How to Get Rid of Mice and Rats - And Keep Them Away

Mice and rats make pretty unpleasant housemates and they can be difficult to get rid of once they’ve set up camp. But whether they’re in the house living in the walls or they’re scurrying around your garden, there are plenty of ways to get rid of them and keep them away once they’re gone. Read our handy advice below and find out how to banish them for good.  

Rodenticides should always be used in lockable bait stations.

If you have children or pets, use enclosed rat or mouse traps that are tamper-resistant.

Rats, though exploratory, are instinctively very wary of new objects. This is a survival tool used especially when presented with new bait, bait boxes or traps, so the response is to ignore the bait completely until they’re more confident there is no danger. Rodents have a highly developed sense of smell and can detect human scent, so wear gloves when placing traps to minimise the scent transference. 

Place traps in areas where there has been evidence of rodent activity as they tend to stick to a predetermined travel path.

Grain baits, which are the closest match to natural food sources, are very palatable for rodents.

Pasta baits are also highly palatable and has a high calorie content. They’re ideal when conventional baits are less effective. You can shop both pasta and grain baits on our site, as well as all other forms of rat and mouse control products.

Use a humane live catch mouse trap if you want to release them after they’re caught. Make sure you check the traps frequently - every few hours - to ensure the welfare of the animal, and release them at least 2km away. 

To get rid of mice fast, use the Rentokil Fast Action Mouse Killer. It contains two pre-baited tamper-resistant boxes and kills mice within 24 hours. 

For a different type of quick humane kill with no toxins, use the Pest-Stop Electronic Mouse Killer or Rat Killer. When batteries are added, it will kill rodents effectively with an electric shock, which makes getting rid of them mess- and hassle-free. 

Use the Big Cheese Anti-Rodent Refresher Spray. This natural peppermint spray disrupts their pheromone trail to throw them off, so they won’t keep coming back to the same place. 

Spray an anti-rodent lacquer on cables to stop the rats and mice chewing through them, or anything else you don’t want them to nibble through. If they’re left to continue to chew cables it can cause a lot of damage and could even lead to a house fire.

Use all-weather bait blocks. These are hard-wearing, weatherproof and ideal for outdoors and wet conditions. These must be used within a tamper-resistant bait station. 

You can use live catch mouse traps in the garden but be aware that you could unintentionally trap other wildlife. Try to avoid this by putting it somewhere you know mice frequent a lot.

You can also use all the other indoor traps outside but make sure you put them under a cover as otherwise they might trap birds and other animals. As above, try to minimise the risk of this by putting the bait or traps in an area you know mice are using often.

Electromagnetic and ultrasonic repellers are your best bet when you want to deter mice and rats. The Rentokil Beacon Advanced Mouse and Rat Repeller is safe around children, cats and dogs, is easy to use and poison-free, and simply plugs into any socket. If you’re currently trying to get rid of mice and rats in the house, they’re good to use at the same time as other products like traps, and then continue to use to keep them away.