Whether you live in a country, city or suburb, you may have to fight various pests in your living space. I have tried almost all the pest control techniques in this book. So far, the easiest and simplest tool to keep mice away is this electromagnetic and ultrasonic plug-in device.

This is the first article in any new series called Lifehacker Comment. We asked what you would like us to review, and when you came back, you came up with a lot of ideas-including a product I have tried myself: Hoont indoor insect repellent.

We at Lifehacker are born to serve, and recently we have been eager to make more comments. The only logical thing...

I once let pigeons build nests in my drain, squirrels dig holes behind my siding, and ants invade my kitchen every year. However, to me, no pest is as cunning, tenacious and disgusting as a mouse. The exterminator set up traps and patched holes around my house with steel wool. I tried humane traps, allowing you to catch and release mice elsewhere, spray peppermint oil (a so-called natural mouse deterrent) around my kitchen, and even, in despair, I used coyote urine and Lynx makes "urinal" urine (my dog ​​is not a big fan of that. By the way, a great way to start a pee competition). Somehow, the mouse escaped all these tricks—even removing peanut butter and cheese shards from the trap—and continued to eat our food.

Living in New York, you always have to fight some kind of kitchen pests. I live in

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Three months ago, I decided to try the Hoont Indoor Insect Repellent. Since then, we have never had a rat problem again-no longer need to clean up feces, dispose of dead rats, or need to hide all food in rat-proof glass containers. This is a huge relief.

I hope I haven't waited so long, but I have had bad experiences with similar products in the past. A few years ago, in my old apartment, I tried one of these gadgets and it was almost ridiculous to see a mouse actually hanging around the device. But since all other options did not work, I decided to try again.

I chose Hoont insect repellent because it combines low price ($30), good reviews (4.2 stars on Amazon) and features. Unlike similar devices (including the best-selling Rid Tech insect repellent, the kind suggested by Lifehacker reviewers), Hoont uses ultrasound to deter pests and electromagnetic technology, sending electrical pulse signals through the wiring inside the wall, which are said to interfere with existing The nest and prevent pests from passing through the walls. It also has flashing lights to let you know that it is working, and you can choose to change the frequency wave so that the pests will not get used to high-frequency sounds. This is probably its most important function, because one of the biggest criticisms of these devices is that they can only work for a short time (a few days) before the pests get used to the noise. Multiple frequencies make this more like a permanent, cruelty and invisible barrier between my family and these pests.

I installed three such devices in the places where we most often see rats: the kitchen, the dining room, and the basement. According to the manufacturer, the effective area of ​​the eliminator can reach 5,000 square feet, but ultrasound cannot penetrate hard surfaces such as furniture, cabinets, and ceilings, so you need to equip each room with one.

The instructions that came with the device lack detailed information, but basically you just plug the device into a power source and wait for it to work, which can take up to a week. (The instructions do warn that when the pests start to be disturbed and scramble to leave your home, you may notice more pest activity at first. For us, the rats will take about four days after inserting the Hoont insect repellent Disappeared.)

So far, we have entered a mouse-free life for three months! However, a few weeks ago, I was worried that the insect repellent had stopped working. We found the terrible mouse shit in the kitchen again. There was a big storm that week and we are building our house, so I think these two factors may drive a new mouse (or a lonely mouse) in. However, my confidence in the equipment was restored: after that day, we have had no signs of rats since then. I think a new rat (or rat) came in, was irritated by the ultrasound, and then left quickly. For me, this is how insect repellents should work: not only to drive away existing pests, but also to prevent new ones from entering.

Hoont Pest Repeller should also be able to fight mice, ants, cockroaches, fleas, bats and other pests. Thankfully, I don’t have to test them, even though it doesn’t seem to work for fruit flies, because those bugs still occasionally show up in my house uninvited. However, I use fruit flies to deal with mice every day. These fruit flies are easy to get rid of.

Fruit flies are very annoying, fast, and difficult to catch and get rid of. Last month we...

Although Hoont Pest Repeller is a success story for me, I must warn you that your mileage may vary. Research and other people's personal experiences with electronic pest control devices have mixed results, none of which can claim to be 100% effective (although Hoont does have a satisfaction guarantee). Especially when it comes to stopping insects such as mosquitoes, research on electronic insect repellents shows that they do not work (perhaps because there are more than one million insects, some may respond to ultrasound, but others do. Know nothing, Sonic Technology pointed out).

Sonic insect repellent, whether they are used to prevent mosquitoes in the backyard barbecue or...

The short distance of these devices and their inability to work in corners or around furniture does not help. Today’s host offers this test to see if you have a good location for one of the following:

To test the location of the device, place a light next to the device, turn off all other lights, and pay attention to the light beam and shadow of the light. Repelling sound waves will almost only work where the light reaches.

Most of Amazon's negative reviews on this involved insects, although some reviewers did say that it was effective for their error problems. At $30 per room, if you are tired of dealing with pests (especially mice) and just want to get them out of your home in the cleanest and most humane way, then this is really worth a try. At least, it is more pleasant than coyote urine.