Making your home ready to sell can be a long, tedious process. Before you even show your home, you need to make sure it is picture perfect to sell.

This includes getting rid of any pest problems you might have in your home. Pests in the home is one of the top things homebuyers keep a look out for when shopping for a new home, especially mice and rats.

Many home sellers choose to use harmful poisons to get rid of mice. However, there are more natural and less harmful options that you can use instead. Here are some green and natural ways to get rid of mice for good:

Seal All Openings

Mice are great at getting into homes. Their limber bodies can squeeze into a hole as small as a dime. The top way to get rid of mice in your home is to make sure that they are never able to enter it in the first place.

Take a thorough look through all the corners of your home, especially behind cabinets, for small holes that could be possible entry points for mice. This is a good measure to take anyway before you sell your home to double-check for areas that have possible leaks or might need repair.

Sealing up any small openings can help get rid of mice and keep them out. A cheap way to prevent mice from getting in is to use steel wool to stuff the opening before sealing it. Mice are not able to chew through the steel and this will discourage them from trying.

Get A Cat

Another great way to get rid of mice is to adopt its foe. Adopting a cat is a great way to prevent a mice infestation.

Not only do you give an animal a home, but you get a constant system of mice prevention. However, keep in mind that your furry friend is more of a detection system rather than a true way to eradicate the problem.

It is good to still implement some prevention techniques that work with your cat. Also, keep in mind that if you are looking to sell your home you will need to keep in mind some cleaning you will have to do before you sell since you have a pet in your home.

And of course you will have to take the cat with you to your new home!!!

Use Peppermint Oil

There are many different types of poisons in the home improvement market that claim to get rid of mice. However, these same poisons that get rid of mice can be harmful for your pets and family as well.

Instead look for more natural and less toxic solutions to get rid of mice.

Peppermint oil can be a good solution to get rid of mice because they are repellent to the smell of peppermint. You can spray areas you know the mice frequent with the oil or stuff cotton balls soaked in the oil in any gaps in your home. Luckily, many people find the smell of peppermint oil to be pleasant. It is often used in aromatherapy for its calming qualities.

Crush up Some Cloves

Similar to peppermint oil, mice find the smell of cloves pungent and overwhelming. If you do not like the smell of peppermint, cloves might be a better alternative to use in your home.

You can use it in a similar way as peppermint oil by buying clove oil and spraying areas or stuffing whole cloves into cotton balls or wrapped in pieces of old cotton shirts.

Make sure to keep the whole cloves away from your pets to prevent them from eating it. Cloves are also a good ant repellent, so you get two benefits for one!

Create A Pepper Spray Repellent

Many natural remedies to get rid of mice are meant to deter mice rather than kill them. This is a better solution because it prevents them from nesting in your home.

A great solution to get rid of mice is to make your home inhospitable for them. Along with peppermint and cloves, creating a homemade pepper spray can help get rid of mice.

Combine extremely hot peppers such as habaneros with chili flakes, dish soap, and water to create an extremely spicy pepper spray to spray in corners or areas they frequent. It might be a good idea to use this spray outdoors as well. It can help get rid of mice in your garden as well.
To get rid of mice and other pests in the house you do not necessarily always have to take the toxic route. There are natural and green alternatives that can get rid of mice that is not harmful to them or your family.