One of the most common mammals after humans is mice and they constitute the largest order of it. What distinguishes mice from in everyday lives is their destructive capability.
Mice, when living in a place for a prolonged amount of time, tend to destroy our property in many ways. As a result, however adorable and cute they might look, they cause some great damage.
These rodents are dangerous because of their destructive capacities that includes structural damage to the house by gnawing on anything be it paper, wood, cloth, electric wires, etc. They also spread harmful diseases.
Mice not only cost us damage to our car’s wiring, electrical wiring, clothes, books, and anything they can chew on, but they also cause us diseases that might turn out to be fatal.
Therefore, let us find out whether or not the application of Lysol, a disinfectant that comes in a spray bottle or as a cleaning solution can successfully repel, or terminate these particular rodents?
Lysol to repel mice
Lysol repels mice. Mice have a very keen sense of smell and as a result, any smell that is pungent or smells “off” can successfully repel mice. Lysol disinfectant spray and surface cleaner have ammonia and alcohol which has a strong smell that can drive mice away apart from terminating them.
Table of Contents
Although Lysol can repel mice, in some cases they end up terminating mice as well. However, those cases are not as common and the process has to be carefully conducted for the mice to get terminated.
Lysol contains toxic elements like potassium hydroxide, antiseptic, ammonium saccharinate, and so on. All of these are toxic and have the capacity to cause serious harm if ingested or inhaled in an adequate amount. Additionally, these elements all give off a strong fume when used.
Mice, even though they are bearers of weak vision, have a strong sense of smell. It has been found through research and experiment that 85% of the time, mice can detect the correct smell and the percentage can go even higher.
Due to their keen sense of smell, mice find it hard to inhale certain smells that smell very strong to humans. These smells repel mice and sometimes keep them away.
Smells like peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, tea, rubbing alcohol, essential oils, cinnamon, etcetera, have either a pungent or strong smell and they repel mice almost immediately.
Lysol is a cleaning solution and has both ammonia, strong bases, and alcohol in it. Among them, ammonia appears akin to the smell of a predator to mice, they smell danger from the smell and empty the area. Alcohol has a distinctively pungent smell that repels the mice away.
However, in some special cases, after spraying Lysol in a specific area, and enclosing that area, the mice might be terminated within a day. But these cases are not common.
Unless a mouse ingests a large amount of Lysol—which is not possible—mice rarely get terminated from Lysol sprays or surface cleaners.
If a house is infested with mice, Lysol can be routinely used to clean the house which might in turn drive all the mice and rats out.
However, one should look for other solutions if they have room for it because using Lysol is not a guaranteed solution, and using it might only drive them away for some time before they come back.
Does lysol terminate mice?
No, Lysol does not terminate mice, it only repels them. It is uncommon for Lysol to terminate the rodents unless they inhale it for a prolonged amount of time or ingest a huge amount but it does repel these rodents.
Even though Lysol has strong bases and alcohols in it, which are harmful and fatal for every animal, including humans, they’re in there in a very small amount to prevent the overall product from being harmful for us since it is used for cleaning.
Ammonia, to a mouse, smells like the urine of a predator, and the mice clear that area out of fear of being hunted. On top of that, alcohol, like ammonia, has a pungent and strong smell.
Having a keen sense of smell, mice find it repelling to smell and they stay away from the places that emit such strong smells.
To terminate a mouse using Lysol, one has to make sure they ingest a large amount of Lysol or spray a place with Lysol and enclose the mice in it.
How long does it take for lysol to repel mice?
When a place is sprayed with Lysol, it smells bad to the mice and they clear out that space within a few hours, or it can drag up to a day or two.
Lysol is a cleaning solution that is used to clean surfaces and keep bacteria and viruses away. However, these cleaning solutions are toxic and should not be inhaled or ingested even in a small amount.
The reason Lysol is toxic is because it has strong bases and alcohols and no matter how small the amount of the chemicals are, they are still harmful and smell toxic.
Mice, they have a keen sense of smell and that sense of smell helps them stay away from danger. In a sense, they can “smell” danger and clear that space for safety. Ammonia and alcohol can repel mice in about some hours or a day.
How to get rid of mice with lysol?
You can certainly get rid of mice invasion with lysol, the appropriate procedure is given below –
Figuring out the point of rat infestation:
The first step of getting rid of mice is to find out where they actually stay. There are always spaces where the mice tend to stay more than any other place.
Some of the common spaces where one can find the mice occupying are gaps in between the furniture, inside the walls, inside the storage boxes, inside the kitchen cabinets or pantries.
Behind or around the gaps of kitchen appliances, under the sinks, in heating appliances, and so on. Anywhere that is not as much visited or is hidden and dark and disturbed rarely are the best places for these rodents to hide.
Spray Lysol Disinfectant:
Upon figuring out the source of their hiding place, it is time to drive those mice away.
Using Lysol disinfectant spray or surface and floor cleaner, spray or wipe the furniture, kitchen appliances, cabinets, floors, or any surface or area around the place where the mice are hiding.
One can either clean that place regularly or just spray that place and wait for the mice to smell the pungent smell.
Enclose the Space:
If it’s possible, it is best to enclose the place so the fume of the disinfectant gets concentrated there and drives the mice away. Sometimes, if the smell and the amount of the elements are too potent and concentrated, the mice might get terminated.
To terminate mice, spraying Lysol in an adequate amount and enclosing spaces like pantries, cupboards, or cabinets to keep the solution and fumes concentrated there for a long period of time might help. But it’s not guaranteed.
What other cleaning products keep mice away?
Some of the items will be mentioned below along with the guide to use them to repel mice:
Vinegar:
Vinegar might be one of the strongest smells out there, especially when it’s not diluted.
The trick is to take this sour-smelling material and mix it with some water in a spray bottle and spray it in places where the mice are seen most or where they might go.
Peppermint Oil:
Peppermint oil is very strong with its smell and one can dip towels, clothes, et cetera with peppermint oil to keep mice away.
A faster way is to create a diluted version with water and spray it around the places where rats might infest or put a generous amount of the oil in one’s cleaning solution that they use.
Ammonia:
Ammonia smells like the urine of predators to mice and due to their natural instinct, it will make them stay away. One can apply ammonia in the same way they apply vinegar to keep the mice permanently away.
However, one must make sure to reapply the solution when it fades or the mice might come back.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, Lysol can successfully drive out mice once it is strategically applied in places that mice might hide. It has ammonia and alcohol, one of which mimics the smell of a predator’s urine while the other emits a pungent smell, keeping the mice away and in some cases, terminating them.