Keep Mice Out Of Your Kitchen With A Little-Known Cinnamon Hack

You may have heard that cinnamon can steer mice away from your home and people often have this spice in their cabinets, so it seems like a convenient and natural solution if you have them in your kitchen. It is a humane way of dealing with these little mammals, and it's readily available and cost-effective. When using this hack, sprinkle powdered or stick cinnamon in kitchen cupboards near food and any small entry or exit points where mice can enter the area.  

However, is it actually effective? Pest control companies believe cinnamon is an effective mice deterrent, as it irritates their sense of smell, causing them to avoid areas where it is distributed. This reaction seems to be due to their sensitive olfactory senses, causing them to avoid strong odors. Despite the scent of cinnamon often deterring mice, it is best to use it with other methods, because this spice may not be entirely effective unless fresh and replaced regularly. Plus, it is almost impossible to cover entire areas with this spice, so the mice will just avoid places where it has been distributed. 

It's important to note that the cinnamaldehyde compounds found in cinnamon are often used as an insect repellent, which also repels cats and dogs. If the scent is enough to put off larger mammals like those, it seems reasonable to say that cinnamon could well be one of the spices that mice hate. In that case, it is worth trying this hack, especially since mice are sensitive to environmental odors. Besides, the smell of cinnamon appeals to many people, so you won't lose anything by giving it a try.

Simply sprinkle some of the powdered spice or use cinnamon sticks near where you store your food or small entrances to deter them. A light dusting in areas where mice could access kitchen cabinets or food pantries is also recommended. This may sound quite untidy for some people, but there is another technique you can try. Consider putting the spice in small bags sachets or bags that are made to spread around the kitchen and other areas in your home without the extra mess. You could also fill them up with whole cinnamon sticks or douse a tissue or cotton wool with cinnamon essential oil, place those in the bags, and spread them around for maximum effect. 

Either way, you'll need to use fresh cinnamon and replace the spice regularly. For an added effect, you could even include other pungent smells, like peppermint oil, to strengthen the effect, as one of Grandpa Gus's natural mouse rodent repellent ready-prepared products does. 

Using cinnamon with other natural pest control remedies includes things like good housekeeping. Don't leave food lying around unsealed, and don't leave dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher. The smell of food in the open is probably a strong attraction for mice to enter homes, as are unsealed rubbish bins. Seal all small holes in kitchens and cabinets and look for ways to close up other entrances like drains. Finally, humane trap-and-release products will help to keep your kitchen free of these tiny critters, too. If none of this works, call a pest control company for help.