Cotton balls and pepermint

Anyone heard of putting a few drops of peppermint on cotton balls to keep mice away from unwated places? Heard it this morning on a tv program.

I’ve done that the last couple of years in the pontoon for the winter. Haven’t seen any mice evidence, so can’t say definitively if it works, but so far so good. I’ve heard cloves work too.

I have done it, seems to have worked. Gotta use peppermint oil, not peppermint extract you get in the grocery store.

Pick up a 50 pack of generic dryer sheets and spread them around in where you want mice to stay away from. We use these in the pop=up camper and haven’t ever had a mouse issue. The cabin gets the same treatment on couches, chairs and beds including between mattresses and box springs. Works wonders and smells better than the oils.

Cab fresh [Fleet Farm] and fresh cab [Menards] worked wonders at keeping mice at bay but the epa did a forced recall due to an ingredient that has not been accepted as “passed” by the agency so you won’t find any of that to use for a while.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Cab fresh [Fleet Farm] and fresh cab [Menards] worked wonders at keeping mice at bay but the epa did a forced recall due to an ingredient that has not been accepted as “passed” by the agency so you won’t find any of that to use for a while.

This really sucks! I found this out the hard way. I searched high and low for fresh cab a week ago. Couldn’t find them anywhere. I really don’t care what they are made of. I’ll take my chances. Fresh cab works the best in my opinion.

Or I suppose you could go back to the peppermint strategy. If you can’t find the oil, schnapps might work. Then you’ll have another use for it. Still got a bottle of “Ice Hole” peppermint that might follow me out on the frozen water this winter.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

“Ice Hole”

Oh lord!

In one of my campers I found mouse droppings on the dryer sheets. I’m guessing it was because they were the unscented type.

I know the brothers that I bought one of the campers from swore by the peppermint oil. They used it on the ground outside of the camper.

I still set a couple three traps inside my boat with just a very little peanut butter on them. Very little as I don’t want them to be attracted to my boat either.

Just don’t use mothballs!

Peppermint oil does work and so does dryer sheets. Peppermint oil will also keep spiders away.

Peppermint oil can be found on Amazon for about $10 a bottle.

I was wondering…so I found this on the net from “This Old House”.
Still researching though….

Dryer Sheets a Myth

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/dryer-sheets-dont-deter-mice

Why no moth balls, BK?

Heck, I’ve had great luck with em. Never had a mice issue since using them. Can’t speak to dryer sheets, though.

My dad stores cars and boats over winter for people in his shed and barn. About 15 years ago he switched from moth balls to dryer sheets because people did not like the smell of moth balls. As far as I know, he has not had a problem with dryer sheets. I haven’t either in my my boat in the shed with hay and grain also being stored there.

shockers wrote:

Why no moth balls, BK?

One year I had mice actually carry them away and use them in their nest. Granted that was on a farm with a particularly bad mouse year. Since then I get the mothballs in the mesh packs and spread them around the boat. Use double what is probably necessary also. Takes a day of sitting in the sun and wind to rid the smell.

Like everything mentioned above, it’s been used and some will always swear by it.

I can’t stand the smell of mothballs first, can’t get rid of the smell in the spring, had a boat cushion chewed up right next to a mothball in my FIL’s boat and if they get wet give off a poisonous gas. I was worried a kid would grab one and try to eat it but I don’t think that would ever happen with they way they smell.

The last camper I bought had mothballs in it when I bought it in Feb. One cabinet still smells like mothballs from Feb 2016 and that’s after cleaning it out with Pinesol and leaving air fresheners in it for months at a time.

If they work for you, I would keep using them. Me? I hate mothballs!

Ive had reasonable success with dryer sheets. Used moth balls too, the odor is annoying though.
I need to try peppermint oil. I was trying to get my kids’ 90cc ATV going this weekend. Knew it needed a battery, but you can kick start it. I kicked it once and the kickstart didn’t return. Thought that was strange, but carried on.
Well, get it started but it just revs up wont move. So, I think somehow the belt blew, no idea how because it ran fine last time, but whatever.
Took the clutch cover off and the biggest damn mousenest I have ever seen was inside there!
They little suckers chewed through the belt!
They got in through the vent tube, which now will have some sort of screen over it when I get it back together.

I can’t even stand the smell of mothballs as I approach them in the store, can’t imagine my boat smelling like that. I always do the dryer sheets and life is good in the spring.
I also take everything out except the trolling motor and batteries. I leave the charger plugged in, something that used to kinda freak me out but was convinced by the good folks here its safe. No fires or explosions yet.

I’ve heard spam keeps mice away. Just because they’re pest doesn’t mean they’re void of standards….

I guess there is a spray on gel that rv dealers use I’ve been told. its sprayed on the under carriage to create a barrier. Its spendy and I have no experience with it just putting it out there. Sounds like a sound idea.
http://www.hannarv.com/P/MouseFreeGallonRVMouseRepellingUndercarriageLubricantWithSprayG/18808

belletaine wrote:

I’ve heard spam keeps mice away. Just because they’re pest doesn’t mean they’re void of standards….

The problem is it attracts BK. Than you have a whole new pest problem.