How I Started Making My Own Anti-Mouse Spice Bags at Home

Have you ever opened a kitchen cabinet and noticed something small that didn’t feel right? A few months ago, I had a moment like that. I reached into a lower cabinet to grab a baking tray, and in the back corner I noticed tiny grains of rice scattered in a loose line.

On the side of the rice bag, there was a thin little tear that hadn’t been there before. Seeing that small detail made me stop for a moment because it usually means a mouse has passed through sometime during the night.

The kitchen is the place where my toddler crawls the most, and the thought of using harsh chemicals or strong-smelling repellents made me uncomfortable.

I wanted something gentle and natural, something safe to place near food and in areas my child might reach. I kept thinking about what to do until the answer found me in the simplest way.

Later that evening, while I was preparing dinner, I opened the spice drawer and the scent of cinnamon rose straight out of the jar. It reminded me of something my grandmother once told me about mice avoiding strong spices.

Therefore, before I even finished cleaning up the kitchen, I felt sure I wanted to try making my own anti-mouse bags with ingredients I already had at home.

Choosing the Ingredients and Preparing What I Need

I took a small basket and walked around the kitchen, gathering anything that had a strong, warm scent that I thought would help. These were spices I already use for cooking, so everything felt familiar and easy to handle.

For one full batch of eight bags, I gathered:

Spices

• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 24 whole star anise pods
• 4 tablespoons of whole cloves
• 4 teaspoons of dried chili flakes

Fabric & Supplies

• 8 small drawstring mesh bags
• 4 cotton pouches sewn from leftover fabric
• Twine pieces from my craft drawer
• Scissors
• A small bowl for mixing the spices

Mixing the Spices

Before filling any bags, I mixed the spices together. I poured the cloves, chili flakes, and star anise pods into the bowl first. They created a dark, textured mix with the cloves giving a warm smell, the chili flakes adding sharpness, and the star anise giving a sweet herbal note.

Then I added the cinnamon sticks. I kept them whole because they release their fragrance slowly, helping the bags stay effective for a longer time.

As soon as everything landed in the bowl, the smell grew stronger. It filled the air with a warm, spicy scent that made me feel even more confident about using this mixture.

Assembling the Anti-Mouse Bags

I spread the drawstring bags across the patio table and filled each bag with the above mixture I have prepared. Then I tightened the drawstring and tied an extra knot at the top so nothing would spill out.

For the cotton fabric pouches, I followed the same mixture but added just a little more chili flakes. The cotton weave is thicker than the mesh, so the stronger mix helps the scent spread better.

Placing the Bags Around My Kitchen

I carried everything back inside and placed the bags in specific spots around the kitchen where mice usually pass through.

One went behind the jars in the pantry, another near the rice container, and one more inside the cabinet under the sink. I placed a few smaller bags behind the dish rack, inside the baking drawer, and near the warm area beside the oven.

I made sure all bags were placed high enough so my toddler couldn’t reach them, especially the ones containing chili flakes. Once everything was settled, the kitchen began to pick up a gentle, warm scent from the spices.

What I Noticed in the First Week

During the first week, I checked the pantry every day just to be sure. Before placing the spice bags, I had seen crumbs appearing every other day. After placing them, the cabinet stayed clean. There were no new torn corners in food packaging, and no new signs of a mouse passing through.

The spices stayed strong for the entire first week. Around the second week, the scent began to soften, especially in the bags placed closer to warm areas.

I refreshed those by adding a little more cloves and chili flakes. It took only a few minutes to refill the bags, and the smell returned immediately.