When mice get inside your home, they can cause a whole host of problems. These rodents will gnaw at the wiring inside your walls, which is a potential fire hazard, and borrow inside your insulation. Mice also love to chew, and will attack books, wood, cloth, or anything they can access. Besides wreaking havoc on your belongings and your home, mice are known to carry numerous diseases that are dangerous for humans, including Hantavirus, Salmonellosis, Lassa Fever, Monkeypox, Leptospirosis, Sylvatic Typhus, and more, according to the CDC. Mice may also host harmful insects, such as ticks and fleas, into your home. Several online articles suggest that dry coffee grounds will deter mice, but this may not always be the case.
While there is a claim that the strong scent and bitter taste of dry coffee grounds is enough to repel these small rodents, it likely won’t be very effective. Mice and other rodents have been known to ingest coffee grounds.
Why coffee grounds aren’t the best mouse repellent
While mice are sometimes driven off by the scent of coffee grounds, scientific proof hasn’t confirmed it. Some rodents will still seek out food sources wherever they can, even if coffee is present. In some cases, mice will consume the coffee grounds. While this is not always dangerous for them, ingesting large quantities of caffeine can make them sick or kill them. But ultimately, there’s no true evidence that coffee will keep mice away or attract them.
If you’re trying to repel mice in a pinch, leaving coffee grounds out won’t hurt. The grounds have also been used as bait for mice attracted to the scent. If you’re having serious issues with mice in your home, however, traditional traps or contacting an exterminator are the best ways to get rid of them.
Other natural mice repellents
Coffee grounds have mixed reviews on whether or not they’re effective for repelling mice or attracting them, but they can help deter other pests including mosquitoes, ants, and slugs. If coffee grounds don’t solve your mouse problem, there are other natural solutions to get these pests out of your house. Peppermint essential oil can be helpful for deterring mice, as well as the scents of vinegar, clove, and ammonia. Try coating cotton balls in peppermint oil and leaving them where you know the mice frequent. Cayenne pepper can also be effective for repelling mice because it contains capsaicin. This spice bothers the mouse’s nose, so they’re likely to stay away.
While coffee grounds may not be the secret to getting rid of mice in your house for good, they could prove helpful in a pinch if you combine them with another natural deterrent, such as cayenne pepper. If you’re dealing with an all out infestation, skip the coffee and call a professional.
