Tuesday, July 10, 2018

How To Get Rid Of Mice

1. Peppermint Essential Oil
Mice, while nowhere near as impressive as say, dogs, still have a fairly acute sense of smell that beats our own. So while we find the smell of peppermint refreshing, tangy, and pleasant, mice find it overwhelming and offensive. This isn’t the best remedy to deter mice, but it makes a nice compliment to a solid IPM program.

You will need…
-cotton balls
-peppermint essential oil

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Directions
Add 20-30 drops of peppermint essential oil to each cotton ball and lay strategically around your home. Refresh every week or so, or whenever you notice the smell is fading. Feel free to experiment with other essential oils/oil blends in addition to peppermint.

peppermint

2. Let Nature Do Its Thing
While dogs, bless their loyal hearts, are man’s best friend and useful in countless ways, they are much farther removed from their ancestors in terms of behavior than cats are. There are breeds of dogs that hunt happily, of course, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a cat that doesn’t have a refined “killer instinct” so to speak. When you want to naturally get rid of mice, a cat is your best friend. If you have a pest problem, and you have the means to have a cat, go for it! Just remember, the cat will also be a part of the family-not just something you use for a mouse problem. And there’s always the possibility you end up with one that isn’t a good mouser, in which case, you’ve just gained another wonderful member of the family. ☺

You will need…
-A cat

Directions
Go to your local animal shelter and get a furry friend.

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3. Mouse Deterrent Spray
This is a special little concoction that that doesn’t involve manufactured chemicals or toxins-although I would recommend wearing goggles and gloves when you apply it! This is a spray made entirely from hot peppers. While we might like a little heat to our food, think about when you get hit with something too spicy. Your eyes start to burn, you’re in pain, and if the scoville units get high enough (the unit used to measure the heat of hot peppers) you can even kick the bucket.

Now imagine you’re a mouse, just a few inches off the floor, snuffling around and minding your own business (kind of) when you stumble across a patch of burning hot “pepper spray.” With your eyes and nose so close to the ground, you’ll be extremely uncomfortable and irritated and not exactly excited to continue on with your journey. You’ll probably turn back to find another, less spicy, place to invade.

This spray uses habanero peppers, which have a scoville rating of 100,000-350,000 units, and cayenne peppers, which rate at 30,000-50,000 units. Compare this to the 1,000-4,000 units of a jalapeno, and it’s easy to see why this is so repugnant to rodents.

You will need…
-1/2 cup chopped habaneros
-2 tablespoons hot pepper flakes
-16 cups (1 gallon) of fresh water
-Two 2 gallon buckets
-A gallon jug and a spray bottle
-Cheesecloth
-Gloves/goggles
-A large pot

Directions
Wear gloves and goggles when making and applying this powerful mixture. A surgical mask isn’t a bad idea either, as it can cause some respiratory irritation in some individuals.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Put peppers and flakes in a food processor and blend until they are a little more roughly chopped up. You can do this by hand, but I find it less irritating to the eyes to use the food processor. Put the pepper blend into a 2 gallon bucket, and then pour the boiling water over them. Cover the mixture and allow it to sit for 24 hours. Using cheesecloth, strain out the pepper bits by pouring the mixture into another 2 gallon bucket. Fill your spray bottle and spritz around entrances and affected areas. A little goes a long way! Don’t use this on carpets as it may discolor the surface. I like to apply around the outside perimeter of my house, but if you want to apply it indoors, after a day or two wipe the old spray up with some water and reapply. Always test a small area first to make sure it doesn’t affect the color.

The mixture, covered, keeps for months out of direct sunlight, so simply refill your bottle when needed.

homemade pepper spray

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4. Dryer Sheets
While I point blank refuse to use dryer sheets in the dryer, I do find myself turning to them at times to help with mice. It’s the lesser of two evils when it comes to poison. I actually learned of this little trick at the barn where I keep my horses. Since my barn cat happens to be incredibly lazy, I learned from another horsey friend that mice hate the smell of dryer sheets. Sure enough, after placing 1-2 in my tack locker, I was no longer finding mouse droppings or (on really bad days) mice that had decided to crawl into my stuff to die.

You will need…
-Regular old dryer sheets

Directions
Lay out around problem areas. Refresh when the scent is extremely faded/gone (usually once a month or so.) It’s a good idea to weight down the corners of the sheets. On the offhand chance you forget to replace them, they can be used as nesting material for the mice once the odor wears off. They can also be moved quite easily. I personally like to use them to help plug up any entrances I find that the mice are breaking into.

dryer sheet mice remedy

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5. Bring Out the Copper
Exclusion is a huge part of solving a mouse problem. High quality steel wool is a popular item used to block entrances that mice use to get in and out of your house, and it can work quite well. However, you usually need to use a caulking compound to ensure the mice don’t pull the steel wool out of the hole, and the steel will degrade and rust over time. Copper wool, or copper wire mesh, on the other hand, won’t rust or degrade, and is woven finely to make it that much harder to chew through or pull out. If you have a deep crack, you can tightly stuff several layers of the copper into it which is usually sufficient to hold it in. If you have a shallower space you need to fill, or particularly stubborn mice that find a way to yank it out, you may want to look at a chemical/toxin free caulk or sealant. I won’t go into detail on those products right now since that has enough information to be a post unto itself!

You will need…
-1 roll of copper wire mesh/copper steel

Directions
Roll up the copper into thin wads and stuff firmly into cracks/holes/any entrances being used by the mice. Use a stick to really jam it in there, and use as many layers as you can without making it loose or sloppy. After installing, you can also spray with a little bit of hot pepper spray for extra deterrent.

6. Trap ‘Em

how to get rid of mice

I will be the first to point out that this is not the route you want to take if you have a serious infestation. If you have a couple of mice, however, that you want to keep from setting up a permanent residence, humane traps are good way to relocate them. There are several types of traps out there that have multiple chambers, so you aren’t stuck catching one mouse at a time. Humane traps are a good way to improve your situation without dealing with the guilt and disgust that often times comes with regular traps.

You will need…
-A humane trap
-Bait

Directions
Follow the Directions on the back of the trap, as each one is different. Some ensure humans to avoid contact with the mice by means of a bait trigger. For example, a cracker is set in a holder in the cage. You put said cage far away, and when the mouse chews through the cracker, the door opens. You can then collect the now empty cage.

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As with many areas of your appearance, having a basic knowledge of why you have dark eye circles is the first step towards treating them. One of the most frequent reasons is not getting enough sleep. Poor sleep leads to dark circles as the blood vessels beneath your skin dilate, causing them to become more apparent.

However, for those who sleep well and still have a dark skin tone beneath their eyes, there are other causes worth addressing:

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Ageing. As you age, your skin naturally becomes thinner, making dark circles more apparent and frequent.
Periorbital hyperpigmentation. This condition causes you to produce more melanin, which makes dark circles under your eyes more apparent.
Illness, allergies, and blood vessel damage. While diseases and allergies make the area beneath your eyes puffier, blood vessel damage causes them to darken. Both will make your eye dark circles more noticeable.
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Stress. When you feel stressed, you produce more cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Cortisol increases flow to your blood vessels, resulting in darker circles.
You may find that you’re suffering from one or more of the above factors. As such, it’s worth looking at different ways to remove dark circles under eyes permanently.

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From mint leaves through to tea bags, there are lots of natural remedies you can try to remove dark circles under your eyes. To see long lasting results, you need to engage in them continuously.

Mint leaves
Applying mint leaves to your eye bags won’t remove them altogether. However, if you use a product that contains mint leaves, you’ll produce a cooling sensation that vasoconstricts the blood vessels beneath. As a result, the circles look less apparent.

Tea bags
Regular tea bags may not have much of an effect. However, there is some evidence supporting the idea that green tea bags may reduce puffiness. Make sure you cool the tea bags before applying them, then leave them on for five minutes.

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Lemon juice and rose water
Lemon juice acts as a natural skin lightener, plus it contains plenty of Vitamin C. Together, these factors mean it may reduce the appearance of dark circles. Similarly, rose water may lighten your skin.

Almond oil
When applied to the circles beneath your eyes for at least 15 minutes, almond oil is an adequate natural remedy. It achieves this by reducing the appearance of blood vessels beneath. Try applying almond oil for 15 minutes after cleansing each day. Consider Holland & Barrett’s Miaroma Sweet Almond Oil, which is currently £4.23 per 100ml or Boots Care Almond Oil, which is £3.18 per 100ml.

As with all natural remedies, exercise caution before using them. Apply a skin patch test to your wrist and leave it for a day. If there’s no reaction, use small amounts. The skin beneath your eyes is especially thin, which means it doesn’t have as robust a barrier as other areas of your body.

Some of the other classic tips for removing dark circles under your eyes are cucumber slices or dipping cotton wool pads into cucumber juice, as it cools the skin. People use and recommend raw sliced potatoes on their eyes, or raw coconut oil has been mentioned on various forums.

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In a world where many people lead hectic lives, it’s easy to overlook the habits that cause dark eye circles. Knowing how to get rid of dark circles under your eyes using lifestyle changes can have a significant impact.

Start sleeping more
While this may seem obvious, it’s often tempting to skimp on sleep in favour of your social or working life. If you’re struggling with sleep, start looking at sleep hygiene techniques. 7-8 hours sleep is recommended for most people, but this can be slightly less or more.  According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult sleeps less than 7 hours per night. In today’s fast-paced world, 6 or 7 hours of sleep may sound rather good. In fact, it can lead to chronic sleep deprivation.  What to Do If You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep.

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Exercise more
Exercising more will help with your sleep. It also addresses some of the conditions affecting your blood vessels by improving the flow. Finally, it tackles cortisol by giving you stress an outlet for burning away.

Tackle lack of sleep by addressing your stress
If you’re aware of what’s causing you to feel stressed, find ways to solve it. Alternatively, incorporate stress reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing into your life. When you reduce stress, you’re less likely to suffer from lack of sleep.

Tackle your allergies
Whether it’s hay fever or a reaction to your pets, there are ways you can tackle allergies yourself. The first line of treatment is to remove the allergen. Alternatively, you can try an over-the-counter antihistamine to reduce puffiness.

Be kind to your skin
Remember that everything you put into your body is reflected by your image. Drinking more water, eating a healthy diet, and quitting smoking will allow your body to produce more collagen. As a result, the skin around the eyes stays healthier for longer. The earlier you pay attention to your overall lifestyle, the easier it becomes to reduce dark circles in the skin around the eyes.