Does Irish Spring Soap Keep Mice Away?
I love the look and strong smell of Irish spring. Every time I use it, I feel clean and fresh.
Recently I had a mice problem. I have used rat traps before, but I didn’t have one at the time.
My brother George had come over, and he recommended that I use Irish Spring soap.
Does Irish spring soap keep mice away? I was skeptical.
I embarked on research, and I found out that while many articles purport that the strong smell of the soap keeps the critters away, video evidence suggests otherwise.
From my research, I can conclusively say that no, Irish spring soap doesn’t keep mice away.
While I hoped the mice would find the strong smell repulsive and stay away, they don’t.
They stay close to it and not only smell it, but even nibble at it.
In the video below, Shawn Woods left a bar of Irish Spring soap for a week in an area infested by mice.
In the footage, you can see the mouse lingering around the soap and even climbing on it.
You can see the mouse gnawing at the bar and even dragging it around.
At the end of the week, the soap didn’t deter the mouse. It came back every night and left a few bite marks on the bar.
Sharon had mice eating her soap, so she placed a few bar soaps on the counters and installed a camera to monitor the action.
In the video, you can see a mouse running away with the bar soap that wasn’t correctly tethered.
Luckily, one of the soaps was strongly held in place so that the mouse couldn’t run off with it.
Since the mouse couldn’t carry the bar, it took its time and ate the soap right there, in front of the camera!
Although, the soap isn’t Irish Spring, the video is evidence enough that mice love soap, so soap is a terrible mouse deterrent.
Other people that have tried the soap
Effective ways of keeping mice out of your home
Although, soap won’t deter the critters from your house, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. There are plenty of other alternatives you can go with. They include:
Seal all possible entry areas
This is probably the best, but often the most challenging way of going about it.
You need to identify even the tiniest hole in your house and block it.
Caulk around any wires and pipes entering the house, place screening around the vents, seal the cracks in the foundation, and any other thing that will ensure that the mice don’t have any entryway into the house.
Use electric repellants
These devices emit a sound that is annoying to the critters, but inaudible to humans and pets.
Repelling the little creatures is easy as you don’t harm them, so you don’t feel guilty. You also don’t have a mess to deal with.
There are plenty of electronic devices you can use. One of the best ones I have come across is the Bocianelli Ultrasonic Pest Repeller.
It’s not only easy to use, but it also has a large coverage area where it covers up to 1600 sq.ft.
You can also use it to drive off bedbugs, fleas, cockroaches, and other insects out of the house.
Trapping and relocating the mice
If you still want a guilt-free control method, this is an excellent one. You can use plastic or wired traps.
Once you have caught the mice, relocated them as far away from your home as possible, so they don’t come back.
Killing the rodents
If the mice have been a nuisance that you can’t stand any longer, killing them might be the option. There are plenty of options you can go with.
The good old snapping mousetraps are still highly effective.
They come in various sizes, so you will find a trap that will help you catch rats (if you have a rat menace) and chipmunks.
To reduce the agony on the mouse, ensure the trap is fast and decisive. Remember to check on the traps every day and dispose of any caught mice.
Should you poison the mice?
Poison will kill mice, but there are plenty of risks that come with it. Your dog might get hold of the dead mouse, and it also dies from consuming the poison.
Rat poisons are packed with ingredients that make the rodents thirsty hence leave the house searching for water.
While they won’t die in the house, when they die outside, wild animals might feed on them and get poisoned as well.
Poison can also be agonizing as the mouse experiences pain for a long time.
Avoid using poisons to kill rats as much as you can.
Irish spring soap myth
Despite proving that Irish Spring soap is a poor rodent deterrent, some people insist that it works.
Most of the articles and videos you come across online support the effectiveness of the soap.
Theory has it that by grating the soap and sprinkling it around the affected areas, you create a barrier that the critters won’t want to cross.
Others argue that using original Irish Spring soap gives the best results.
These people say that you should avoid soaps containing Icy Blast Irish Spring or Aloe.
I have also learned that certain types of mice are driven away by the soap, while others aren’t.
Looking through academic reports, there is little research done on the subject, but from the evidence I presented above, you can’t rely on Irish Spring soap to deter mice.
Use electric deterring devices or mousetraps instead. Talking of traps, don’t use glue board mousetraps.
Some people argue they make it easy to dispose of the mouse. But, really?
Tossing a live mouse in the trash is easy? That’s not humane at all, so go with the other alternatives given above. You don’t want to be an animal, do you?
