Former Great British Bake Off champion Nancy Birtwhistle shared a natural and non-toxic remedy for keeping mice away from your home and garden this summer
Former Great British Bake Off star and domestic whizz Nancy Birtwhistle has shared her tip-top non-toxic trick for keeping mice at bay during the sunny season. Appearing on ITV’s This Morning back in June, Nancy unveiled a variety of savvy strategies to deter pesky intruders, whether inside her abode or in the garden.
Nancy confessed that she couldn’t stomach the thought of setting a mousetrap for a furry visitor in her shed. Instead, she whipped up a a natural home remedy that will convince the critters to get away from the house – or garden.
All it takes is one kitchen cupboard staple added to the solution, reports the Express. This is what you’ll need to do.
How to deter mice
The cleaning aficionado announced that mice have a serious aversion to peppermint, inspiring her to nab a bottle of peppermint extract for the task. Nancy mixed a few teaspoons of peppermint extract with 500 millilitres of water in a spray bottle.
Once you’ve got your spray ready, give a good spritz around every nook of the house and garden. She remarked: “And that’s not gonna harm anything but… they hate the smell.”
Presenter Cat Deeley asked: “Does this work on anything else or just mice?”
Nancy answered: “I think many insects don’t like peppermint. So if you wanted something really easy, cheap. Just peppermint extract in water.”
The Kitchn shed light on why mice turn their noses up at peppermint, stating it’s because the potent aroma throws them into a tizzy. They reported: “Essentially the strong scent of the peppermint disguises their pheromones on pathways they’ve taken.
“It should be noted, however, that if mice are actually living in your house, the smell of peppermint isn’t going to make them abandon their happy home (and yours).”
Yet, Rentokil, the pest control experts, have debunked some of the tall tales about rodents’ aversion to peppermint. The common belief is that mice, with their delicate sniffers, would be put off by a hefty dose of peppermint oil, messing with their olfactory system.
Mice boast an impressive olfactory prowess, which they use to suss out specific scents and tell apart the whiff of grub from the funk of foes.
While peppermint might act as a temporary fix, giving the mouse’s nose a bit of bother, it’s not a silver bullet for keeping them at bay indefinitely. Rentokil’s boffins suggest that playing the long game with preventative tactics is the top strategy to stop mice from making themselves at home on your turf.
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