Please work, peppermint.

One of my ravelry friends, commiserating with me about my mouse issues, suggested peppermint oil (the strong, concentrated oil: extract apparently does not work).

I had a tiny bottle of it (long story short: for the candymaking, I had to have an entire box of LorAnn oil flavors ordered. And I carried a few of them back with me, ones that would be useful for the antiherbivore experiment I do with my ecology class). So I decided to sacrifice it (I can get more, later, for the experiment). It didn't go very far but I did wipe down the floor in front of my bedroom door, and the bedroom door posts. ("This is like a very strange re-enactment of the first Passover" was my thought). And a couple other places, like the floor in front of the sink cabinet where I think they are coming in. And the entryway to my sewing room, though I'm still not 100% convinced the mouse actually left and it may just be hiding in there.

I really, really hope this works. Because if it repels mice, that means I don't have to set traps, or look into electrocution-type traps (my mice seem good at defeating the snap traps, and the live-traps aren't really an option: where would I take them to dump them off? And I can't do glue boards. I just can't. I couldn't deal with a stuck mouse that was still alive that I either had to remove from the board or kill myself). And peppermint is not toxic to me or other creatures. And I can reapply as needed - my friend told me to wipe down the baseboards with it and I could see making that a regular Friday afternoon task.

And actually, the peppermint smell in my house is nice. Normally strong smells bother me, because they can upset my allergies or give me a headache - but the peppermint smell, if anything, seems to be keeping my sinuses and head clear. Kind of like having an entire house full of Vick's Vapo-rub, I guess. (I wonder if, in a pinch, that would work? I ordered a big (and expensive) bottle of "aromatherapy grade" peppermint oil from a seller on Amazon, but it won't be here for a little while. But I always keep Vick's on hand, since I don't tolerate decongestants)