inside.

Once the rat triggers the trap by feeding on the bait, the rat is captured, and it is your choice whether to kill it or release it far away from your house.

Pro-tip: Not everyone is excited about killing rats or cleaning their dead bodies. For such people, I suggest checking humane traps that are available on Amazon now.

Glue traps

Glue traps work similarly to live traps since even though they instantly catch the rat, they don’t kill the rat right away.

Glue traps are made from wooden or plastic platforms, which are coated with a sticky filling like glue.

To make them work effectively, place them in areas where rats are frequently roaming, such as pantries and basements.

Once the rat steps on the glue trap, they can never move away from the trap. You can pick up the trap and then throw them away.

However, the only downside of the glue trap aside from it can harm the rat, and it can only be used once.

Bottom line

A natural way of killing rats is efficient if you prefer a non-toxic way of getting rid of rats. It also works for minor rat infestation only, where it just happened recently.

However, if you are looking for ways to get rid of rats instantly, traps with poison baits might be your best option since it will kill mice right away.