Moth balls and rats: the truth - A box of mothballs won’t stop rats. Mothballs are a clever mixture of pesticides and deodorants compressed into t a tiny, vaporous, white ball. They will effectively keep moths and moth larvae at bay, but mothballs will do nothing against larger, nuisance animals. The vapors off mothballs are toxic but they cause more issues for the humans in the household than they do for the rodents you’re trying to get rid of. Rats are difficult to get rid of once they’ve declared an area desirable. Instinctually, a rat will not leave its territory unless the need is dire. Venturing beyond the established scent markings and safe pathways may mean exposure to predation. Mothballs are not a strong enough deterrent to force a rat out of its comfort zone. When trying to get rid of rats, you need to make sure any clean-up around your home or business has been taken care of and that areas allowing the rats access inside are sealed off. These little rodents can chew, so metal is the most advisable patch for external holes. Instead of putting down mothballs, consider placing some baited, snap traps in the areas of frequent rodent travel.
Do mothballs or ammonia help repel rats? Rat problem is surely complicated and disturbing for all members of the family. It is hard to find anyone who will think that rats are cute otherwise majority hates their presence because of the obvious reasons. They will damage the walls of your house, make a lot of disturbance and worst of all rats are responsible for spreading a number of diseases so it is better to get rid of them as soon as possible. You must be thinking about finding easy and simple solutions for dealing with the rat problems, but the hard part is that getting rid of them is not that much easy. Rat repellents are commonly found in the market and sellers usually associated big claims with them. However, we strongly suggest that you should stay alert towards the fact that majority of repellents are not that much affective and thus it will be unwise to associate high level of utility value with them. The best way of getting rid of rats is to trap them and relocate them to distant and safe places and after removing them you should seal all the holes and entry points. In simply words for getting rid of rats you will have to stop their access towards your property. Rat repellents are extensively found and among different types of products that are available ammonia and mothballs are the most popular ones, but the big question is that do mothballs or ammonia help repel rats? Let’s try to find the answer in this section.
Mothballs These are actually small balls which have been made using pesticides and deodorant. These are also used for storing clothes and other items from the damage, which can be inflicted by mold or larvae of moth. Different uses are associated with mothballs, but important point to highlight here is that people also regard them useful for repelling rats. In reality mothballs are not considered as affective for driving away rats in fact they bring many harms and damages because of the fact that pets and children can find them and if they consume them then there are many adverse affects to face. In simple words, these are not useful for getting rid of rats in any case so it is better that you should not depend upon them.
Ammonia Ammonia it surely has a bad smell which even humans can’t bear. Actual concept present behind its use is that bad smell will force the rats to go away, but this is a weak concept. Only because of bad smell rats are not going to leave their homes for dying outside by the hands of predators. Therefore, it is better that you should avoid using these products because they will not provide any decent result to you.
There are some really bizarre things thrown around on the internet when you research how to get rid of rats. Mothballs and ammonia are two things that we often hear homeowners using in a big to ‘repel’ or ‘deter’ these animals, but generally, most of the time, we are told they do not work. That’s why we are called in - to do the job that these so-called repellents just don’t do.
Mothballs, for example, are designed to repel moths. They contain a mixture of ingredients, one of which is insect repellent, and a rat isn’t an insect … That’s probably why it doesn’t work.
We can come up with three reasons why mothballs aren’t a good idea when it comes to trying to get rid of rats. In fact, we can probably come up with a hundred, but we’ll start with three:
1 - They are designed to get rid of moths, not rats.
2 - They are actually quite dangerous to the environment.
3 - They contain known carcinogens, and these cause cancer.
If that wasn't bad enough, you might actually poison your poor household pets by using mothballs, because, as we said, they’re dangerous to the environment. You certainly wouldn’t want Patch the dog or Jess the cat to come into contact with them. If you're a household with pets, neither ammonia or mothballs are a great idea. They are quite the opposite.
The mothballs that you can buy from stores in the US contain paradichlorobenzene and naphthalene. Both of these ingredients are volatile, and slowly transform into a gas from a solid - the form of mothballs. Just short term exposure to either of the two ingredients can cause adverse effects in humans - irritation to the eyes, nose and lungs, even causing coughing, and it could also lead to nausea and vomiting, and also headaches and an upset stomach. If you are exposed to these two compounds for a long period of time, more serious effects can start to happen, and this can include permanent damage to the kidney and liver.
Ammonia really is no better either, often bringing pretty negative side effects, yet homeowners are still using it as a way to somehow repel or deter rats. Even short term exposure to this gas, both colourless and an irritant, can cause a number of problems, including irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, a cough, tightness to the chest, a scratchy throat, and more. Long term exposure to the poison can be very dangerous, and even fatal in some cases, and that’s what you’ll want to avoid having the hanging around your home. If it could damage you and cause serious harm to your health, imagine what it could do to a much smaller human - a child, or even a pet.
These ‘homemade remedies’ might be cheaper and easier than the more traditional ways of getting rid of rats, mice and other rodents, but they certainly aren’t good for you or the environment. Trapping is the best way to deal with this problem - lethal snap traps that deal with the problem immediately, and without causing any undue stress or harm to the animal. We would love to recommend live cage traps, but unfortunately these often prove ineffective also. Relocated rats very rare survive anyway.
Give us a call to discuss the methods we would recommend to remove rats from your property. And trust us when we tell you that mothballs and ammonia are not the right way.
For more rat information, visit our
rat
removal tips page, or for more specific how-to instructions, read the
how to get rid of rats page with 6 step-by-step instructions. If you have a problem with rats above your ceiling in your house, read my
rats
in the attic guide. The most important part of rat control is sealing shut entry holes into the building, but after you've done that, you'll want to know
how to kill rats humanely to complete the rat control job. If you need to hire professional help in your city, click on my directory of over
200 rat removal companies servicing 95% of the USA. we can help your with your rat problem!
Read more articles about rats:
What equipment is needed to trap a rat? Will repellents get a rat out of the attic? (none work well) How much does rat removal cost? Where should I relocate a trapped rat? (outside the home, after you seal the house) Do relocated rats survive? (no, they perish out of their usual territory) How to get free rat removal 
