11 Ways to Scare a Mouse Out of The Room

Because of professional background in the pest control business it never occurred to me that some people will go to great lengths to avoid using traps or poison when treating their houses from mice or other rodents. However, I get asked often if there any ways to scare mice and below are some ways to do just that.

Here are the best ways to scare mice from the room

1. Sleep with the Lights On

Mice don’t like lights. They feel a lot safer walking around in the dark.  It’s their survival instinct to do so since it keeps them invisible from their predators.

Furthermore, it’s their nature to avoid light because of their circadian rhythm. As nocturnal creatures, they cannot function well during the daytime. It’s the time of day when they should be sleeping.

So, if the light is on, a mouse is most likely to find a dark place to hide. That way, it can move around and do what it’s supposed to do, looking for food.

2. Place an Onion Slice to Scare Mice Away

Here’s something interesting. Mice don’t like onions. They hate the pungent smell of onions.

They can smell it from afar. So, if you want to scare a mouse out of your room, you can try placing some fresh onion slices in areas where you think the mouse is hiding.

There are a couple of things you need to consider if you choose to use onions to scare a mouse away.

First, onions are toxic to pets. So, be careful.

Second, you need to change the onion slices daily. Make sure they’re fresh.

Third, onions will stink in your room. 

3.  Use Peppermint Oil

If the odor of freshly sliced onions doesn’t appeal to you, then you can try using peppermint oil.

For some strange reasons, mice don’t like the smell of it as well. Using peppermint oil is a more humane way of scaring a mouse out of a room.

It’s another great alternative to poisons or chemical repellents. It’s simpler and safer to use in your room. However, you need to find a product that’s tailored to repel mice.

I recommend Grandpa Gus’s Peppermint Oil Mice Repellent Indoor Mouse Deterrent.

This agitates the delicate nose of a mouse that it will run away the second it smells it.

This product is very easy to use. Just moisten a couple of cotton balls with it and place them in areas where you suspect mouse activity.

4. Make Use of Owl Feathers

Owls are a mouse’s worst nightmare. Having an owl in your home is the most effective way to deter mice.

There are two reasons for that.

The first reason is that owls can outrun mice.

The second reason is that owls are very quiet animals. Their near-silent flight makes it hard for the mice to know they’re around.

Now, I am not recommending that you keep an owl in your room. However, you can make use of some owl feathers to scare the mouse out of your room. 

5.  Place Strands of Hair in Concerned Areas

If you can’t make use of owl feathers, then chop off some of your hair. Hair strands will also scare the mouse of your room.

The reason for that is because mice are scared of humans.

So, if you’re scared of them, the more they are of you. They don’t just run away at the sight of you, but they prefer to be hidden at all times.

Placing a couple of strands of your hair in areas where you have seen mouse activity will definitely scare it away. 

6.  Mix an Ammonia Solution

Using an ammonia solution will definitely help to keep mice away. They don’t like the smell of ammonia but then again, who does?

However, ammonia is a volatile fluid. Despite the strong odor, it easily disappears.

To make this method effective, you need to mix two spoons of detergent, a quarter glass of water, and 2 cups of regular ammonia in a bowl.

Place the bowl where the mouse frequently appears since rats can’t stand the smell of ammonia. This remedy should be able to scare the mouse of your room.

7. Fill in the Holes of your Wall with Steel Wool

Mice are inconspicuous creatures that like to slip through holes in the wall. Hence, you don’t have to see any mouse activity in your room.

The scratching sounds in your wall also indicate a mouse activity in your room. This is an alarming sign because when you hear mice scratching on the wall of your room, it means that they are getting ready to make a bed.

They’re nesting in the insulation to either raise their young or store food. Another reason why mice scratch on the wall is that they need to chew all the time to sharpen their teeth.

Since their teeth are always growing, they need to sharpen it so they can be very useful. That explains why they damage the wall.

If you want to avoid mice from slipping through the holes of the wall, fill them in with steel wool.

I recommend using steel wool for mice such as the Red Devil 320, which is also available on Amazon.

8. Fool the Mouse with some Cat Litter

Another way to scare a mouse out of your room is to keep some cat litter. This will fool the mouse to believe that there’s a cat in the room.

Of course, you can always resort to getting a real cat. According to research, the chemical signal that cats produce frightens the mouse. That is if there’s just a mouse in your room.

Chances are, it’s not just Jerry that Tom has to deal with. Nonetheless, having some cat litter or a real cat is helpful.

9. Place Aluminum in Suspected Areas

Did you know that mice don’t like aluminum?

It’s hard to say what they don’t like about it, but some think that it might be the smell and the taste of aluminum.

In my opinion, they might not like the sound of walking on aluminum. The fact that aluminum foil reflects their image might scare them as well.

Nonetheless, you can try placing a couple of layers of aluminum foil in areas where there’s a mouse activity.

Another way of using aluminum foil to scare a mouse out of your room is by balling it up and sticking it in areas where’s mouse activity. Chances are, the mouse will chew on the aluminum ball and hate it.

10. Use Cayenne Pepper to Repel Mice

Using cayenne pepper is a non-rodenticide alternative. It’s safe to use it in your room to deter the mouse.

Once the mouse smells the cayenne pepper, it runs away. Aside from the fact that it doesn’t like the smell of it, it also cannot tolerate the taste of it.

Mice cannot stand the spiciness of cayenne pepper.

You can make a hot pepper spray to scare the mouse out of your room. Just pour 1 cup of hot water into a bowl. Then add1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder to it.

You can also add a tablespoon of chili flakes. That should be spicy enough to scare the mouse away. Leave the mixture undisturbed for 24 hours. This will allow both the three ingredients to mix well.

Then pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Make sure to use a cheesecloth to strain the pepper water. Spray on areas of your room where you have seen mouse activity.

11. Vinegar Is Another Repellent

You can also use white vinegar to scare the mouse away.  By now, you already know how sensitive mice are to scents. The strong scent of vinegar is sure to scare them as well.

You can use vinegar to clean areas of your room where you have seen mouse activity. Just make sure to use white vinegar as this the strongest vinegar of them all.

If you don’t feel like cleaning certain areas of your room with vinegar, you can just moisten a couple of cotton balls with it.

Then place the cotton balls in areas where you suspect mouse activity. The vinegar-scented cotton balls will surely scare the mouse out of your room.

Things That Do Not Scare Mice

Irish Soap

I would also like to mention that some folks have tried using soap to scare a mouse out of their room. If you want to try this method, it’s recommended that you use Irish Spring soap.

Apparently, among all the soaps out there, Irish Spring has the strongest scent.

I cannot recommend this method as I haven’t tried it yet but if you want to give it a try, go right ahead. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

Mothballs

You might also come across some websites that recommend mothballs to scare the mouse away.

There are two reasons why I wouldn’t recommend this method.

First, it doesn’t work. It seems that mice can tolerate the scent of mothballs.

Second, mothballs are dangerous to use in your room. They are considered to be a pesticide. To use mothballs, you need to follow the label. If you don’t, you will end up violating federal law.

My recommendation is not to use mothballs at all.

Best Way Of Dealing With Mice

Most of the steps I mentioned above are pretty safe to scare a mouse out of your room. Nonetheless, all of the steps can be used as long as you’re careful in handling certain products such as rodenticide and ammonia.

It’s quite understandable that some folks out there would rather just scare a mouse out of the room. Here’s my take on that. It’s not enough to scare a mouse out of the room. It will only end up in another area of your home.

What you want to do is to prevent mice infestation. You cannot afford to have these creatures living in your home. They’re too dangerous. They will do more than just damage your home.

Since they chew on electrical wires, they’re fire hazards. Aside from that, they are also known to be carriers of various diseases. These are not the kind of animals you want in your home.

So when you see a mouse in your room, don’t just scare it away. Get to the root of the problem. See if there’s more than just one mouse hiding in your room.

In my experience as a pest control professional, a mouse in the house means more. Since these pests breed very fast, there’s a big chance that you’re not just dealing with one mouse.

The minute you see a mouse in the room, I highly recommend that you seek professional help to assess possible mice infestation in your home.  Getting rid of just one mouse is not enough to end the problem.

You need to get to the source of the problem to prevent mice from coming back. Only a pest control professional can provide you proper ways of dealing with mice infestation.

However, if you want to try the DIY approach consider the following solutions.

1. Use Snap Traps to Get Rid of Mouse

Snap traps have a pole bar design that allows you to dispose of mice without touching them. If you need recommendations, I have a post with a list of humane mice traps.

Place the snap traps every five to ten feet along walls or baseboards. Keep them away from kids and pets. The most effective way to use snap traps is to keep it unarmed for a couple of days.

This is a key step that’s often overlooked. Leaving snap traps unarmed will gain the mouse’s trust. After a couple of days, smear peanut butter on the trigger plate.

Avoid using cheese since the mouse can easily grab it and run away. Finally, arm the snap traps and check them daily to see if mice are taking the bait

2. Set Up Bait Stations

Set up bait stations in your house. I recommend Pro Tecta Full case RTU Mouse Bait Station. This provides mice a safe space to consume the bait. 

As a safety feature, it’s designed with a tamper-resistant lid. The triangular shape of the bait station makes it easy to place in most corners.

Fill the bait station with a powerful rodenticide. I recommend JT Eaton 704-PN Bait Block. This comes in a pail that holds about 64 pieces of 1-ounce bait blocks.

The bait blocks are peanut butter flavored and are guaranteed to attract and kill the mice within a few days. Place the bait stations along walls about eight to ten feet apart where there’s mouse activity.

Make sure the holes in the stations are up against the walls. That will make it easy for the mouse to enter the station.

I recommend that you check the stations every seven to ten days to monitor for mouse activity.

3. Use Glue Board Sticky Traps

Glue board sticky traps not only scares a mouse, but it also catches it.

I recommend Catchmaster Mouse Glue Traps that’s you can easily get from Amazon. They come with two glue boards that will help you catch multiple mice per trap.

These are safe alternatives to poison solutions. They’re also very easy to use since they are non-toxic.  Just stick them in areas where there’s mouse activity.

Another good thing about these glues board sticky traps is that they last a long time.

4. Use Baking Soda to Poison A Mouse

Baking soda is the final DIY solution when dealing with mice infestation.

It works amazingly to get rid of it. However, you would need to mix the baking soda with a couple of ingredients to make it effective. Baking soda alone will not bait the mouse.

Mix one cup of baking soda with a cup flour and a cup of sugar. Mix these three ingredients very well. The sugar will attract the mouse, and the baking soda will kill it.

Fill some jar lids with the mixture and place them in areas where there’s mouse activity.

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