A simple peppermint spray to help discourage unwanted pests from moving indoors this fall and winter.
As the weather starts to cool down, we aren’t the only ones looking for a warm and cozy place to spend the fall and winter!
Mice, ants, and other unwanted pests often start making their way indoors as temperatures drop. They can sneak through tiny cracks, gaps around doors and windows, garages, basements, and other small openings around your home.
If you’re looking for a simple, natural way to help discourage them, grab your doTERRA Peppermint essential oil!
Why Peppermint?
Peppermint has a strong, fresh aroma that we may love, but many common household pests would rather avoid.
Using Peppermint essential oil around areas where pests may enter your home can be an easy addition to your regular fall home routine. Plus, your house gets that crisp, fresh peppermint smell!
DIY Peppermint Pest-Deterrent Spray
This spray takes just a few minutes to make and can be used around common entry points throughout your home.
You’ll Need:
- 4 oz glass spray bottle
- 10–15 drops doTERRA Peppermint essential oil
- 1 teaspoon witch hazel or rubbing alcohol
- Water
Directions:
Add the Peppermint essential oil and witch hazel or rubbing alcohol to your spray bottle. Fill the remainder of the bottle with water, replace the spray top, and shake well.
Spray around areas where you’ve noticed pest activity or places where mice and ants may be entering.
Try using it around:
- Doorways and thresholds
- Window frames
- Baseboards
- Under sinks
- Around plumbing openings
- Pantry areas
- Basement entry points
- Garage doors
- Small cracks and crevices
Shake the bottle before each use and reapply regularly, especially when the peppermint aroma begins to fade.
Another Easy Option: Peppermint Cotton Balls
Don’t want to make a spray? There’s an even easier option!
Place a few drops of doTERRA Peppermint essential oil onto cotton balls and put them near suspected entry points, behind appliances, underneath sinks, or in other out-of-the-way areas where you’ve noticed signs of mice.
Refresh the Peppermint as the scent fades.
Just be sure to keep essential-oil-soaked cotton balls somewhere children and pets cannot reach them.
Make It Part of Your Fall Home Prep
Peppermint can be helpful as a deterrent, but it shouldn’t replace actually blocking the ways pests are getting into your home.
As you prepare your house for cooler weather, walk around the inside and outside of your home and look for gaps or cracks. Seal openings around pipes, doors, windows, and foundations, keep food in sealed containers, clean up crumbs, and eliminate easy food and water sources.
Then add your Peppermint spray around those potential entry points as an extra layer of discouragement.
It’s such a simple seasonal DIY, and your house will smell fresh and minty at the same time!
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint is one of those oils that is handy to have around the house year-round. From its fresh, invigorating aroma to simple household DIYs like this one, there are so many ways to use it.
So before the mice and ants decide that your house is their winter vacation home, grab your Peppermint and give them a little encouragement to keep moving!