Does Toothpaste Kill Mice?

Toothpaste can kill mice, but this is dependent on what active ingredients are in the paste. If the toothpaste has ethylene glycol and fluorine as active ingredients, the mice will be in trouble. When the paste (containing the ingredients) gets near the mouse’s muzzle, and the critter greedily consumes it, there will be a blockage. Since the mice cannot vomit the paste, their consumed food will have trouble getting out. If the mice eat enough of the paste, it could lead to fatality.

Look at the following serial points showing how a scoop or a portion of toothpaste can kill a careless and greedy mouse:

1. On your brush, some toothpaste of a pea-sized amount is around 0.4 grams. If it is a (sodium) fluoride item, it should contain about 0.88 milligrams of the Fluoride ion.

2. If a rat eats around 52 milligrams (per kilogram) of sodium fluoride, it will die. Let us transfer that to a mouse.

3. The weight of a mouse is in the 17 – 25-gram bracket.

4. One gram is equivalent to 0.0001 kilograms. So, the mouse weight bracket by kilograms is 0.017 – 0.025.

5. If we take the figure in point 2 (52 milligrams), this is how things would play out: 52 * the least weight of a mouse (0.017) is equal to 0.884 milligrams of NaF (Sodium fluoride), which is the amount needed to kill a mouse of that weight.

6. Now, we do the same for the other end of the weight spectrum: 52 * 0.025 is equal to 1.3 milligrams (of NaF), the amount of the paste needed to eliminate a 25-gram mouse.

7. So, since 0.4 grams is above 0.884 and 1.3 milligrams, it means that a pea-sized scoop of paste would kill a mouse regardless of its size.

If you wanted to use the paste to kill a mouse, you need to pray that the critter ingests it. If no toothpaste eating happens, the sodium fluoride will not be consumed. This implies that the mice will keep sliding along your ceilings and crawling behind your walls.

Home Remedies To Take Care Of A Mice Infestation

You already have what you need to know with regards to toothpaste and its killer effect on mice. In this section, we will look at some home remedies that have been proven to be effective. If you’re having a mouse infestation problem, it is wise to look at deterrent options that don’t involve traps or harsh chemicals. Humane options of dealing with a mouse infestation will work as correctly as those that are eliminative without harming anyone else, that is, you and your family, even your pets. This portion has all the options you need to rid your house of mice. Let’s take all the eleven options down one by one:

1. Soda

This is probably the most common thing you can ever find in a house. If it’s not in your fridge, it will be at your corner store or in the local supermarket. Once you open the (canned or bottled) drink, pour it into a small bowl. Then, put the bowl in an area where you have noted mice activity or some scratches and crisscrossing. If the unlucky mice drink the soda, it will rest in their stomachs together with all its carbonation. Shortly after ingesting it, the mice will develop stomach complications that are likely to lead to death. You can pour the drink in small bowls and put the bowls in strategic positions, like your kitchen cabinet and sink.

The only caveat to using this soft drink method is that it could attract ants. Soda has sugar, and when it is left alone, ants will come to taste it. At the end of the day, there will be both an ant and a mouse problem, something you don’t want.

2. Dry Cement

Dry cement is formed by a special powder, and the powder is an excellent mouse killer. It is a better option than using harmful poisons. To make the dry cement mixture irresistible to mice, you will need to mix it up with flour. Then, the mice will eat it up.

When the mice greedily ingest it, it will create a burning thirst, which the mice will want to quench almost immediately. When the mixture gets into contact with water, it will dry up inside the mice’s body. Then, it will start killing the mice slowly. Here is the procedure to follow if you decide to take up this home remedy:

1. You’ll need a cup of flour, another of dry cement, and a tablespoon of salt.

2. Mix all three ingredients in a bowl. Then, place the salted mixture onto a small bowl or a paper plate.

3. Then, place the paper plate where you see the mouse droppings or in the areas of interest.

4. Place a small (essential) bowl of water near the paper plate which has the mixture. Keep checking to see if the area has been disturbed.

5. If you find that the mice are not getting attracted to the mixture, you can add a teaspoon of cocoa powder. This will help enhance the mixture’s scent and will pull the mice towards the paper plate.

6. Eliminate them Using Mashed Potatoes

Actually, mashed potatoes will work the same way as dry cement. The mice will develop a sudden thirst because of the potatoes’ sodium content, which they will want to quench quickly. Once they drink water, the potatoes will start puffing up and expanding inside their small stomachs. Since their stomachs cannot hold firmly, they will effectively get killed by the mashed potatoes.

To get things done quickly, use (instant) mashed potatoes bought from the grocery store. When you have prepared them well, scoop a thin layer of the preparation and place it on a paper plate. Alternatively, you can smear it against the inside of the floors, where the mice will indeed crawl through. Whichever option you take, ensure that a bowl of water is near. If you see that the mice have fallen for the mashed trap (get it?), clean the area up so that ants do not accumulate.

4. Use A Kitty’s Litter (Applies If You A Pet Cat Parent)

Admittedly, this is not the most hygienic of plans. If you overlook that sort-of caveat, you will find it as an extremely efficient home remedy plan. This option comes from the fact that cats are natural and arguably the most popular mice predators. If the mice pick out the scent of the cat’s litter, it will detect that its predator is somewhere close. Theoretically, the mice are supposed to steer clear of your house. In most cases, this happens practically.

If you’re down for this option, take any kitty litter and place it in small tubs. Then, place the tubs in some of the chinks and entry points to your home. Once the mice smell the scent of the cat, they will flee freely (hoping that your tongue didn’t get twisted).

5. Bring In Some Of The Mice’s Natural Predators.

This is probably the most hassle-free method that you can take up to help contain the mice issue. Once you bring a cat into the picture, it will only take a few days before the cat pins down all the mice.

While this looks like a hands-free alternative to take up, it can be a lot of work, and more often than not, it needs serious commitment.  If you are not in the business of handling cats, you can try and get barn owls into your property. Like the felines, the owls actively prey on the mice, helping mitigate the situation. If you need the big-eyed birds coming into your yard, you need to buy or build them a nest box. Get it standing firmly in your yard at the height of 15 feet from your yard’s ground. If any, the owls will help you deal with mole problems, which are particularly stubborn in digging up people’s gardens.

6. Use Dryer Sheets

You should be having dryer sheets in your home. If not, you can get them since they will prove useful in this mouse-deterring journey you’re about to take. Once you cover the sheets on points where the mice will gain access, the seals will deter the critters from moving in and out.

7. Get Some Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical that smells like the most concentrated urine of all time – which is the beauty of it. The smell of ammonia is the same as that of the urine of mice predators. To use ammonia as a natural repellent, put it in small cups and just the right amount. Then, put the cups in strategic points around your house. The ammonia cups are perfect to use in the garage or attic. If you have small and naïve children or even pets, ensure that you put the ammonia in small jars then poke holes in the jars. This way, the ammonia’s scent will penetrate and strike the mice’s noses without being touched by the little and naïve beings.

8. Place Some Mothballs

While mothballs may be useful add-ons for a urinal, they also make good anti-mice remedies. As they are inexpensive and extremely toxic, they are one of the best choices in vermin extermination.

If you choose this balled option (see what I did there?), you will need to get gloved up. Once you take up that precautionary measure, place the items in places like the attic, garage, pipes, and basement. Use a lot of caution and ensure that the mothballs are out of reach of your children and pets.

9. Use Some Bay Leaves

These leaves can take care of both mice and rat infestations and in a humane way. The mice will get attracted to the mice’s beautiful scent. Then, it will start chewing on the leaves. If ingested, the leaves are lethal because they contain secondary metabolites.

As with the other remedies, ensure that you place the leaves at crucial points, that is, where the mice seem to be crisscrossing. Apart from dealing with the rodents, any cockroach population that may have mushroomed in your house will be contained.

10. Use Scare Items Such As Fake Owls And Snakes

If you are unable to bring in predator owls into your yard, you have the option of getting fake ones. During their growth in the wilderness, mice pinpointed snakes and owls as their immediate predators. Seeing figures that look like snakes and owls is likely to send chills over the mice’s bodies. If placed in strategic points, the mice will be deterred from moving in and out of the house.

11. Use Sprinkles Of Pepper All Around Your Yards

Mice or a rat problem can quickly be taken care of by pepper. Pepper produces a scent that will drive the mice away. You can use cayenne pepper: sprinkle it around your home’s perimeter. If you need a more effective spray, use the following tabled recipe to prepare it:

A Tabulated Recipe For Preparing A Homemade Deterrent Spray For Mice (The Ingredients)
ItemQuantity
Chopped habanerosHalf a cup
Hot pepper flakesTwo tablespoons
WaterOne gallon
BucketsTwo buckets that each have a two-gallon carrying capacity
JugMeasuring one gallon
Spray bottle
Gallon Jug
Cheesecloth
Googles
A large pot

tb1234

Here Is The Step-By-Step Guide On How To Prepare The Spray That Will Ultimately Take The Rodents Down:

1. As precautionary measures, put on gloves and goggles before the preparation starts.

2. Warm the water until it boils.

3. Using a food processor, blend the pepper flakes and the habaneros.

4. Then, place the mixture of pepper (that you have blended) in one of the (two-gallon) buckets.

5. Pour the boiling water over the blended pepper mix.

6. Follow it by covering the warmed-up bucket with a towel. Let the covered mixture sit for around a day.

7. When that time elapses, take the cheesecloth and place it over the other (two-gallon) bucket. Then, pour the pepper mix (which is in the first bucket) into the clothed bucket. The pepper will get strained out, and the filtrate should be clear.

8. Fill the spray bottle with the filtrate: you will have your pepper spray.

To apply, sprinkle the mixtures on the exterior walls of your home. Concentrate your efforts on entrances and all the other affected areas. The homemade mix will perform its duty for a couple of months as long as it is kept off direct sunlight and is adequately covered.

Final Words

While toothpaste can kill mice, there are better alternatives to dealing with a mice infestation. Of the eleven provided methods, choose a handful that can work for you with little or no inconveniences. If worse gets to worst and you can do nothing about the situation, go for harsher methods or call an exterminator.

Leave a Comment