To keep mice — a short introduction to this piece.
Looking for a simple secret to keep mice away – and stop them from getting inside and wreaking havoc nesting in your barn, garage, shed, equipment or even your vehicles?
Beyond the panic of opening up a box and having a mouse jump out at you – or seeing one scurry across the floor in front of your feet as you are sitting on your couch – mice can do more than simply scare or startle an unsuspecting human.
Unfortunately, in addition to carrying and spreading a long list of diseases – mice can also do serious damage to your home, property and equipment. Not only will they chew through blankets, clothing and rugs to make nests for their family, they will also chew through electrical wires, battery wires and more, often causing hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the process.
We, unfortunately know that pain at our farm all too well. For years and years it seemed we always had an issue somewhere. They would find a way into the garage and get into boxes. They would find a way into our barn and get into grass seed or our chicken feed. And they even made there way once into our camper we park outside as well.
Finally, enough was enough! At that point, we began to try to research the best way to keep mice away and out of things – whether they were inside or parked outside. And it was through that research that we finally found a solution to our mice problem – for good!
How To Keep Mice Out Of Everything
Stopping The Damage
So what was the answer? We are not big believers in traps or sticky pads for all kinds of reasons. Not only are they messy and difficult to work with – our goal is not to kill mice but to simply keep them out of our things. If they want to live happily outdoors – it’s fine with us.
But one thing was for sure – we had to stop the damage. And that all happened the minute we started using a mouse deterrent called Grandpa Gus – an all-natural product that has all but ended our mice issue now for going on 7+ years.
Grandpa Gus’s Extra-Strength Mouse Repellent are small, 2″ square papery pouches. And they are filled with an incredibly strong scent of cinnamon and mint. A scent which mice happen to despise. What makes them particularly great is that the little pouches can be placed almost anywhere.
The first year, we placed them in our camper, under the hood of the old truck, inside the truck – and also in every piece of lawn and garden equipment that had an engine and/or wires in the garage and barn.
I will be the first to admit we were a bit skeptical. Would it really work? And would it work all fall and winter long? For us, we figured what do we have to lose? Mary is not fond of mice in the least. So she was more than willing to try anything if she could stop getting surprised by these little guys each and every winter. And has it ever worked like a charm!
Keeping The Farm Safe
We certainly don’t take recommending products lightly on our website. But I will tell you this, Grandpa Gus saved the day for us. And he continues to do so year after year every fall and winter!
That first year, every single place we put a packet was mouse-free. Even in the barn where for years mice were able to get into grass seed bags and the chicken feed. In fact, the only place we had a mouse that year was where I had not placed one – on our grill on the back patio! Affiliate Link: Grandpa Gus’s Extra-Strength Mouse Repellent Pouches, Peppermint & Cinnamon Oil.
It was late November at that point, and a warmer than usual day. Mary decided it was a perfect day to grill and went out to light it. When I heard the all-too familiar scream that I had not heard in a few years – I knew we had a mouse. And yes, from then on, Grandpa Gus guards our outdoor grills too!
For us, it is a game changer. Not only for saving equipment, but we also use them in our garden shed, our sleeping cabins, garage and anywhere we think a mouse might try to enter. For the garden sheds and small sleeping cabins – we simply put them in front of the doors. To date – we’ve still never had a mouse visit.
A Few Tips For Best Use
We wanted to include a few extra notes on our experience with the packets in today’s article. For starters, we love that the packets are made from all-natural plant oils of cinnamon and mint. And one thing is for sure, when you open up a bag of 10 packets, you get that strong scent right away!
For the pouches we use more out in the open – we change them out every 30 to 45 days. This helps to keep the scent strong. For packets we place in vehicles and equipment in a closed space, we leave them for about 3 months. The real key to success is to make sure the scent stays strong.
Obviously, it’s still extremely important to seal off openings and keep things shut up to keep out mice. But for us, it’s nice to know that we can protect things that can’t always be sealed off without worry.
Here is to keeping mice away for good! And if you are looking to keep other crawling insects out – be sure to check out our article: How To Stop Spiders From Getting Inside – 3 Simple Tricks That Work!
Happy Gardening – Jim & Mary.
Old World Garden Farm
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
As always, feel free to email us at thefarm@owgarden.com with comments, questions, or to simply say hello! You can sign up for our free email list in the subscribe now box in the middle of this article. Follow us on Facebook here : OWG Facebook. This article may contain affiliate links.
To keep mice appears here to highlight key ideas for readers.
