As winter sets in and gardeners enjoy a break from outdoor tasks, a new seasonal challenge arises.

Rodents seeking shelter from the cold often creep into homes, carrying a number of diseases and causing damage to furniture.

However, a TikTok user has shared a cost-effective and natural solution to keep these unwelcome visitors at bay.

Pest control company Pest UK explained that cold weather drives rodents indoors in search of warmth.

Additionally, winter bird feeding can inadvertently attract rats and mice to gardens, as the high-protein bird feed provides a tempting meal.

From there, it’s only a short journey into nearby homes.

TikTok user Madame Sweat has gone viral with her ingenious method to deter mice using a common household item: peppermint essential oil.

“If you don’t want to set traps, you just want the mice to stay away, you want to use peppermint essential oil,” she explained in her video.

But instead of applying the oil to cotton balls, which allow the scent to evaporate quickly, she recommends using wool.

“Wool holds the smell of the essential oils much longer,” she shares.

“Think of your wool coat when it picks up the fragrance you’re wearing, it stays on your coat. Wool is the best fabric to hold essential oils.”

The video has resonated with many TikTok users, some of whom shared their own success stories with similar techniques.

One viewer commented: “Peppermint keeps mice out of our camper. Going to try putting it on wool.”

Madame Sweat’s tip aligns with advice from pest control professionals.

Robert Collins, a pest control expert, told GB News: “Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Citronella are great examples of essential oils that are brilliant at deterring rats.”

These oils work due to the heightened olfactory senses of rodents.

Scents like peppermint and eucalyptus, with their strong botanical compounds, overwhelm and perturb their sensitive noses, making the environment unappealing.

Unlike chemical repellents or traps, essential oils offer a safe, humane, and environmentally friendly way to address rodent issues.

Not only do they deter pests, but they can also double as pleasant scents for homes.