How To Use Potato Flakes for Mice Control

The common house mouse can spread diseases, like salmonellosis, listeria and hantavirus, through their nesting materials, droppings, urine and saliva. Though traps can catch them, an effective mouse poison will work better to eliminate the problem. There are many traps and poisons on the market as well as some effective DIY home remedies that are worth trying.

Potato flakes can indeed kill mice. Instant potato flakes can be placed out for mice. Once they consume the flakes, they become very thirsty. They will then seek out water and drink it. This causes those flakes to swell up inside the mouse's stomach, and this will kill it. Simply put 2 tablespoons of instant potato flakes on a paper plate (you can add a bit of artificial sweetener, like Equal, to make it more appealing) and the mice will be sure to find it.

Baking soda also kills rats, but you need to mix it with something they like, such as peanut butter. Mix this and form pea-size balls. Baking soda creates carbon dioxide, and mice are unable to expel this. The gas that is created builds up inside them and kills them. You can also mix the baking soda with cocoa powder or with flour and sugar.

These two methods are safe for pets and children, but it is still wise to keep any kind of mouse poison, whether natural or chemical, away from them just in case. You should also be sure to keep a lookout for any rodents that have been killed and remove them as quickly as possible to keep pets and little ones safe.

You can attempt other removal methods as well. For instance, you can combine boric acid powder and chicken broth in a small bowl. Boric acid powder can usually be found in a grocery store's cleaning or pharmacy department. Plaster of Paris or cement mix can also work if you mix either with milk and cornmeal and shape it into balls. Another effective recipe combines crushed vitamin D or zinc pills with peanut butter.

Of course, you will need to dispose of the dead mice when these poisons do their job, and this can be very unpleasant. If you prefer to use preventative measures instead, peppermint oil will repel mice. You can buy some peppermint essential oil and spray it wherever the mice may be visiting or buy a few peppermint plants.

You know that you have mice when you find their droppings, urine and nesting materials in your house. Finding a dead mouse is even easier because the smell or presence of flies can be overpowering. To safely dispose of dead mice and droppings, first put on protective gloves and be sure to keep children or pets away from the area.

Then, you can spray a disinfectant on the dead mouse and surrounding area. You can place it in a trash bag and put it in your bin. Another option is to dig a deep hole outside and bury it. If you choose the second method, avoid spraying the disinfectant.