- LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023
Mice are a common house pest. Millions of people around the country deal with these little rodents, and most are looking for a way to get rid of them. But what’s the big deal? Well, mice aren’t just smart, curious, and can squeeze into your house through tiny spaces. They eat your food, chew your wiring, and carry harmful diseases. You definitely don’t want them having free reign in your home. So how do you get rid of them? Well, there’s the obvious like poison and traps, then there’s more unconventional methods, like essential oils and even ultrasonic devices. One of the DIY methods you might encounter is the use of dryer sheets to get rid of your mice.
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What Do Mice Think of Dryer Sheets?
In short, Mice don’t particularly like dryer sheets. The reason is in the smell – the sheets, which are polyester sheets covered in positively charged ions, carry a strong fragrance to them. It doesn’t matter what the smell is, whether it’s fresh linen, tropical breeze, or citrus, the fact remains that a mouse doesn’t like how strong it is.
With pest control, a dryer sheet’s smell can carry through an entire room or area of a house and affect any curious little creature that might be bothering you.
But Will Dryer Sheets Really Keep Them Away?
Mice have poor vision, but an excellent sense of smell. In fact they can smell food from across the house, and use this keen sense to locate your kitchen and get into your pantry. But, they’re also sensitive to certain smells, which you can use to your advantage to repel them.
Peppermint is a scent that’s universally repulsive to rodents. It’s strong and spicy and when they smell it, they’ll head in the other direction. As for dryer sheets, the scent in them is so strong and unique that mice can’t miss it, and fortunately for humans, they don’t like the smell.
Dryer sheets won’t kill mice, unless they happen to eat an entire sheet of it, which they won’t because it doesn’t taste good. All you can use the sheets for is to repel them. Repelling is different from killing in that it’s used to keep mice away from places you want them to stay out of. It will also help drive mice out of your home that are already there.
How to use dryer sheets to repel mice
When you realize you have mice, try and find out where they are. You should be able to notice a trail or pathway that they’re traveling through, either by seeing droppings, a trail of destruction they make while chewing or scratching, or you might even be able to hear them scurry or scratch.
Once you have a good idea where they are, take the following steps:
- Rub a dryer sheet all along the mice’s trail, which will leave scent behind.
- Place unused sheets along their path. You might want to cut them into smaller strips if the space is more tight.
- Rub a dryer sheet around your kitchen cabinets, kitchen baseboards and corners, and in the crevices of your pantry.
- Leave a sheet in some of the cabinets and in the corners of your pantry. When a mouse comes into the area looking for food, they’ll smell the dryer sheet’s fragrance and should turn around for another location.
Bleach is also a household product that carries a strong smell. But does bleach get rid of mice? Find out here.
The Pros and Cons
Yes, dryer sheets can repel mice, but there may also be some cons to using them.
Let’s look at both sides:
- The smell will repel the mice.
- Dryer sheets are cheap.
- They’re easy to use.
- Humans enjoy the smell.
- Mice may get used to the smell and adapt, making the sheets less effective.
- You won’t be able to get them into tight spaces where mice can go, like inside your walls.
- They won’t be very effective against a larger infestation. Dryer sheets are better used when you have a mild mouse problem.
You don’t just want an adequate product for getting rid of mice, you want an excellent one. Learn more about the best mouse repellent by clicking here.
At the first sign of mice, try a dryer sheet. Although it won’t get rid of a serious infestation, it can control your problem at the beginning, getting the rodents to leave your house before they can multiply to horrible proportions. And the best part? Not only do dryer sheets smell good to us, they’re also cheap!
