How to Get Rid of Rats in Home and Garden Fast (24 Best Ways)

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Want to know How to Get Rid of Rats in Home and Garden Fast? Here are the best home remedies you can try for quick and effective results!

Here are the most effective ways on How to Get Rid of Rats in Home and Garden Fast. They are easy to use and work 100%!

Check out our article on how to keep ticks away from garden here


How to Get Rid of Rats in Home and Garden

1. Natural Predators

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Repel rats by making an appropriate habitat for natural predators like owls, which can eliminate many rats in a single night. Allow the beneficial wildlife to thrive around you, build a nest and add a birdbath or water body to invite them into your garden.

Note: Do not put birdseed or other food material on reachable sites for attracting birds as it can lure more rats into the yard.

Here’s how you can invite birds into your garden

2. Dry Ice Rat Killer

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Dry ice is an excellent method for killing rats, as it is extremely colder than usual ice and generates carbon dioxide, which numbs and kills them. The first step is to find out burrows and rat holes and then apply about two pounds of dry ice in each rat hole using a scoop and seal it.

Do wear insulated gloves as it can severely damage the skin if used bare hand.

3. Traps

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Use snap traps to catch rats quickly. You can experiment and use peanut butter, cookies, or cheese as bait.

4. Keep the Garden Clean

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Keep your garden properly trimmed, clean, and clutter-free, as rats hate open areas. Remove piles of leaves, seal the garbage, and close the holes, if any.

5. Train Your Dog

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Dogs are expert rat catchers if you can train them in the right manner. They will be more than happy to hunt the rats around the garden and home.

6. Put a Cage

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There are many smart cages that you can get to catch rats and mice. They work effectively, and once you catch them, you can dispose of rats in the forest.

7. Grow Rat Repellent Plants

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One of the best natural remedies to keep rats away from your garden is to grow plants that repel them. Peppermint, marigold, lavender, and rosemary are the best ones because rats hate their fragrance.

8. Wood Ash

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You can use this natural pest control to keep rats away from the garden. Sprinkle it near plant beds, pool area, garage, fountain, gazebo, and where you spot them.

Check out Wood Ash uses in the garden here

9. Ammonia and Cheese

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Mix ammonia in a slice of cheese and keep where rats visit. It is one of the most potent ways when it comes to assassinating rats.

10. Garlic Water

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Crush 8-10 garlic cloves in a blender and make a smooth paste. Add jalapeno, one spoon of pepper, mix 3-4 cups of water and blend again.

Pour the solution into a glass bowl, cover it, and steep overnight. Strain and fill in a clean spray bottle, and use it on the areas where rats frequent.

11. Peppermint Oil

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Spray peppermint oil on the exterior walls or floor, or any other strategic place. You can also drop oil-soaked cotton balls around the spot you see the mouse.

Here’s how you can use Peppermint oil to repel mice

12. Pepper or Chili Flakes

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Spread chili flakes or powder in an area where rats shelter. It will choke the rats, forcing them to leave the area immediately.

13. Ammonia Liquid

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Fill a bowl with ammonia and put it near holes where mice shelter. The strong smell of this liquid is abhorred by rats, and they’ll leave for good.

14. Onions

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Rats dislike the smell of onions. Try this trick outside in the backyards and gardens, as their pungent smell can be too much in the rooms.

15. Used Coffee Grounds

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Place used coffee grounds in a container or plastic bag and put it where rats roam most or stay. Brewed coffee grounds have a bitter taste and strong scent that wards them off.

Here are some amazing Coffee Ground uses in the garden

16. White Vinegar

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Rats dislike the smell and taste of white vinegar. Soak cotton balls or spray it around the area where you spot rats.

17. Citronella Oil

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Citronella oil overpowers the senses of rats and makes it tough for them to seek food. A study published in Applied Biological Research states that rats eat less food in places where citronella oil is present.

Soak some cotton balls and place them near areas where you want to deter rats.

18. Cat’s Fur

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Strategically place cat or any other pet’s hair in your garden where you see rats frequently. It will make the rats believe these animals are near, and they will stay away.

19. Eucalyptus Oil

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According to this study, eucalyptus oil is quite potent when it comes to keeping rats away. Add 10-15 drops in 200 ml of water and use it as a spray on the areas where you see them a lot.

20. Cloves

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Wrap whole cloves in a piece of cloth and put them on a spot where rats come. You can also use clove oil in cotton balls.

21. Bring Home a Cat

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Well, if everything fails, then you can always bring a cat home. It will take care of rats in the most profound manner!

22. Appreciate Non-Venomous Snake

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If you always believed “The only good snake is the dead snake,” stop! Instead, learn to identify them. If you see non-venomous snakes around your area, don’t kill or relocate them as they control the population of rats.


Bonus

23. Contact Pest Management Company

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Contact a pest management company to repel rats from both home and garden. Go with the one that has an eco-friendly approach.

24. Use Poisons & Baits in the Garden

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If all of the above solutions don’t work–this would. Use rat poisons only and only if you don’t have children and pets. This should be your last resort when it comes to getting rid of rats. Also, there are many gruesome baits, rat zappers, and horrific glue pads available, which you may not enjoy.

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