This may sound strange to some readers. How exactly does salt kill rats? Is it even possible? How can I go about it?

Where do I apply it? Questions, questions, questions!!! There’s a possibility that all of these thoughts or questions are going through your mind right now.

You only need to stick with us as we get into the details of our discussion. All the questions which may likely result will be fully resolved before the end.

So, without further delay, let’s delve into the details on the topic; killing rats with salt.

Does Salt Kill Rats?

This is an important question and a response to claims and rumors about salt’s ability to kill rats.

While there are claims in some quarters in support of this, it’s hardly verifiable. According to some of these claims, the effect salt has on rats depends on how much of it they eat.

SEE: Killing Rats With Antifreeze

Now, most people know that rats won’t readily get attracted to salt.

There needs to be some form of bait created to lure them. To formulate the diet, 930 grams of rat chow (a life-cycle diet designed to feed lab rats) needs to be mixed with about 80 grams of salt per.

That’s way too much salt than the rat’s body can take. This formulation should be properly mixed and fed to rats. According to such reports, rats get killed when they feed on the formulated diet.

Rat Salt Control Isn’t Sustainable

If indeed salt truly serves to kill rats, the method isn’t sustainable and efficient.

Here, you’ll need to get chow, measure, and formulate a mixture. All these processes may not affect the rat population. When faced with a rat infestation, these may still roam around your home despite making and placing your salt diet.

Your best bet is to adopt proven and effective rat extermination strategies, especially when dealing with an infestation.

Reliable Methods to Kill Rats

The word “alternative methods” would have been used if the use of salt was a well-proven rat extermination strategy.

However, since it’s not, we’ll consider reliable and natural ways to kill rats. Salt is a readily available food ingredient that’s found in most homes.

So, we’ll need to find other “everyday-use” or common household items that can be applied for rat extermination.

There are lots of home remedies for rat problems. Some of these home remedies kill rats while others repel them.

Properly applying any of them should readily solve your rat problems.

These home remedies include cocoa powder & Plaster of Paris, peppermint oil, potato powder, hot pepper flakes, garlic bulb, onions, ammonia spray, and cloves. There are several more.

However, we’ll dwell on these by providing you with some details on how they work to keep rats at bay.

  • Cocoa Powder & Plaster of Paris

One of the ways you can kill rats using natural means requires making a mixture of cocoa powder and plaster from Paris. You’ll need a tablespoon of cocoa powder with a small amount of plaster of Paris (could be equal amounts or parts).

These two should be well mixed and sprinkled around the paths or trails most followed by rats. Cocoa powder serves as bait and attracts rats to a feast. Having ingested this mixture, they become severely dehydrated suffocate in the process and die.

With some luck, these rats should find their way out of your home while seeking help. This method will cost you next to nothing, yet is an effective strategy for rat extermination.

  • Peppermint Oil

With peppermint oil, you’re able to repel rats from your surroundings. Though the scent of this essential oil may be pleasing, rats find it very irritating and won’t stay in their surroundings giving off such a scent.

Get to work by dipping several cotton balls in peppermint oil.

These should be placed at various points of your home (most notably those areas you’ve noticed rat activity or seen their droppings).

Before long, rats will find your home uninhabitable, thus forcing them to move out of your space.

  • Potato Powder

Potato powder not only repels rats but also kills them.

Instead of using salt for rat extermination which isn’t fully verified, consider using this method to get relief. Potato powder looks inviting and yummy to rats. They invite themselves once you sprinkle this around your home.

When ingested, potato powder causes complications for rats. The potato flakes cause bloating or swelling within their intestine which leads to the death of such rats.

  • Hot Pepper Flakes

This spicy food ingredient also serves to repel rats.

Hot pepper flakes are known to cause sneezing among other effects when the tiniest of particles are inhaled from the air. The effects are much more pronounced in rats as they are very irritated by coming around areas with sprinkled hot pepper flakes.

Therefore, you can use this to your advantage by sprinkling along areas most frequented by these rats to make such places unsuitable for them to remain.

  • Garlic Bulb

Garlic is known to possess a pungent smell that rats and other pests detest. Based on this fact, consider making some garlic spray by chopping some garlic and mixing it with water.

This solution can either be sprayed directly around your home and rat-infested areas or spreading the cloves themselves along the paths most followed by these rodents.

  • Onions

Much like garlic, onions also have a pungent scent which though loved by most people is loathed by rats.

Place these onions around your home and areas where rats frequent the most. You can also make an onion spray and apply it as frequently as possible. Sustained onion scent drives away rats.

  • Ammonia Spray

Get some cotton balls and spray some ammonia on them to deter rats.

These should then be placed at strategic points such as close to rat holes and most followed routes. This creates an unpleasant condition and also suffocates them.

Rats will move out of such areas as soon as they can to avoid the smell.

Killing rats with salt may be possible but isn’t widely recognized. This is seen by the claims and counterclaims about its efficacy. We’ve provided information on that as well as included information on simple home remedies to tackle an infestation.

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