Goodnature Clever Killer mouse trap review - Is this a better mouse trap?

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REVIEW – I live in a rural area surrounded by 12 acres of woods. No matter how many times we’ve made sure there are no holes for mice to get into the house, they still manage to find a way in. Usually, we’ll just hear one scratching in the ceiling. But occasionally, we’ll see one or evidence of one. Yuck! Then there are times when one has died in a wall or the ceiling and we get to enjoy the lovely aroma of the dead mouse for a couple of days. Double yuck! We’ve tried poison and we’ve tried traditional traps. Both are gross. When the offer to review the Goodnature Clever Killer Mouse Trap came to me, I didn’t hesitate to accept it. Let’s check it out.

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $99.99
Where to buy: Goodnature and Amazon

What is it?

The Goodnature Clever Killer is a rechargeable, Bluetooth-enabled mouse trap that automatically resets itself.

What’s included?

Clever Killer mouse trap
2 baits
USB-C charging cable
Quick start guide

Design and features

The Goodnature Clever Killer mouse trap is a non-threatening device as far as how it looks. It’s made of white plastic with an orange button and knob.

The “business” end of the trap has a narrow slot that the mouse can crawl into.

The opposite end has a USB-C charging port and an orange knob that is actually the holder for the bait.

The knob unscrews so that you can load the bait.

The trap comes with two baits that Goodnature calls peanut butter and jelly donuts. It does look like a donut with a hole in the center, but it’s not sticky or gooey. It’s more like a dry peanut butter-scented waxy plug that fits into the back of the orange knob. Each bait is designed to last for 3 months before it needs to be changed. You can buy additional baits through the Goodnature website for $14.99 which includes 4 baits that will last a full year.

The instructions tell you to rub the bait on the entrance of the trap before you install the donut into the trap.

Here’s a look at the trap’s striker mechanism. It kills the mouse when it detects that a mouse has stepped into the trap looking for the bait. Note that the mouse can’t get access to and eat the bait. It’s just there as a lure.

Unlike other mouse traps, this trap does not use CO2 cartridges. The striker mechanism is battery-powered. A full charge allows for 100 consecutive strikes and should last about a year before you need to recharge it with the included USB-C cable.

Goodnature app

The Goodnature app is very simple to use and understand. It’s basically a status app that shows the battery charge level, and will notify you when a strike has occurred. It will also let you know when to change the bait.

Let’s “catch” a mouse

A couple of weeks before I received the Goodnature mouse trap review sample, we were watching TV in our basement living room when we saw a mouse run across the floor. We hoped our cat Ozzy would catch it, but he just wanted to play with it. It ended up getting away from him and ran into our utility room. We finally ended up catching it with an old fashioned trap (ick), but I figured placing the Goodnature trap in this area would be a sure way to test it.

I first placed the trap in the middle of the utility room floor, and nothing happened for two weeks. Then, I moved it to a more hidden area between a freezer and a storage container. Again, nothing happened.

So I moved it to another corner of the room behind our clothes dryer and waited… and waited… and waited… and waited… I waited for months for it to catch a mouse. I recharged when required and replaced the bait when prompted. Now, I have to be honest and say that during that time, we didn’t notice any other evidence of mice in our basement. But sometimes when I checked the Goodnature trap, there would be a mouse poop near it. So a mouse was in that room at one point.

But then we began hearing the pitter patter of a mouse running across the ceiling again, so I kept my fingers crossed that it would catch a mouse and I could finally call this review finished. And then it happened! I was lying in bed early one morning when my phone buzzed with an alert.

It worked! But guess what? When I checked the trap, there was no dead mouse. UGH! At this point, I was like, forget it. I’ll go back to the d-CON poison and regular traps that while messy, do work.

Final thoughts

Over the years, we’ve used edible poison bait like d-CON, and traditional traps from Victor. While they work, they can be hard to set (who else gets the heeby jeebies trying to set a wooden mouse trap?) and messy to use. I was excited to test the Goodnature Clever Killer mouse trap because there are no springs, messy baits, or poison to deal with. However, the Clever Killer mouse trap wasn’t clever and never killed a mouse. So no, this isn’t a better mouse trap. It’s just another gadget that promises to be easier to use, but in reality, it’s not at all.

What I like about the Goodnature Clever Killer mouse trap

Easy to use, set, and recharge
Comes with 2 baits
App alerts you when it’s been triggered
Non-messy / non-toxic bait

What needs to be improved?

Everything?

Price: $99.99
Where to buy: Goodnature and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Goodnature. Goodnature did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.