Tuesday, February 19, 2013

IRISH SPRING SOAP FOR MICE


What?

Getting dirty on the farm? (wait, that didn't sound right!) No!  

Mouse bathing?  No, this isn't a mouse B&B!

We bought all this soap because we have still had a couple of mice show up in the mouse traps we put down.  No overwhelming infestation, but one or two a month is one or two too many in my book.  One of you commented in my post about the mouse problem a few months back that Irish Spring soap was a deterrent.  I decided to Google it to learn more and I found numerous references online to people using it that way.  

So, I went out and bought an 8-pack of "original scent" which is apparently the one that works best.  It was kind of hard to find in original scent at the store, but after a few stops, I found them at a grocery store.  However, Amazon sells Irish Spring Soap, Original for those who can't find it at their local store.

I decided to make it go even further by cutting each bar in half.  Eight bars became sixteen.  I scattered them around the house in the closets, under end tables and couches, under the sinks, in cabinets, and I even tossed some under the bookcases.



Field mouse, please go away

Hey, it can't hurt, right?  I guess time will tell.  They've been in use for a week now and there were no mice in traps.  Perhaps it's working?
I'll definitely keep you posted.

UPDATE 10/2013


I've been regularly putting these down, and I can say we have definitely had much FEWER mice but we do occasionally get one.  We've got traps down, a couple in each room and so we get a mouse or two each month.


The smell of of Irish Spring is not for everyone and honestly it does get to be too much for us at times so I've toned down the usage.  I started cutting back a bit, just keeping it around the areas I think mice are coming in (around pipes under sinks in kitchen and bathroom).  It does wear out (the smell) in about a month, so it's probably more effective in the beginning of putting it down.


UPDATE 12/2014


After using this for a couple of years, we have to say, we would judge this as "inconclusive".  We definitely have fewer mice, but we also have traps down, baited with peanut butter (might should use the soap apparently, ha) and have snagged a few that way.  There could be many factors of why we have fewer mice, it could even be a seasonal thing, perhaps some years worse than others.  The soap worked for a bit, but I think after the scent wore off, they might have even liked it.  Never saw bite marks but they were, occasionally, moved around.  So something was checking them out.


I think the bottom line is that it works but then fizzles out quickly...and apparently, some varieties of mice seem to actually like it.


UPDATE 12/2016

Several of the comments are from one side to the other.  Some of you swear by it and some say their mice eat it.  After some research, it seems that different varieties of mice are affected differently.  I suppose it's true that some like it and some don't.  

Sigh...

We're still on the lookout for anything that might work the same way, so feel free to comment below anytime!


258 comments:

  1. Let us know how it works, I'd like to keep out spiders too. And peppermint smells ok (like Christmas, LOL!)

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  2. Mouse and rat poison works the best have used it for about4yrs and have use iris soap

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  3. Break up pool pucks that you put into pool,need to break them into 1/4" pieces spread it all around the house each spring and you won't see any mice or spiders

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  4. Pool pucks! Worth a try! Thanks.

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  5. Costco sells Irish Spring original

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  6. Doesn't work we found that the mice love to eat the soap

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  7. I see this is an old post, hope you have the varmit problem under control by now, but you simply must seal/plug up all points of entry. I understand mice will not chew through steel wool, so add some of that to the areas that they may try to be getting in.

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  8. Don't know if it will work for mice, but my wife grows tomato plants, etc. and had big problems with squirrels eating and digging them up. I used small canisters (like film canisters and my insulin test strip canisters) and drilled a few holes in them and stuffed them with cotton balls. Then squirted a few drops of fox urine and placed them next to the plants. Been doing this for 3 yrs. now and they do not come near them. Just my 2 cents worth...

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  9. Original scent GAIN dryer sheets

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  10. Original scent Bounce sheets work well too. I use them with a charcoal briquet on top of each one. Works very well!!

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  11. Irish spring does not I repeat does not work. The mice are the Irish spring soap and then pooped all around where it was. It did however make their poop turn white

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  12. Anyone care to see pictures of my chunks of Irish Spring soap with chew marks all over them???

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  13. These are all wise tails...

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  14. None of that stuff works! Or Minnesota meece are extremely hearty! Out of an 8-pack package of Irish Spring they ate 3 bars completely,I could see them blowing bubbles out of their butts when they farted! lol. They ate a pound of mothballs in the course of 4 months. Someone said use Bounace dryer sheets, they used them for blankets and nesting material. They played soccer with the peppermint moth balls. And to top it off they ate two wood mouse traps. I could not find any pieces or what from them. bales or springs. The only thing I found that eased the problem was to go to the local Fleet Farm and get some Rodent Poison. Put about a dozen bars in tin pie pans under the camper.

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  15. Rodent poisoning is an option for some, I suppose. In our case, there are a few barn cats around, and I would be afraid of them getting into the poison if it was placed under our camper. I stuck by the dryer sheets and charcoal. I guess our nice are a lesser breed!! 😎😎

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  16. When I read about the cotton ball/essential oil thing, I immediately got a visual of the little monsters making off with cotton balls to fluff their nests. Sorry, it's early!

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  17. I put two bars of original irish spring in my combine two weeks ago. Just checked it. There are mouse turds on the seat and the bars of soap have been chewed on.

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  18. I love the interest and comments that this post has generated!! Some great thoughts and ideas here.

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  19. I eat Campbell's microwaveable soups and that comes in a nice plastic container with a perforated tight fitting cover. They hold the mothballs, allow the scent out of the top holes and is easy to handle without touching the mothballs and the plastic containers prevent staining of floors and cupboards. Use them every year to winterize 4 yurts and have no signs of occupancy or damage.

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  20. I use a mixture of water and peppermint extract. 1 cup us water with 2 tsp of PURE peppermint extract. It must be the pure and not the imitation. This can be put into a spray bottle and applied into tight areas or you can soak cotton balls or pieces of rags wrung out and placed in cupboards. I have also used a product called "Fresh Cab". It is an all natural sack the shape of a large teabag and is supposed to be replaced every 30 days. I find that shaking them up and 'massaging' them will at least double the life if not more. Just be aware of the fact that mice will put up with scents they typically hate if they need a residence bad enough.

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  21. In the storage drawer under my washing machine I just found a large bar of Fels Naptha about one-third eaten, paper all shredded, and a good many mouse droppings. Also droppings in an open box of baking soda. These mice are either desperate or suicidal.

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  22. Barn Cats or Mouser Cats
    They will rid your property of field mice. We know. Six mouse free acres.
    https://www.tractorsupply.com/know-how_pets-livestock_cat_use-mouser-cats-to-get-rid-of-mice-and-rats.html?cm_sp=Header-_-ELOH-_-kh-_-pet+cats+get+rid+of+mice

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  23. Ha ha! I laugh because I have tried everything to get rid of mice. I hate them! Irish spring, peppermint oil. snap traps, glue traps, Nothing works! They can eat through anything

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  24. For our camper we use Bounce dryer sheets everywhere! Under mattresses, in closets and cupboards, under cushions, etc. we have never had mice no matter if the trailer is stored in a barn or outside.

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  25. Well I'm just saying, my mice love to eat "Ivory Soap"..... hoping it will kill them....the jury is still out. Farting bubbles???? Will it kill them???????

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  26. We used bobcat scat in knee high nylons, placed in the areas we were having problems. We haven't seen a mouse since. Love it! We found it on Amazon. Good luck! This has no smell to humans but it deters all kinds of critters.

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  27. Yes any mint oil. We use it at our campers at our campsite haven't had any mice since. I mixes it with water and a few drops of dish soap and spray it everywhere before we leave. I also splash a few drops of the oil places just to be safe. Works great.

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  28. I used dryer sheets and the mice used them for blankets.

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  29. Mice get used to the bounce sheets

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  30. We've used both Irish Spring (shavings using potato peeler) and cheapo (dollar stores) dryer sheets and something seems to work...no mice in the 20+ snap traps I put in the motorhome in the last three years! No little mousey 'presents' (😁) under the stovetop, on counters, anywhere.
    Wife is very happy. Upside of them eating soap, IF they do, is their little 'presents' help the spray-9, lysol, bleach, whatever suds up.....think scrubbing bubbles! 😂😂

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  31. We use pure peppermint oil in our rv on cotton balls. No mice..

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  32. I put down Irish Spring original soap yesterday, checked the one under the sink, found mouse duties around it and a chunk eaten out of the corner of it! That mouse was eating the Safeguard soap in the bathtub soap dish! Wonder if he blows bubbles when he drinks water! Reminds me of the jump rope rhymes we use to use.
    Miss Lucy had a baby.
    She named him Tiny Tim.
    She put him in the bathtub
    To see if he could swim.

    He drank up all the water.
    He ate up all the soap.
    He tried to eat the bathtub,
    But it got stuck in his throat.

    Miss Lucy called the doctor
    (Second jumper comes in.)
    The doctor called the nurse.
    (Third jumper comes in.)
    The nurse called the lady
    With the alligator purse.
    (Fourth jumper comes in.)

    "Mumps" said the doctor.
    "Measles" said the nurse.
    "Nothing" said the woman
    With the alligator purse.

    Miss Lucy hit the doctor.
    Miss Lucy slapped the nurse.
    Miss Lucy paid the woman
    With the alligator purse.

    Out ran the doctor.
    Out ran the nurse.
    Out ran the lady
    With the alligator purse.
    (Extra jumpers exit.)

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  33. Please be careful with mothballs. They can be harmful to children and pets.
    https://www.poison.org/articles/2008-oct/taking-your-woolies-out-of-mothballs

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  34. Odd question since we all want to get rid of the mice, but- I cleaned out my shed and went to lift a nest out. When I did the mouse had babies clinging to her! I couldn't do it. I put her back. But still want them gone! Any suggestions on how to get them out without killing them? The nest is in a cinderblock, so unless I reach in there myself (I was using two sticks before) I don't know how to get all of them ( and really, really don't wanna reach in there myself).

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  35. I tried the peppermint oil on cotton balls..after the sent diminishes, the mice take the cotton balls and I'm assuming use them to make a nest..

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  36. Every winter when storing my camper in the garage, I put a sheet of bounce fabric softener at each tire. So far so good. No mice in my camper

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  37. Mice live in the house with you, they are used to the same scents you are.
    Soap does not work and i have seen them use dryer sheets as nesting material.
    I have no proof if peppermint oil works or not, it does work for spiders

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  38. Re: Anonymous, October 14, 2018
    I can assure you that the mice do not live in our trailer with us From May to October,every year!! For me, when we close up each year, I place BOUNCE sheets throughout, high and low. It's a very effective deterrent. Charcoal pieces worked, but not nearly as well. Peppermint oil is the new craze.For us, it is Original Scent BOUNCE sheets. Quite honestly, I'd turn around too if I had to stand that smell for any length of time!

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  39. Fresh cab works great at repelling mice

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  40. to stop the mice comingin through the the gaps around the pipes etc. Buy some metal pot scourers (looks like curly wire) goldilocks. Then press them into all the gaps you can. The mice cannot slip through and cannot eat it.
    No more mice guaranteed.

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  41. Uncle Ian's Mole Gopher Deer Rabbit Squirrel Repellent - it also handles voles and mice - it is all natural blood meal mixed with Capsaicin //// put this around the entire foundation and around the fenceline. Keep the traps out for a couple weeks to catch anything in the house and I guarantee nothing new will cross the Uncle Ian line.

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  42. Just put my camper in the garage for the winte. One bounce sheet under each wheel. Worked last year. Hope it works this winter

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  43. Bernie, in PA: I started using this last summer. No mice in the fall (usually would catch 6+ each fall) and none this spring. I'll let is stay as long as it works!!!

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  44. Thank you for this post and the follow up. I believe you have saved me a few dollars. I will scratch this method off my list. BTW, I love your blog. I can't wait to read more of it.

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  45. I use Peppermint Oil Works Great!! Buy the "LorAnn Oils Peppermint Oil, Natural, Twin Pack '0.125 fl. oz per bottle' sells at wallmart for $3.99* just put it on a cotton ball and put it in the garage ,shed,basement ect* Keeps Mice Away can even use it outside keeps em away.. (Use Mothballs out side to Keep Skunks Away Not Mice!! Best of Luck to you..

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  46. Chlorine pucks from Canadian tire that are used for swimming pools work wonderfully to deter mice. I have use them in our holiday trailer, our cabin, & the out house for years. They minimize mice presence hardcore! They have pretty well eliminated all signs of mice .

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  47. We use a natural product called Fresh Cab. Works great and it's not toxic like poison. Have used it for years in the trailer, garage, etc.

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  48. Thanks for the information. A rodent spray that smells like peppermint? It seems like an oxymoron, but in a good way! I have a pretty awful rat problem at my home, and I always feel guilty while using chemical pest sprays around my kids and my dog. But I think this spray can help me out in terms of keeping my family safe from toxic chemicals. Thanks a lot for posting this!

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  49. I love everything about the post and the natural spray, especially the fact that it smells like peppermint.
    Who wouldn’t want their homes to smell good after all! I also like that the spray can be used around my kids and my pets.
    We have a pretty bad pest problem at our place, but the thought of the toxic chemicals
    in pesticides had always kept me on the lookout for better alternatives.
    It looks like I have one now, and I can’t wait to try it out.

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  50. We use the Irish Spring bars in our boat and in our shed. Works great, no mice or other creatures, no damage apparent.
    I would definitely suggest not baiting rodents! If you have bait available, they will come if they are hungry or tempted.
    Leave the traps (empty and blocking entry points) to possible stop stragglers from coming in. 😉

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  54. I know this thread is old but I'm throwing this out anyway. Never had a problem in this house with mice and then just for grins I put one of those ultrasonic things in one room and next thing I've got one in the living room, and at least 2 in the pantry. The pantry where I normally have a whole stock of irish spring from the warehouse mart. Didn't do a thing to get rid of them. Onions didn't work either because I normally keep the onions in there. Ok, if it's up high and they are down below they might not mind the smell. But, I don't think that's the case here. First one I think was going after the nacho cheese chips we carelessly didn't clean up and I just ran into a trap by coincidence. Second one the trap was baited with pasta. Not just any pasta but pasta it got into and got a taste for. So then we tried, peanuts, peanut oil, peanut butter, more pasta and it managed to trip the trap but got away and now it won't go near any trap and we've plastered the pantry and kitchen with traps. I won't go into the details but they've made life miserable the past couple weeks. Now that everything has been cleaned and disinfected, no sign except something moved one of the traps and next to it was a string of pasta laid out on the floor as if it was saying "this is the kind I like, bozo". I have no idea what package it came from because we checked everything. I hope it was just a piece of pasta that got separated but I'm still creeped out. I don't want to, but next thing is to try poison. I won't post the link but there's a website out there by an exterminator that talks about why natural remedies are often a myth. I won't say these mice are smart but they do have good memories and when somethings not working, they move on to something else. So, they won't touch the peanut butter or peanuts I laid out so now what? What's particularly annoying is that since this has started I'm constantly seeing reminders on tv and the web like this, "australia mice plague". I sympathize but I don't feel any better.

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  55. I haven't tried this one , But I use Peppermint oil (we just use the candy making type of Peppermint Oil it costs $2.18 for a 2pk at Walmart* ) then put couple of drops of it on a cotton ball & put it under or where ever your seeing mice.. They can't stand the smell of it & you wont have any more mice you can also putit in your garage as well.. Works great!!

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