Former Great British Bake Off champion and cleaning fan Nancy Birtwhistle has shared her natural and non-toxic remedy for keeping mice away from your home this summer. Appearing on ITV’s This Morning in June, Nancy discussed various ways she keeps pests out of sight and out of mind, either in her home or in her garden.

Nancy explained that she “couldn’t bring herself” to set a mouse trap down for the mouse she found in her garden shed. Instead, she opted for a natural homemade remedy which helps them scurry away. All you need is an ingredient that’s very common for baking.

The cleaning fan declared that mice hate peppermint, so she bought a bottle of peppermint extract to do the job. Nancy added a few teaspoons of peppermint extract into a spray bottle filled with 500 milliliters of water.

Once the spray nozzle is on, spray the solution around all areas of the house and garden. She said: “And that’s not gonna harm anything but… they hate the smell.”

Host Cat Deeley asked: “Does this work on anything else or just mice?”

Nancy replied: “I think many insects don’t like peppermint. So if you wanted something really easy, cheap. Just peppermint extract in water.”

According to The Kitchn, the reason mice despise peppermint is because they find it overwhelming and confusing. It wrote: “Essentially the strong scent of the peppermint disguises their pheromones on pathways they’ve taken. It should be noted, however, that if mice are actually living in your house, the smell of peppermint isn’t going to make them abandon their happy home (and yours).”

However, pest expert Rentokil has dispelled some myths surrounding mice’s dislike of peppermint. There is an assumption that mice are quite sensitive to smells, so high concentrations of peppermint oil will upset their sense of smell and ward them off.

Mice have a keen sense of smell, which enables them to identify specific odours and distinguish between the smell of foods and the scent of predators.

Peppermint can be used as a short term solution, as the oil may irritate the mouse’s sense of smell for a while, but ultimately will not deter them forever. The pest experts recommend preventative measures as the best thing to keep mice away from your property.