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The $20 Amazon Find Our Tools Editor Swears Keeps Mice Out of Her Kitchen (Bonus: It’s on Sale!)

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Credit: Minette Hand

House pests are an unfortunate fact of life, and whether the culprit is of the four, six, or eight-legged variety, there’s only so much you can do to deter them. If mice are your problem, you know that keeping your home clean is the first step in preventing unwanted visitors. But what if even that fails? Well, you turn to technology, as Kitchn tools editor, Riddley, did to tackle a particularly bad mouse infestation in her Boston city apartment. Her solution: this pest repeller from Neatmaster .

The plug-in device emits low-frequency ultrasonic rays that harmlessly deter insects, spiders, and even small rodents like mice. It has an impressive 4-star rating and over 17,000 glowing reviews on Amazon , and right now it’s on sale for less than $20!

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According to Riddley, the Neatmaster has been super effective, and after owning it for two years, shares, “we went from catching multiple mice a week to a few every year.” The gadget has three frequency functions that can be changed depending on the severity of your pest problem. The green and blue settings are for slight and moderate pest issues, and the red setting is for heavy infestations. The two lower settings are not audible to humans, however, the red setting is, so it’s best used in areas where you won’t be, or at night when you’re in a different room. Some reviewers claim that their pets can hear the red setting, as well, but many note that they’ve successfully rid their homes of pests without even having to use the highest frequency.

“I bought this device because we moved to the woods and have a lot of mice issues,” shared one customer, adding, “I hate anything inhumane and would rather not use kill traps. On the green setting, we did still get a mouse in the garage, but on the blue setting, it has been a few weeks since we’ve had any mice, and I’m hopeful it’s working!”

The repeller covers an area of 80 to 120 square meters, so a single unit is effective in large rooms, garages, basements, or open-concept living spaces. One thing to note, since the ultrasonic rays can’t penetrate walls, you’ll want to pick up a few units if you’re trying to cover multiple rooms in a large house or apartment. In addition to furry critters like mice and rats, dozens of reviewers mention using the Neatmaster to all but eliminate pests like spiders, cockroaches, and centipedes (yikes).

The device measures just slightly larger than a standard wall plate, so the low-profile design won’t attract attention. Your guests may even mistake it for a diffuser — we won’t tell. And as Riddley says, “It’s easy to use! You just gotta plug it in and press a button to choose your frequency setting”, adding, it works “SO well!”

I think we can all agree that that’s a lot simpler (and much kinder) than setting a trap or using sticky tape to deal with your mouse problem. Score one for the humans!

Buy: Neatmaster Ultrasonic Pest Repeller Electronic Plug , $19.67, was $25.99

Vanessa Spilios

Contributor

Vanessa received her culinary training at Boston U. and has a background in housewares product development & marketing. When not testing appliances or developing recipes, she spends her time drawing and tending to her small but mighty porch garden.

Source : food