Let’s face it—nobody pictures spending most of their time chasing after mice, especially when you’ve come from work tired, and you still have kids to look after. Mice are annoying and embarrassing; that’s why you need to get rid of them instantly.
Using aluminum foil to deal with mice is vital because it restricts or denies mice access to your home. But why do mice hate aluminum foil? Let’s find out.
Why Do Mice Hate Aluminium Foil?
Yes, mice detest aluminum because they can’t chew them properly. In addition, aluminum foil (thin sheet metal)has grooves and sharp points incorporated on it that terrifies mice and restrains them from biting on the metal.
Plan to buy an aluminum foil so that you can use it to cover or fill a hole on the wall or any other area where mice are coming through. You’ll realize that no mice will attempt biting the aluminum foil to make way for themselves. Further, it’s possible to use other metals like wire mesh to shield the holes and cracks that mice use.
For tiny holes and cracks, use aluminum foil. Why do I say that? Aluminum completely covers the cracks and holes. But, at the same time, it also scares mice completely. Mice can chew insulation, duct tape, plastic, paper, and dense cardboard—that’s why you need aluminum.
Steel wool is another metal that you can use to restrain mice from certain areas of your house since they also can’t chew through it. As you do with aluminum, place steel wool at every crack or hole that mice use. Also, you can set the steel wool at the front and the aluminum behind it to make it difficult for mice to get through.
Can Mice Chew Through Aluminum Foil?
No, they cannot chew aluminum however much they try to. Mice hate aluminum because it denies them access to certain parts of the house where food and other materials they feed on are available. This restraint starves mice to death. Like aluminum foil, mice also find it hard to chew on steel wool.
However, mice can destroy paper, drywall, boards, or insulation in a split second. Only metallic materials can give mice a hard time to chew, and even if they did manage to chew it, they’d be dead within minutes. This is why you need to stuff all the cracks and holes in your house with aluminum, steel wool, or other metals to prevent mice from sneaking in.
What Do Mice Hate?
Mice hate cloves, pepper, peppermint oil, and cayenne pepper. So you can use these things against them. But, first, properly soak cotton balls in oils from pepper or cloves. You then need to place the cotton balls close to the crack or holes they use or any other place you have a problem with them—they’ll never come out or back again.
Alternatively, you can make cheesecloth sachets from mint, whole cloves, or dry cayenne and then avail them in areas mice like to access. Other rat repellants include Cotton balls and White vinegar.
White vinegar is the most potent and aggressive vinegar out there. It can destroy mice within a split second. We already know that mice are strongly repelled by a strong scent from the discussion above—so white vinegar will do the trick.
How to Keep Mice Away By Using Aluminum Foil?
Before you set up traps or roadblocks to restrain mice from your house or eliminate them, you first need to identify the holes and cracks or other areas they use. The most common clues to look for are mouse droppings and any gaps in your house that suggest that mice were or are around that place. Other indications include bitemarks, scratching, or mouse hair.
After identifying the mouse’s entry point, the next step is to set up your aluminum foil. Once you’ve identified the entry point, whether it’s a hole or just a crack, there isn’t much to think about other than to set a trap or a restraint like an aluminum foil. Roll the aluminum foil into a ball shape and place it on the crack or hole
After rolling the aluminum foil into a ball shape and placing it on the tip of the holes or cracks, use tape to hold tight the aluminum so that it doesn’t roll over when it receives a slight push from mice. It should be the second layer of defense.
Of course, mice detest aluminum foil, so the tapping isn’t that necessary. However, for the ball not to roll on its own, place the tape to hold it firmly.
As we’ve discussed above, combining steel wool with aluminum foil will assure you that pesky mice are not seen around your house or specific areas since they can’t chew both these materials and stay alive.
If you prefer using steel wool, you can use it on the cracks and holes by taping it or other ways you deem suitable depending on your current situation.
6 Other Clever Ways to Keep Mice Away
Getting rid of mice can be challenging as it requires multiple ways to manage the situation correctly, or else you’re in for the most irritating time of your life. However, if aluminum foil isn’t working particularly well for you, I’ve got you covered. Read on.
1. Block Entry Points
Even if it’s your first experience with this problem, identifying where the mice are coming from is the first thing to do. Is it cracks or holes? Once you’ve identified the entry points, block them using metallic materials such as steel wool or aluminum foil. Next, tape the steel wool or aluminum foil on the entry points.
Other materials you can use to restrain mice movement into your house are hard metals or rock, even though it’s improbable for most of us to use these materials. It’s also possible to use spices and oils like peppermint oil and cinnamon to send mice away.
For everyone that has a challenge with mice, there must be a crack or hole they use. It can be in your garage or house, but you should be set and ready to defeat mice if you use the methods I’ve outlined.
Even if your challenge with mice has taken a long time, locating all the areas they use is crucial in ensuring you defeat them ultimately. Remember, spotting mice entry points is just the vital first step to solve the problem.
2. Tidy Up Your Rooms
Forget about mice for a second; we all have to tidy up our rooms. Mice are primarily attracted to untidy places, and having a disorganized room is a welcoming sign. Arranging your room is a prudent method you can use to have a mice-free house.
Arranging your room involves getting rid of food leftovers, cleaning spilled water, and ensuring the floor is always sparkling clean. This way, you’ll have no interactions with mice in your home.
Unsealed and pet foods attract mice. If your room contains any unsealed food, be sure that mice will show up sooner or later. Seal your food with airtight bags for proper food preservation and restraint to mice.
Mice are also attracted to crowded storage areas, which means you need to decongest any storage place and properly arrange things to stop mice from raiding your house.
When your room is tidy and clean, you’ll be able to spot mice if at all it happens that they visit you. Even if you can’t spot them, you’ll see their effects or get a clue of where they are. Spotting your mice will also help you get rid of them quickly before they do more damage.
3. Keep Food and Water Out of Your Room
Your room shouldn’t have any sign of leftover food, whether sealed or unsealed. What I mean is, your food shouldn’t be out in the open; it should be sealed and locked somewhere. The same applies to water. To properly deal with mice, it is vital to remove food and water from your room.
When mice don’t have easy access to food and water, they’ll not find a practical reason to seek residence in your house. So don’t make their lives easier by availing food and water at their disposal.
Mice are also obsessed with chocolate and peanut butter. Why? I don’t know, but for some reason, they always find a way to have some in any house they invade. So if you have peanut butter or chocolate in your home, seal them well.
Consider also sealing dry foods such as sugar or powders. Unsealed dry foods invite mice and other pests such as weevils.
4. Try Essential Oils
Essential oils are excellent mice repellents. These oils are acidic and produce a powerful smell that fends off mice in a split second. They include lemon juice or peppermint oil. If using essential oil sounds appealing to you, place a few drops or sprays of the oil you’re using at every mice entry point.
Using essential oils is also a precautionary measure you can take to prevent mice from evading your home. You can use a combination of aluminum foil and essential oils such as peppermint oil to repel mice. You only need to find the cracks or holes mice use to come in.
Mice are also repelled by the smell of cloves, pepper, and cayenne pepper, so incorporating these in your plan to restrain mice is an excellent idea to minimize mice movement into your house. Ammonia also works; you only need to pour a bit of it inside a bottle cap and place it at all mice entry points.
5. Consider Mousetraps
If all the above methods fail to eliminate mice, then it’s time for mouse traps. Mousetraps will help you not only capture but get rid of mice. There are mouse traps that are more efficient than others, but at the same time, there are those that are inhumane if you’re not ready to kill mice.
If you don’t have reservations about killing mice, you can use mouse-killing traps. Some of these traps only catch mice, while others trap and kill them. These traps include standard clamp traps and electronic zap traps.
Even though killing mice isn’t nice to some of us, it’s still a reliable way to get rid of mice off your house, and it doesn’t cost much.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Does Aluminum Foil Do to Mice?
Aluminum foil fills the crack and holes mice use to invade your home. Even though the foil might not fill the gaps and holes, it leaves very tiny spaces that mice cannot pass through. Aluminum foils rough texture is great for sealing cracks to stop mice. It’s also a humane way of dealing with mice compared to devastating mouse traps.
2. Will Mice Ever Go Away?
Yes, but can they go away by themselves? No, they won’t. If you don’t get rid of leftovers, unsealed foods, crowded storage places, or water, then there is no way mice will give you peace.
There can never be just one mouse since they also mate and give life. You’ll have to use aluminum foil, steel wool, or mouse traps to get rid of them.
3. Will Mice Leave on Their Own?
No. Once you have mice in your house, it means there’s something you were not doing right. Whether it’s leaving unsealed food, an untidy room, or a crowded storage place. If you have a mice infestation and can’t control it, contact a professional pest control company.
4. Do Mice Like Bleach Smell?
No, mice are strongly repelled by the smell of bleach. Bleach has a strong smell that even we humans can’t handle, and mice are no exception. So mice will never get close to bleach, let alone smell it.
5. What’s the Fastest Way to Get Rid Of Mice?
The fastest way to get rid of mice is using mousetraps. Even though killing mice may seem inhumane to some of us, it’s still the quickest bet to get rid of mice. You only need to place some peanut butter(which mice like) on the mousetrap, and it will attract and trap them.
Bottom Line
Before you use Aluminum foil to get rid of mice, ensure your house is clean. We’ve seen that mice are attracted to dirty and untidy places, and no matter how much you use aluminum foil, you’ll not get rid of mice if your house is cluttered.
Apart from aluminum, there are other things you can use like steel wool, pepper, or mouse traps to get rid of mice. So to get rid of mice, clean and decongest your house.