If you\u2019d rather not spray chemical repellents around your family\u2014or your pets\u2014peppermint is an easy, inexpensive alternative. Below is a quick guide to why this plant works and how to put it to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Menthol punch:<\/strong> Peppermint leaves are loaded with menthol. To humans, it smells refreshing; to insects and mice, it\u2019s overwhelming and disorienting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nervous-system overload:<\/strong> Research shows menthol interferes with the sensory pathways critters use to find food and shelter, so they steer clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Light:<\/strong> Bright, indirect sunlight (east- or west-facing window).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water:<\/strong> Keep soil moist\u2014water when the top inch feels dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soil & drainage:<\/strong> Use a well-drained potting mix and a container with bottom holes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019d rather not spray chemical repellents around your family\u2014or your pets\u2014peppermint is an easy, inexpensive alternative. Below is a quick guide to why this plant works… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4970"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4971,"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4970\/revisions\/4971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodarticles.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Peppermint Helps Control<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Pest<\/th> How Peppermint Helps<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Spiders<\/strong><\/td> Masking scent cues keeps them from settling in corners and window frames.<\/td><\/tr> Mice<\/strong><\/td> Strong odor scrambles their sense of smell\u2014key for navigation and nest building.<\/td><\/tr> Ants, flies, mosquitoes<\/strong><\/td> Menthol confuses trail-following and breeding behavior, so they avoid treated areas.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThree Easy Ways to Use Peppermint Indoors<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Place small pots near doors, windows, closet corners, basements, and kitchen counters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Lightly crush a handful of leaves, tuck into breathable cloth bags, and stash in pantries or drawers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Steep 1 cup of leaves in 2 cups of hot water. Cool, strain, and pour into a spray bottle. Mist entry points or spots where pests appear.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nGrowing Peppermint in a Pot<\/h4>\n\n\n\n