How to Get Rid of Rats Fast Using Home Remedies

It’s never a good sign if you see or hear a rat scurrying around the house as it means they found something that’s resourceful for them. Here are the home remedies we suggest you try to capture the rats quickly.

While they may be effective, we suggest you don’t use a poisonous bait to kill the rats because this could eventually lead to dead rodent smell swirling around the house. Rat poison doesn’t always work immediately so this gives a chance for the rats to escape and hide in a spot (e.g. behind the wall) that’s difficult for you to reach.

1. Set Up Several Rat Traps

Our first suggestion is to set up multiple units of rat traps around the house. Both the snap trap and set and release trap will work. Which of the two you go for comes down to personal preference. Rats are smart creatures so it may take some trial-and-error to find the best way to set up these traps. We suggest testing different locations and baits until you find something that works.

If you are dealing with brown rats then we suggest trying out bait like cereal and grains. For black rats, you may find that plant-based baits work better. Rats don’t venture into open space unless they absolutely have to so be sure to set up the traps along the side of the room or in discrete spaces where the rodents can easily hide.

2. Clear out the Trash

In many cases, rats make an appearance in the house because they are attracted to the scent of leftover food in the trash or kitchen bin. Clear out the trash on a regular basis. Get a bin with a tight-sealing lid if you like to use tall bins. Make sure there are no food crumbs in the open by vacuuming the floor regularly.

3. Close All the Outside Gaps

If you live in a house then do a thorough examination of the whole exterior and make sure you block any gaps or holes which the rats are using as entry points. Rats have very flexible bodies so you need to close any small gaps you come across. Seal these gaps with materials that the rats can’t bite through, such as wire wool. Homes with weep holes should have the openings covered with a weep hole cover.

4. Repel the Rats with Peppermint oil

This primarily works if you have rats scurrying around in enclosed spaces (such as the basement or attic). We suggest soaking some cotton balls with diluted peppermint oil and placing these cotton balls around the area where the rats like to hang about. The strong scent of the essential oil will deter the rat and have them seek a different home.

5. Set Up a Rat Bucket Trap

This DIY trap can be set up with a few items which you might already have at home. You will need a tall bucket to trap the rat, some tasty bait like peanut butter, a steady object that can be used as a plank, and an elevated surface such as a kitchen worktop. First, set up the bucket next to the elevated surface. Next, smear or place the bait onto one side of the plank and balance half of it on the elevated surface (with the bait-end pointing outwards).

The idea behind this trap is use the weight of gravity. A curious rat will find its way towards the trap and carefully walk across the plank to reach the bait. The weight balance of the plank will then become one-sided and cause the plank and the rat to fall into the bucket.