Gadget: The Big Cheese Advanced Pest Repeller

Hoots mon! There's a moose loose aboot this hoose! I was gingerly closing the fridge door, balancing a slice of peanut butter cheesecake in one hand, when suddenly I heard an almighty scream.

As I spun round to face my girlfriend I saw my Sunday afternoon treat take flight from my fingertips, landing with a squelch, cream side up, on the floor.

The cause of this drama? A flash of black that scurried across the floor in an instant. After another brief cameo appearance, the mouse (which I nicknamed Geraldine) darted with Usain Bolt-like pace from the kitchen to somewhere in the dining room.

Geraldine is currently in hiding. Having named the little blighter, I wanted to ask her to leave politely, rather than evicting her with the help of a conventional mousetrap.

I made a quick trip to B&Q and swiftly installed the Big Cheese Advanced Pest Repeller – which looks a bit like one of those plug-in air fresheners. Instead of delivering the sweet scent of cherry blossom, though, it uses an electromagnetic signal which is pulsed through walls and ceilings via the electrical wiring system within your house.

It also has a dual ultrasonic mode which is supposed to target any furry friends in the immediate vicinity. With no audible noise apart from the occasional hum, I had to rely on the LED lights on the front of the repeller to assure me that it was working.

The packaging reassuringly testifies to the product being canine, feline and child safe.

Geraldine has yet to reappear, so for the time being it's a cautious recommendation. At under 30, I'm happy to be humane – but I've got a mousetrap in reserve in case.

This article was first published in The Scotsman on 19 June.