My Research Outcome & Overview

Getting the right product that worked at a consistent rate proved to be difficult as many of the products had little to no effect. Having a child and pets at home, safety quickly become important in my rankings. To be honest, it's extremely challenging and overwhelming in such an urgent time where you just want them gone. Most of these products take time to really see results making the testing a drawn out process.

This in-depth guide can be used to take my learnings and apply them. Yes, this is more than the average homeowner is willing to go through, but with my background, I had fun with it! I also created this comparison chart that summarizes all of my research. I update this post whenever there's a new product to test to ensure that all of the information below is recent and accurate.

Scientifically Testing Rodent Repellents

1. Test The Leading Mice Repellents - Firstly, I wanted to ensure that I tested all of the leading mice repellents on the market that I could find. I chose the following brands: SoFyre, Grandpa Gus's, RodentRX, X-Pest, Fresh Cab, Earthkind, Haycore, Everfield, Mighty Mint, Tomcat, and Bye Critter.
2. Sample Size - My house is 2,048 sq ft and we had rodent sign in multiple areas making there a few "test zones" to start. The main hot spots were the kitchen and bedrooms, but the unfinished basement also had heavy sign.
3. Factors Compared - I rated each repellent based on the following factors: effectiveness, safety, and quality.
   
4. Rating System - I then rated each course on each category with a simple 1-10 rating system (1 = not great, 10 = amazing).
5. Choosing A Winner - Lastly, I added up all the points for each repellent and gave them a final score to choose a winner!

Testing Environment & Layout

I also needed to test the effectiveness of each repellent to see if it worked for removing the mice. Finding the right test environment was the hardest part - here’s how I did it:

1. I found the most active areas and started with the products were really easy to use (mouse repellent pouches).
2. I then gave each one enough time to prove results which was typically a week or more depending if there were any early indicators. There were three main locations I was able to test in. Once I found the one that worked best, I spread to the entire house at the end to confirm.
3. I determined effectiveness by assessing how many new droppings would appear, (I did see a mouse run across our kitchen counter during this period, but story for another time). Based on the size of the droppings, I had determined both mice and rats were in the home which was a little more intimidating if I'm being honest.

Mice Repellent Types

Why Pouches Worked The Best

One of the main things I wanted to figure out is what style of repellent worked best. Throughout the process there were general themes that formed with similar outcomes depending on what style repellent it was. There's a few things I prioritized in this research:

• Effectiveness - Would this make the mice & rats "move out" or go away.
• Safety - Were these safe for my pets and my child.
• Smell - Were these going to make my house smell awful or even overpowering? Last thing I wanted was headache's.
• Repel vs Kill - As an exterminator, I've seen too many dead mice trapped in walls and ceilings after ingesting poison. That’s why I avoid using it—it just leads to hidden, hard-to-reach, stinky problems.

To make a good decision and ensure I was doing what was best for my home, I used my research to create an extensive pro's and con's list for each type of repellent. Shares below:

Pros of Electronic Repellent

Noticed results in the first week - It was relatively immediate results having tested these pretty heavy in the kitchen (where the most sign was). We went from fresh sign to minimal new sign. I think if I would have expanded to more outlts, it would have been faster too.

Safety - After researching for days, the electronic solutions were the easiest to use, and 100% child and pet friendly. There is a little thought that needs to go into how many rooms to put these into, but nothing that seems too out of the ordinary. While the pouches also claim to be pet and kid friendly, they also all include cautions to keep out of reach of pets and children, which was contradicting to me.
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Smell - This one is often overlooked, but important. Electronic devices had no smell. I had mixed feelings between other pouch solutions, some overwhelming, some bad, and one smelling like an air freshener. I like that the electronic device did not have any smell.
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Less Expensive - The cost is extremely reasonable when you think about how much some of these products are. Pest control I was quoted over $2,100 including an ongoing fee. I'll focus on per unit cost in relation to overall coverage vs total cost as the volume was different on each one.

The mouse stays alive - These are made to deter mice and rats (rodents) vs kill. This avoids any mess and having a rodent rot in a wall for example. If you haven't smelt this before, consider yourself lucky!

Cons of Electronic Repellents

Out of stock issues - During peak seasons I've struggled to get my hands on more for friends, family, and clients. What I've found to work best is to stock up when available to avoid this. I'm sure this will improve over time, but something to watch out for.

Outside usage - While these work great indoors and places like garages and sheds, they don't hold up long in the exposed elements of nature (rain, wind, sun etc...).

Replacement - While these are made well, and all of mine are still working, including the one in my toolshed that is exposed to hot summers and cold winters, it may add small cost if these need to be replaced.