Do not vacuum or sweep wild rodent contaminated areas ! IMPORTANT: Wear latex or rubber gloves and eye protection. A mixture of 1½ cups of bleach or Lysol® in a gallon of water is effective at killing the virus.
Yes, bleach will repel mice, but it's not something that you want to use to get the job done. Bleach has a powerful and unpleasant smell, and that will keep mice away in the short term. However, that smell doesn't stay around very long without a great deal of the product being applied to an area.
Mice do not like the smell of bleach. According to a study published online about odor and the feeding behavior of female rodents, mice and many other rodents hate strong smells. So, the unbearable pungent smell can repel them, keeping them off properties where they are sprayed.
Keeping your space clean and spotless will help prevent mice from coming in. However, this is only applicable if they have not discovered your place yet. Once they are inside your territory then it is a different story. Making them leave or getting rid of them is somewhat challenging.
Spray the disinfectant onto the mice or rat droppings and allow it to soak for at least five minutes. You can use paper towels to remove the excrement and plastic garbage bags to dispose of them. After the area has been thoroughly cleaned, reapply the disinfectant over any other spots that rodents have touched.
But what exactly do mice and rats hate to smell? Mice can be kept away by using the smells of peppermint oil, cinnamon, vinegar, citronella, ammonia, bleach, and mothballs.
Peppermint Oil
This stuff smells great in small amounts, but it can be potent when concentrated. Peppermint oil is among the smells that mice hate the most, and it's often used to keep them out of areas around homes. You can buy your own, soak cotton balls with the oil, and place it in trouble spots.
The hantavirus is destroyed by detergents and readily available disinfectants such as diluted household bleach or products containing phenol (e.g., Lysol®). Choose an agent that is compatible with the item, object or area to be cleaned and disinfected.
The smell of white vinegar is a natural repellent for mice. It will make them leave your home or office. Mice have a strong sense of smell and they will avoid areas where there is white vinegar sprayed or soaked cotton balls in it.
There are three things that can attract mice to your house: food, water, and shelter. Your house can be squeaky clean, but as long as you have what they want, then your house would be highly coveted. Of course, it would be more attractive to them if you have food wastes on your floors and other surfaces.
Vinegar acts as a natural deodorizer. It also can absorb the smell of the dead rodent, much like how vinegar can attract gnats in your home. Placing a variety of cups with vinegar around the home can help. Once you are satisfied that it has worked, you can air out your home and refresh the place.
Coffee grounds are pleasant, powerfully aromatic and absorb odor. Other options that work on that dead mouse smell are charcoal deodorizer bags, Odor Remover Bags, pet odor enzymatic sprays and, if you're willing to spend some money, air ionizer machines.
What do we do with dishes and eating utensils that have mice droppings on them? Wear gloves when you wash the dishes. The dish soap will destroy the virus. Afterwards, remove the gloves, let them dry, and wash your hands with soap and water.
The risk of acquiring hantavirus is extremely rare, even among people who are consistently exposed to mice and other rodents. The majority of exposures (70%) occur around the home.
In North America, they are the deer mouse, the white-footed mouse, the rice rat, and the cotton rat. However, not every deer mouse, white-footed mouse, rice rat, or cotton rat carries a hantavirus. Other rodents, such as house mice, roof rats, and Norway rats, have never been known to give people HPS.
When you encounter signs of a mouse infestation, you typically discover old mouse droppings on various surfaces. Most of these surfaces remain tucked away from human activity. While people rarely contract hantavirus from dried droppings, it can still happen.
Peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, pepper and cloves.
Mice are said to hate the smell of these.
The truth is usually more down to earth. Mice have a very keen sense of smell. If they start to avoid traps, it could be because they sense a human smell around the trap. That is why it is always best to wear gloves when handling mouse traps.
Can a house rat/mouse be eliminated by Lysol disinfectant spray? Lysol may deter them some but there is a better way. I use peppermint tea and it works great. Just make up a tea using about a quart of water then add 10–15 drops of peppermint oil.
Another strong smell that will discourage mice from your home is dryer sheets. Place fresh ones around mouse hangout points, or stuff them into entry holes. Same thing here, though: make sure to remove them once the smell wears off. Nothing looks nicer for a nest than an unscented dryer sheet.
Keep up with the laundry – Laundry can be attractive to mice because they can chew away fabric to create a nest. Whether your clothes are clean or dirty, it's best to keep up with the laundry. Hang up or put away clean clothes immediately and don't let dirty clothes build up.