Any home or business may experience a pair of mice taking up residence. Unfortunately, that pair of mice have the potential of turning into over one hundred mice in a year’s time. A female mouse is ready to breed in six weeks after birth. She can produce up to 10 liters per year, with up to 14 tiny mice in each liter.
It doesn’t take a math genius to figure out a home or business can quickly become infested with unwanted rodents. Every dwelling needs a plan for the best way to get rid of mice, so that as soon at one rat is spotted, action can be taken to prevent an infestation.
Look over these 13 effective homemade mouse poisons used to kill mice and print out the ones that you think will work best for your mice problem. The recipes and how to use them are also included.
As a bonus, not all of these ‘poisons’ are true poisons and are safe for use around household pets. Other recipes are for homemade rat poisons concocted to kill mice and will be toxic to pets. Read and follow directions carefully so only the unwanted rodents will be harmed, not pets or children.
** Mice are almost blind and travel close to walls, feeling their way with whiskers. Place whatever type of mouse poison you make close to a wall, baseboard or cabinet wall for best results.
Related: Homemade mouse traps, Homemade mosquito trap, homemade fruit fly traps, homemade wasp traps, getting rid of moles and natural tick repellents.
Homemade Mouse Poisons To Deal With Mouse Problem
1- Instant Mashed Potatoes
This is a pet-friendly and kid safe DIY recipe that will effectively and efficiently get rid of a mouse.
If your see a mouse or evidence a mouse has been in an area (droppings or chewed items), place two tablespoons of instant mashed potatoes flakes in a shallow lid and place in the location. The mice will eat the potatoes flakes and become very thirsty. They will seek out water and drinking the water will cause the instant mashed potato flakes to swell up in their stomachs and kill them.
Pets and kids probably won’t disturb the potato flakes, but if they do consume the small amount of instant mashed potatoes it won’t harm them.
You can entice the mouse even more by sprinkling a little artificial sweetener over the instant potato flakes. The sweet aroma and taste is irresistible to mice, and artificial sweeteners, like Equal and Nutrisweet, are deadly to mice.
2- Peanut Butter And Artificial Sweetener
Cheap, easy and effective way to get rid of mice. As long as there is no one in the household with a peanut allergy, this is one of the best mouse poisons.
Mice love peanut butter and the aroma is intoxicating to them, drawing them to scent from great distances. Purchase the cheapest peanut butter available and mix in an inexpensive brand of artificial sweetener to create poison that is deadly to mice, yet safe for humans and pets.
Mix in two packets of artificial sweetener (any brand, as long as it contains Aspartame) into two teaspoons of creamy peanut butter. Roll into balls that are slightly larger than a pea. Place this peanut butter balls in areas where mice or evidence of mice have been spotted. If there are any mice anywhere in the building they will soon come after this irresistible and deadly treat.
Peanut butter and instant mashed potato flakes can be used to create rat poison balls too. Add a little artificial sweetener to that mixture also.
3- Cement Mix
A little bit of cement mix will go a long way when used to kill rats. This homemade mouse poison can only be used where there are no pets as this will bring about sure death for pets too. Keep this mixture away from areas where children may be too.
Dry cement mix will harden in the digestive system of mice and kill them very quickly. But you have to get the mice to eat the mix, so a tasty filler ingredient is needed.
Peanut butter is a good filler ingredient to mix with dry cement mix. The peanut butter does not contain enough moisture to cause the cement mix to harden. Create this mouse poison by mixing equal parts of cement mix and peanut butter. Sprinkle a little artificial sweetener into the mix if you want to make it even more tasty to mice.
Roll into small balls, about the size of peas, and place along walls where mice have been spotted.
Keep a close check on these cement balls and change them every two days if left untouched by the mice. The cement tends to harden after a couple days of exposure to the elements and rats won’t touch it unless it’s soft.
4- Baking Soda
Safe for kids and pets, deadly for rats. Baking soda can be found in most kitchens and is a needed ingredient in baked goods. It’s also a natural product that is used to treat indigestion and several other health and household issues. It is also one of the best mice poisons.
Humans often mix a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and drink to settle an upset stomach. The baking soda reduces stomach acid and creates carbon dioxide in the digestive system that is naturally eliminated. Mice are incapable of expelling carbon dioxide like humans can. After a mouse ingests baking soda, the gas builds up inside the stomach and it can’t release until the mouse die.
Baking soda will have to be mixed with a filler food to entice a rat to eat it. Peanut butter is a good choice. Mix equal parts of peanut butter and baking soda together, form pea sized balls and place where mice have been seen. *Avoid this homemade mouse poison if anyone in the building has a peanut allergy.*
Mix equal amounts of flour, sugar and baking soda, then place the powder mixture in a shallow lid and place near a wall where mice have been spotted. This mixture is safe for children and pets.
Cocoa powder has an enticing chocolate scent that will attract mice. Mix equal part of cocoa and baking soda, then place in a shallow lid near a wall.
5- Plaster of Paris
This is a common product used to create molds and casts. It can also be used as a homemade mouse killer.
Plaster of Paris is a dry product and must be mixed with liquid to be used for its intended purpose. As an alternative rodent poison, the product will need to be mixed with another dry food ingredient to entice mice to eat it.
Mix dry Plaster of Paris with sugar or corn meal to create a tasty rodent meal. Place the dry ingredients in a shallow jar lid in the area where mice have been seen. Once eaten, the Plaster of Paris will mix with the moisture inside the rat’s stomach and harden, bringing about a quick death.
This is not safe to use around pets or children. Check jar lids every other day and replace product for best results.
6- Vitamin D
Crushed vitamin D tablets are effective at killing mice. Consuming vitamin D causes the calcium level in a mouse to rise up to level that will cause calcification of the heart. This calcification will kill the mouse, but it will be a slow process. The mouse will have to consume the vitamin D over a two-three day period before death occurs.
Crush three vitamin D tablets and mix into a tablespoon of peanut butter. Roll into pea size balls and place where rodents have been seen, but away from children and pets.
7- Chicken Broth and Boric Acid
The aroma of chicken broth will lure mice in and entice them to eat. The boric acid concealed under the chicken aroma will kill the rat soon after it has been consumed.
Place two tablespoons of dry boric acid (found near the laundry products at the supermarket) in a small bowl. Slowly pour chicken broth into the boric acid, adding just enough to make a paste. Roll into pea sized balls and place in a location where mice have been seen, but away from children and pets. These balls will dry out quickly and rats will not eat them after they dry out, so replace daily for best results.
8- Aspartame Mouse Poison
Aspartame is a sugar substitute and is very easy and inexpensive to use as a homemade mouse poison. Mix 1 packet of aspartame (like Equal or Splenda) into 1 teaspoon of peanut butter. Divide mixture and roll into 2 balls and place in an out of the way place where rats have been spotted. The aroma of peanut butter will attract the mice and rats, and when they eat the aspartame loaded peanut butter they will soon develop cancer (like leukemias, lymphomas, and other deadly cancers) and die.
It will take a little time for the aspartame mouse poison to take effect and kill the rat population so it’s best to use this recipe in conjunction with a fast acting homemade rat poison, like zinc.
The aspartame and peanut butter mixture will not harm children or pets but you wouldn’t want them eating it after rats have nibbled on it. A spot where kids and pets can’t reach is an ideal area even for ‘safe’ rat baits like this one.
9- Ammonia Rat Repellent
Ammonia is a toxic poison and will kill the rats that ingest it, however, due to the potent smell, it’s hard to trick rats into drinking it.
Ammonia is a powerful mouse and rat repellent and is best used to scare them away instead of trying to kill them. Create a mix that is 50/50 ammonia and water, then add a few drops of liquid dish soap. The dish soap will help the liquid adhere to the surface it’s sprayed on and will also help conceal the ammonia odor.
Pour into a spray bottle and thoroughly spray all the areas where mice have been seen.
Ammonia will discolor some surfaces, so spot test the area before spraying the homemade rat repellent. Keep away from areas where children and pets may go.
Ammonia can be used instead of other liquids to create rat bait balls and it will be effective in killing the rats if they eat the bait. Use ammonia sparingly to minimize the strong odor and plenty of sugar or cocoa powder to attract the rats.
10- Black Pepper
Here is a cheap, effective, non-toxic way to get rid of rats wherever that you live – use black pepper. Sprinkle a lot of black pepper in areas where rats have been seen or where mouse droppings have been left. Place a homemade bait ball, like an aspartame or cocoa powder ball, in the center of black pepper.
The mice and rats will come into the peppered areas to eat the bait ball and be overcome by the fumes of the black pepper. The pepper fumes will irritate their sinuses and cause swelling in the nasal passages and cause them to die of asphyxiation. A few of the older, wiser rats may avoid the area containing black pepper but at least they will be gone.
The black pepper is safe to use around children and pets but will cause them to sneeze and have sinus drainage if they inhale too much of the substance. It won’t discolor surfaces, making it ideal for use inside an apartment or house.
11- Cocoa Powder Bait
This is an effective homemade mouse poison but because it’s made with chocolate you must be careful to keep it out of reach of children and pets. They will find the aroma and color of the bait irresistible because it looks and smells like candy.
To make cocoa powder bait, combine 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of baking soda, 1/2 cup of sugar,and 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. The sugar and cocoa will attract the rats and the baking soda creates a gas inside their stomachs that the rats cannot expel so they will soon die after they’ve consumed it.
Use recycled jar lids as receptacles to hold the cocoa powder bait and place the lids in out of the way spots where only rats can reach. Place under kitchen appliances, in the back of cabinets, and inside closets. Mice and rats typically travel alongside a wall due to poor eyesight, so always place baits near walls and baseboards so they won’t have to go out of their way to find it.
A few drops of water or broth can be mixed into this recipe to create a dough instead of a powder. Form dough balls slightly smaller than a golf ball and place away from kids and pets.
12- Peppermint
This easy to grow, fragrant plant is an effective mouse repellent and poison. Peppermint is safe to grow around children and pets, it’s an herb plant and the leaves are harvested for many culinary uses and for making essential oil. But the plant is deadly to rats.
Plant peppermint in front of any entry access points that mice may be using to get indoors. The scent of the peppermint will deter small mice and cause them to leave the area. However, if an adult rat nibbles on the juicy peppermint leaves the oil in the plant will cause the rat’s lungs to shrink and they will die within a couple of days.
Peppermint can be grown outdoors or in a container indoors to help repel mice and rats.
13- Zinc
Zinc is a nutrient that we need for a strong healthy immune system. It’s found naturally in meat, eggs, and nuts and comes in supplement form for people who don’t get enough zinc in their daily diet.
While necessary for human health, a crushed zinc pill will kill a mouse within 24 hours. Crush a zinc tablet and mix it into any type of homemade rat bait. When the rat eats the bait, the zinc will create a toxic gas inside of their digestive system and bring about a quick death.
An overdose of zinc is not healthy for children or pets, so keep this homemade mouse poison out of their reach. Tuck the zinc-loaded bait under appliances or into cracks where only mice and rats can reach it.
Where Do Mice Come From?
Mice can enter a structure through a variety of ways, and they are looking for a food source and shelter. Since the breeding and birthing process happens every 21 days, the ideal location will have a dark, shelter area to have babies with food and water nearby.
A mouse can climb very well and will enter a building through an open window, even on a second or third floor level. Cracks or cervices in the foundation is an open invitation for a rat to come in. All it needs is a 1/4 inch space and it’s in. Mice will easily chew through caulking or insulation to gain entry.
Mice are very attracted to spilled food and beverages, clutter and trash. The cleaner the environment, the less likely it is to have a rodent infestation. Keep outside free of debris and minimize the amount of clutter and stored items indoors to reduce the likelihood of rodents taken up residence in your home or office building.
Store all boxed food items, especially cereal grains, in glass jars. Mice can smell food through cardboard boxes and will easily chew through them to the food stored inside the box. Don’t leave pet food bowl out at night either, dry dog or cat food are favorite food sources for mice.