Few things are as frightening as seeing rats and other rodents in your home, especially if you’ve been trying extra hard to keep your house as clean as possible. Even if you’ve tried everything else to get rid of the rats in your home, there are still some all-natural and very simple remedies that will very likely work.
One of these is to repel the rats with black pepper, and this is an inexpensive, non-toxic, and very effective way to get rid of them once and for all.
This article will explore how to keep rats away with black pepper including steps and recipes.
How black pepper repels rats
Black pepper contains piperine, which is very toxic to rats. Piperine irritates the rats’ nasal passages and causes them a lot of discomfort. The good news is that pepper is harmless to humans and most pets.
If you’re interested in getting rid of rats but you don’t want to kill them, using something like black pepper makes a lot of sense. Since black pepper is non-toxic and has no dangerous chemicals in it, you can use it to get rid of rats because they’ll simply run away from it.
Of course, you might be able to harm or even kill rats if they eat large quantities of black pepper, but that is not very likely to happen. This is because every time rats taste a new food, they take small nibbles at it and nothing else.
Since pepper doesn’t taste that good, the rats will stop eating it and run away before they eat enough of it to harm or kill them. Not only does the pepper not taste good to the rats, but it also has a very strong smell, which most pests – including rats and mice – will try to avoid at all costs.
The strong smell of black pepper is the main reason that it will repel rats. Rodents have a strong sense of smell and despise smells such as black pepper and other strong scents. Once they get anywhere near the smell of black pepper, most of the time they run away as far away as possible because they hate the scent so much.
Afterwards, they usually avoid that area because they assume that the strong smell is still there and they want nothing to do with it.
How to Use Black Pepper to Get Rid of Rats – 4 Steps
If you’re curious about how to use black pepper to get rid of rats, here are the steps to take:
1. Clean Up the Area Well
Rats love when you leave behind food for them to eat, so you should always start by making sure you clean up any food scraps, trash, and anything else they might be tempted to eat. Once your home and especially your kitchen are as clean as possible, check to see if you find droppings or entry holes anywhere in the vicinity.
Look for the holes in your home’s foundation, any pipes that are broken, or cracks in the floor – anywhere it is possible for rats or other pests to enter your home.
2. Prepare a Barrier of Black Pepper
Creating some type of barrier made from crushed black pepper is your next step. Wherever it looks like the rodents are most prevalent, make sure the barrier covers that spot. Make the barrier both wide and thick, and make sure it covers areas behind refrigerators and washers and dryers, near any trash can you have, and along your walls, to name a few
If you notice droppings somewhere, make sure you place a barrier there to increase the chances that the rats will be able to smell the black pepper.
3. Find Where the Rats are Hiding
Look out for at all of the nooks and crannies in your house and look for nests where rats are hiding. Wherever you see a potential entry point, load it up with black pepper. Look in every room in the house, and soon you’ll learn where all of the openings are so that you can inundate it with black pepper.
A lot of times, this alone will keep the rats away because they’ll know the pepper is there and they won’t want to come back to it.
4. Repeat the Process Until the Rats are Gone
Keep repeating the process of seeking out their hiding places, laying down black pepper barriers, and loading certain areas up with black pepper. This is because rats might come back, and different rats may visit you as well.
Eventually you can work out the amount of pepper you need to use so the rats just nibble it then leave. Once you have this figured out, you won’t have to continue to use as much pepper as you did in the beginning.
The good news is that black pepper is inexpensive, non-toxic to humans and most pets, easy to apply and use for this method, and most importantly, it works. You don’t have to worry about measuring out the pepper with any type of measuring device.
You can just estimate how much you’ll need and change the amount as you go along until you see the results you were hoping for. Using black pepper to get rid of rats in your home is an all-natural method that is extremely effective in most cases.
Conclusion
Getting rid of rats in your home is a lot easier than you think. If you’re not interested in chemical-filled solutions, using natural solutions such as black pepper is a great solution. Making sure your home is clean, making a barrier of black pepper throughout your home, and looking for specific hiding places all make a difference in your fight against rodents.
Black pepper is also harmless, except to the rats, and both inexpensive and simple to use. Best of all, this is something nearly everyone has around their home, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find!
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.