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Key Points
- A rat infestation can destroy packaged food, packing materials, electric cables, and other important vulnerable materials.
- Rats have a highly developed sense of smell and avoid strong, pungent odors, including predator odors that are great rodent deterrents.
- Scientific studies have concluded that plants and oils in the eucalyptus, lemongrass, basil, and thyme families are effective rat repellents.
Rats are never a welcome discovery in a home or garden. While there are traps and baits to eradicate them, you can also help keep them away by using scents that rats avoid. We’ve gathered nine smells that rats hate to help you keep them away from your home.
Smells Rats Hate
When using scents to help repel rats, be diligent about reapplication as the smell dissipates. This is particularly important after cleaning inside or after a rainy period or watering the garden.
Eucalyptus Oil
While you may not be able to have an eucalyptus tree in your backyard, you can repel rats with eucalyptus oil. The oil is colorless with a camphor-like odor. Mix it with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol in a spray bottle and spray around doors, baseboards, windows, and dark areas like basements or attics where rats might hide.
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Lemongrass
Steep lemongrass from the garden in hot water to make a tea that can be sprayed around the home to repel rats, or use lemongrass or citronella oils in a diffuser. Burning a candle in one small area is not sufficient to repel rats.
Basil
The herbal aroma of basil oil in a diffuser or spray is not pleasant to rats. Keep basil plants near entrance areas to help deter rodents.
Thyme
There are many cultivars of thyme, and they all emit a strong, pungent scent. Use thyme oil as a diluted spray, in a scent diffuser, or grow common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) or golden lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus ‘Aureus’) in the garden to repel rats.
Peppermint, Wintergreen, or Menthol
The strong odors of plants and oils in the Mentha family disrupt a rat’s odor receptors. You can plant a variety of mints in the garden or use the oils in household sprays and diffusers.
Pine Oil
The strong scent of pine oil acts as a rat repellent. Use pine oil for cleaning or create an isopropyl alcohol and pine oil spray to treat interior spaces.
Cat Urine
While not pleasant, cat or any other rat predator’s urine is a powerful rat deterrent. Best used outside, you can purchase commercial, urine scented sprays.
Mothballs
The fumes from naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene in mothballs are an aggressive rat repellent. However, when using mothballs, take caution because large quantities of the scent can also be harmful to humans and contaminate soil.
Ammonia
Ammonia has a potent odor that will deter rats. However, like mothballs, using it in large quantities indoors can cause respiratory problems for humans.
Do Scent-Based Repellants Really Work?
Scent-based repellants will help keep stray rats away from gardens and homes if used in large quantities and applied on a regular basis. However, they will not get rid of rat infestations that are established in homes or gardens. For large infestations, calling a professional is always the recommended recourse.
How to Keep Rats Away
- Clear away outdoor debris that provides shelter. Keep grass and shrubs trimmed.
- Store all food, including pet and bird food, in sealed containers.
- Secure trash can lids so rats cannot access the contents.
- Remove bird feeders and water sources.
- Welcome a cat or dog to your household.
FAQ
Rats hate not having food, water, or shelter. By removing these necessities, rats won’t stay in the area; keep food in sealed containers, dispose of trash and debris, and close any openings or entry points to your home.
A predator like a cat or dog is a top rat repellent, followed by eucalyptus oil and pungent herbal scents.
It is impossible to keep rats away permanently if food, water, and shelter are nearby. However, a regular maintenance and cleaning routine, along with deterrents and eradication, if an infestation is found, will keep your home free of rats.
Theoretically, ingesting baking soda combines with the acid in a rat’s stomach causing bloating and death. However, a rat would have to eat a huge amount of baking soda, which they won’t do when better options are available. Baking soda is not an effective rat killer or deterrent.
