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Does Wd40 Repel Mice & Rats? (Answered)

WD40 is a popular multipurpose spray that is popular in the United States. It is also popular across the world for its popularity and productivity. They have a lot of spray types for various needs, but all of them are almost made with the same formulation.

You may have a question in mind: does WD40 repel mice and rats? Let us help you answer the question and provide necessary information regarding this topic as well. 

Does wd40 repel mice & rats?

WD40 repels mice and rats. WD40 is made from a chemical formula with a strong odor for mice and rats. The smell of the WD40 is unbearable for mice and rats. Therefore, it keeps the mice and rats away from the place where it is used. But it does not hurt them as it is not toxic to rodents.

WD40 is a special spray that was made a long time ago. This spray is formulated in such a way that it has almost 2000 and more use cases. This spray is developed in such a way that it can be used in various use cases.

This spray is still being tested in different use cases. It is being tested if it can be used in any other use case as well or not. As WD40 is a chemical product, it can have various kinds of negative side effects on humans and animals in direct use.

Among all the hazards, WD40 is dangerous for rodents like rats and mice. Although it does not hurt the rodents, it keeps them away from the place where it is being used. The smell of the WD40 is the key to this.

WD40 has a smell similar to petroleum oil. It has a strong odor. There are various odors that rats and mice do not like. Among them, it is said that a mild petroleum odor can keep them away from the place where it was applied.

Rats and mice do not like the smell of strong odors. The reason behind it is that they tend to have a powerful sense of smell. Therefore, they do not like anything that has a powerful odor to it. Among them, ED40 is one of them due to its strong odor. 

This is why WD40 repels mice & rats and keeps them away from the place of application.

Does wd40 hurt rats and mice?

WD40 does not hurt rats and mice. WD40 is effective for repelling mice and rats. It keeps them away from the place of application due to their strong odor. As the rodents have a strong sense of smell, it keeps them away from the place of application.

It is common to see any chemical agent hurting rodents. But WD40 is said to be not that harmful to rodents. WD40 does not do any kind of harm to rodents even if you use it a lot on them. It does not have any life hazards itself. Therefore, it cannot hurt them.

Still, all chemical agents will have something that may be adverse to humans and animals. WD40 is marked as an aspiration hazard. It may cause issues in the breathing of the rats and mice that it was used on. 

But it cannot hurt the rats and mice, which is why it is not life-threatening.

3 reasons why wd40 will repel rats and mice

WD40 is a multipurpose spray that can do many kinds of things. Among them, repelling rats and mice is one of the many. There are many reasons why it will repel rats and mice. 

If you want to know the reasons, here are 3 reasons that we think you should know in order to understand why WD40 will repel rats and mice:

The odor will prevent rats and mice:

The odor of the WD40 is strong. You may know that rats and mice have a powerful sense of smelling things around them. As a result, rats and mice do not like places where there is a strong and powerful smell of something else. 

As WD40 has a strong oil based smell, it can repel rats and mice from the area of usage.

The kerosene will repel rats and mice:

WD40 is made based on a kerosene-based solvent. Rats and mice tend to avoid any kerosene based solvents. Therefore, it may repel rats and mice from the area.

Skin irritation may repel rats and mice:

WD40 is basically a chemical agent. Hence, it may irritate the skin. Just like it may irritate human skin, it may irritate the skin of rats and mice. If the rats and mice walk over the area of usage, it is possible the skin of the rat or mice may irritate. 

Therefore, it will keep the rats and mice away.

How to use wd40 to repel rats and mice?

There are various ways that you can use WD40 to use rats and mice. Among all the available ways, let us discuss the simple steps of using WD40 to repel rats and mice:

Identify the area which you to keep safe:

Before you start using WD40 for repelling rats and mice, find the place where you want to use it. Usually, people tend to use it at places where rats and mice are found the most. It is also used at places where rats and mice tend to damage any goods.

You should also check if the area that you want to apply will be damaged or not by WD40. WD40 is a powerful chemical agent. Therefore, it may cause damage to the area that you will use if it reacts negatively.

Clean the area as much as possible:

After identifying the place where you want to use WD40, you need to clean that area. It is not a mandatory thing to do. But this is good practice. If you want to use it on a flat surface, then you should clean the area properly. 

If you want to use it on a wire or something like that, you should clean the outer jacket of the cable as much as possible to avoid any problems.

Spray WD40 adequately:

After cleaning the area properly, you can spray the WD40 on it. Take the can of WD40 and aim the nozzle of the can on the area that you want to use. If you want to keep a wire like product safe from rats and mice, spray on the whole wire.

What smell will keep rats and mice away?

Rats and mice have a powerful sense of smell. They use this ability to navigate while walking from one place to another and also to protect themselves from any danger. Some smells are strong and are disliked by rats and mice. These smells keep the rats and mice away from it.

Various kinds of items can keep rats and mice away using their smell. If you want to know the names, here are some noteworthy ones that we think you should know:

  • Peppermint oil
  • Chili powder
  • Eucalyptus
  • Citronella
  • Mothballs
  • Ammonia
  • Bleach
  • Predators

There are more items that keep rats and mice away. Among these, the natural oils are called weak odors and the chemical oils are called strong odors. Depending on how strong they are, it can effectively prevent rats and mice.

Final Thoughts

WD40 is an effective multipurpose spray that can repel rats and mice. As it is a kerosene based solvent and a chemical agent which is oil based, it is considered a strong odor based spray. As it has a strong odor, it can repel rats and mice easily as they do not like strong odors.