Mouse Kryptonite: Do Mice Hate Aluminum Foil?

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Having mice in your house often becomes a harmful issue if you do not solve it quickly. If you have a mouse problem, using aluminum foil to prevent mice from entering your house or shed is a solution that works in many cases.

Why Do Mice Hate Aluminum Foil?

Naturally, mice hate metal as they are unable to chew through it properly. Aluminum foil, a form of very thin sheet metal, has sharp points and grooves on it, which also scares mice and makes a mouse hesitant to approach and chew on the material.

If you ball up some aluminum foil and use it to fill in or cover a hole in your wall or other areas where you have a mouse problem, you will find that mice will not try to enter through that way any more. You can use other types of metal, such as wire mesh, to cover cracks or holes in areas where mice are able to fit in.

For small areas, aluminum foil is your best bet to completely cover it and scare off any little mice trying to break through. Mice can chew or eat their way through many other materials, such as plastic, paper, insulation, and even dense cardboard.

Another metal material that people often use when solving mouse problems is steel wool, which mice are unable to chew their way through. As with the aluminum foil, you can place some steel wool at the mouth of a hole where you often find mouse droppings or put some steel wool in front of a hole, with aluminum behind it sealing the crack or hole.

How to Keep Mice Away by Using Aluminum Foil

Before you plant your aluminum foil in the areas where you believe that mice are entering your home, you need to find that area. Look for mouse droppings or small holes with any clues that mice have been there, such as scratching or bite marks as well as mouse hair.

Once you find the entry point of the mice, it is time to set down your aluminum foil. There really is not that much to think about once you find the spot, whether it be a crack or an actual hole, other than filling it in and plugging it up with aluminum foil, which works best if you ball it up.

Balling up some aluminum foil will block the entry point, and pasting or taping some aluminum foil behind the balled-up foil will give you a second layer of defense in case your foil ball slips out or a mouse pushes the ball out.

Of course, given that mice hate aluminum foil in itself, this will likely not be an issue, although it is possible for foil balls to spill out.

As you can see earlier in the article, combining aluminum foil with some steel wool will give your house or shed more protection from pesky mice, as they are unable to chew through both of these materials.

If you decide on using steel wool, you can secure it to a wall or other surface by taping or through other ways, depending on your situation.

Other Ways to Keep Mice Out

If you want to keep mice out of your house through other means or if aluminum foil is not working particularly well for you in solving your mouse problem, there are other options. If you are not interested in killing the mice that invade your house, there are alternatives, from preparing your rooms to using certain anti-mouse substances.

Block Entry Points: If you have a new mouse problem or if you do not have a terribly bad mouse problem, the best way to go about getting rid of your mice is by blocking the entry points. If you are able to find a couple of entry points, simply block them using a metal material such as aluminum foil or steel wool.

Other materials you can use are rocks or hard metals, although in many cases it is hard or not possible to place these objects inside your house. Certain spices and oils, including cinnamon and peppermint oil, also scare mice off, although there is more information on that in a later section.

You might find entry points in your house in the form of cracks in the wall or little holes in the outside of your garage or walls in your house that mice have chewed through.

Even if your mouse problem has taken on a life of its own or is really serious, locating and plugging up any entry points will cut your issue, at least to some extent.

Keep Your Rooms Clean: Another precautionary measure you should take if you have a mouse problem is to clean out your rooms or any areas where you find signs of mice.

This means removing any sources of food and water and cleaning out any areas where mice might settle or sleep, including little closed-off divots or indentations in walls or between objects.

Pet food and unsealed foods are very attractive to mice, so if you have any of these in your room or house, consider moving them to sealed containers or airtight sealed bags. Crowded storage areas are also prime areas for mice to live in, especially when you do not have any movement in the area, so clean these out too if you want to limit mice.

Keeping rooms clean will also help you detect any mice in the first place, which will make it easier to get rid of them faster. Even if you are unable to see a mouse, there is still a high chance that you will see the effects of the mice on your furniture or other property.

Remove Food and Water: Keeping loose food and water out of your rooms where you find signs of mice goes hand in hand with keeping your room clean, which will limit the reasons that mice will have to stay in your home.

If mice do not have access to a reliable food supply or water supply, they will not have as many reasons to live inside your home and wreak havoc on your property.

Mice like a few things especially, including chocolate and peanut butter, so if you have mice in your kitchen, be sure to seal these foods up tight. Nesting materials, including newspapers and feathers, also attract mice, so keep an eye out for that.

One last consideration to keep your house safe from mice in the kitchen is to seal your dry foods. Think sugar and powders, which mice, as well as other pests such as weevils, love to move around in.

Bring Out Essential Oils: Holistic repellents to keep mice away are a number of essential oils, including peppermint oil and lemon juice, as both give off a very strong scent and are often acidic enough to fend off mice.

If you decide to go down this route, simply put a few drops or sprays of your specific material at the opening of the entry point that you find.

If you really want to take preventive measures to keep mice from entering your home, you can combine a few of these methods, such as aluminum foil and these natural mice-repellent substances. The main point is to find the areas where mice tend to enter your home, and then make them as undesirable as possible for mice.

Mice also supposedly hate the smells of cayenne pepper, pepper, and cloves, so placing these around any entry points is a good idea to maximize your house’s potential to keep mice out. Pouring a bit of ammonia in a bottle cap and placing it where mice enter your house or shed is also a good precaution to fend off mice using smells.

Consider Mousetraps: Mousetraps, if all else fails or if you are unable to control your mouse problem, are a certain solution to get rid of mice. Some traps are more effective than others, and some mouse traps are humane if you are hesitant to kill mice using killing devices.

There are also a variety of mouse-killing traps, including electronic zapping traps and standard clamp traps that close on top of mice that take the bait. Other traps catch mice in a sticky solution, while others simply capture mice, not kill them.

Whatever you decide to do, mousetraps are reliable ways to get rid of mice, dead or alive, although you may not necessarily need to use trapping devices.

Final Thoughts

Mice do not like aluminum foil at all, so plugging any holes or entry points to your house or property using aluminum foil will help reduce mice getting inside. Mice are unable to chew or break through most metals, including aluminum foil and steel wool.

There are a number of other ways to keep mice out where you do not want them, including using traps and keeping your rooms clean and free of any food, water, or shelter that a mouse could use.

Whatever you decide on, remember that you can always do something about mice in your house.

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