3 Scents That Are Commonly Used to Repel Rats

What are the scents that repel rats?

• Mothballs
• Ammonia
• Chili oil or powder

Tired of trying to and ultimately fail at dealing with a rat infestation at your home or building? You should know that there are certain scents that repel rats and drive these vermin away from you. Rats, after all, are one of the most destructive pests on the planet. Not only are they unsightly to look at — especially if you own a restaurant or a food & beverage business — but they also do irreparable damage to structures. In addition, rats are also disease-carrying pests. When a building or property is left untreated with this type of infestation, there might be outbreaks of salmonella, LCMV (lymphocytic choriomeningitis), or leptospirosis.

Thankfully, there are various natural remedies that produce odors effective at repelling these pests. Some interesting ones include chili oil/powder. Other examples of time-tested odors potent against rats are mothballs, peppermint oils, and ammonia, just to name a few. Read on to learn more about how you can properly incorporate these scents as part of your average rodent-repellent measures.

Mothballs

Mothballs, as the name suggests, are oftentimes used to kill moths at various stages of their development — be it the egg or the larvae. However, they have also been known in the rodenticide industry to effectively repel against rats. Most homeowners place a number of these in certain locations where rats may burrow, such as near garbage disposals, wall openings, or even storage spaces. The naphthalene produced by the mothballs may have enough efficacy to deter rats and other similar rodents.

Over time, the use of mothballs has begun to dwindle, mainly because of its negative health impacts on both humans and pests. While they produce the familiar minty-like smell that’s persistent in most homes, this may be their downfall. Naphthalene, after all, is considered a volatile organic compound (VOC) that presents a number of respiratory and environmental hazards. Prolonged or even short-term exposure to this chemical is associated with potential liver and neurological damage.

Although mothballs may be effective in some regard, they ultimately aren’t the most practical. It’s advised that you skip on these insect and rat-repellent products and instead opt for non-hazardous rat baits or traps.

Ammonia

Unlike the naphthalene in mothballs, ammonia has not been known to result in any adverse effects despite human exposure. In fact, it is a common ingredient that you’ll find across everyday home cleaning products. Ammonia is also naturally occurring in the body through a metabolic reaction that breaks down protein-containing food. When understood in the context of rodents, however, ammonia also proves to be an effective chemical treatment.

It goes without saying that before you use any ammonia or ammonia-based product for eliminating these pests, make sure that you identify specific parts of the home where rat sightings may be frequent. Some warning signs include droppings, scratching noises, small bite marks, nests, running tracks (footprints), and the like.

The odor produced by ammonia deters rats because it mimics the smell of predators’ urine. This is why these vermin do everything they can to avoid this scent, making it one of the best deterrents against them. You can buy this product from your local hardware store, and create a detergent-ammonia solution to deter pests. Another simple technique is to douse rags or old pieces of clothing in ammonia and place them in strategic locations around your property.

Chili Oil or Powder

Containing a chemical compound known as capsaicin, chili oil or chili powder has also been used against rats. Similar to ammonia, the capsaicin in chili-based food products is extremely robust and potent. This was even noted by a group of researchers from Chulalongkorn University, who noted that the natural fragrance emitted by capsicum was repulsive enough to prevent the mice from further returning to the lure.

Unless you gorge on spicy food all the time, you won’t necessarily be able to incorporate chili powder on all of your dishes and use this as a method to keep rats at bay. Instead, you should treat this as you would any other powder-based product — by sprinkling the chili powder in certain locations where rats frequent. Be mindful of any signs of rats, such as the aforementioned ones in this article.

Key Takeaway

Having rats at home is both unhygienic and unsafe. As mentioned before, these destructive pests carry a number of diseases. Ultimately, you wouldn’t want your home or property to be ground zero for rat disease outbreaks. Instead, you’ll want to make use of effective treatment methods and scents that repel rats and keep your building safe and free from their damaging effects.

In this guide, we’ve learned three of the most common odors that are used as rat repellent — from the discontinued mothballs to the surprisingly potent capsicum, it’s important to choose the treatment that works best for your situation.

As always, nothing is more effective at keeping rats away from your building, than hiring a professional pest control provider like Topbest. Click here to learn more about our comprehensive rat control techniques that are reliable as well as, safe for both humans and the environment.