STOP mice from getting into an RV

#rvlife #travel #mice

2021-06-10

Have you ever had a mouse problem in your RV? We've certainly had a few, and let me say it’s not a good feeling. If you haven't yet, consider yourself lucky, but if you're reading this you likely have or are at least worried about the little suckers getting in. Now that we have our mouse situation under control we can pass on these five tips to help keep mice out of your RV.

Park with Care

The first thing you can do to reduce the chance of getting mice in your RV is to pick your parking spot carefully. Flat concrete surfaces with no vegetation are better than open fields with tall grass. The grass gives mice protection from predators and makes it easier for them to get close to your trailer and if it's long enough it could even provide a way for them to climb up.

Also beware of campsites where people have not been careful about their cleanliness. If previous guests have discarded food scraps, mice and other wildlife will be in abundance and eagerly awaiting their next feast.

The weather makes a difference too. Be more alert for the presence of mice when it's cool and damp. They will be looking for a nice warm dry place to shelter and build a nest. Picking your parking spot can be tough if you've never been to a location before and aren't sure which sites would be best. Reading reviews ahead of time can help give you an idea of what to expect.

Of course sometimes you'll have no choice but to park in an area with a high rodent risk. In these situations you should keep a sharp lookout for signs like mouse droppings or scratching sounds at night.

Reduce attractants

The best way to keep mice from coming into your trailer is to reduce anything that might attract them. Make sure to seal up all your food in air-tight containers, keep all of your surfaces clean, and if you have a pet clean up their food dish immediately after feeding and don't leave food out all day. Finally don't leave around any bits of paper napkins or anything that might be used as bedding to make a nest.

Plug up holes

Even if your RV is squeaky clean and has no attractants, mice still may want to come in and make a home in a nice warm dry environment. To prevent this you need to plug up any potential entry points. RVs are full of holes. There are many places where wires and pipes enter and most of these are not sealed tight but don't just stuff the holes with cloth. Mice will just push or gnaw their way through.

To seal these holes the best materials to use are either steel wool or spray foam insulation. Just be sure to be careful when you're applying spray foam insulation since it expands a lot. Read the directions carefully and go slow.

Finally adding a properly rated screen over the furnace exhaust can also help prevent mice from getting into the furnace and ducting system.

Mouse Repellents

The internet is awash with suggestions for mouse repellents and in fact one of the top suggestions has been debunked many times but still seems to come up in forums. Of these 4 popular mouse repellents, only one of them has actually been proven to work consistently.

 

• Irish spring soap is constantly recommended but according to top mouse YouTuber Sean Woods it doesn't work at all. In fact there have been reports of mice actually eating the soap.
• Another popular repellent, one that we tried, is the ultrasonic mouse plug-in. Again some people claim that this works but when put to the test it doesn't seem to. In fact we have since learned that there have been some false advertising claims and class action lawsuits around these devices.
• Dryer sheets are another one we would not recommend. Once they lose their scent they could actually become an attractant to make nice bedding material for their nests.
• The one repellent we would recommend is peppermint essential oil. It's all natural and has been tested and verified to repel rodents. As a bonus it also repels other pests like ants, wasps and spiders. Do be careful with mint oil if you have pets though since high concentrations of mint can be toxic to both cats and dogs. Be sure to put it somewhere that your pets can't access it.

Feline friends

Okay so this solution may not work for everyone, but enlisting the help of a feline friend can do wonders. It may have taken us a lot longer to realize that we had a mouse problem if Benny hadn't woken us up in the middle of the night with his hunting. We’ve even heard of people borrowing friends' cats to put them in their RV for a couple nights!

That said, having a cat can also help attract rodents since mice enjoy eating cat food almost as much as cats do. So if you do have a cat make sure to clean up well after they eat and keep their food sealed in an airtight container.

If you do use the help of a cat, make sure that s/he is properly dewormed with the supervision of a veterinary team. We don’t want your cat getting parasites from the mice. Cause that would be gross, and would also increase the chances of the cat passing a parasite on to you! Double gross!    

Until next time, keep on living the life you’ve imagined!

Mel, Jay & Benny