I’m not sure if you have ever dealt with a mouse problem in your home or RV, but those little guys can be a huge problem and we gathered up the best ideas for how to keep mice out of campers, garages, and houses. This is by far one of the cheapest (and most cruelty-free) method to keep the critters away. No need for traps!
We love to camp and this 1976 Scotty trailer was our first camper. We have made so many awesome memories in this cute little thing. Honestly, I’m not the camping type so my husband has always tried to glam it up a bit to keep me interested in going on our camping trips. One thing that is a sure way of keeping me away is critters in the camper!
Now that Fall is here, mice will find their way into RV’s, homes, and garages to keep warm so now’s the time to use one of these ideas to keep them out of your living space.
How to keep Mice out of Campers
Place a bar or two of Irish Spring soap in your trailer. Critters absolutely hate the strong smell of the soap, and will stay far away from it. You can also leave the bars of soap in your garage, basement, or anywhere else you suspect pests are hiding…
Place dryer sheets in areas that you suspect critters to enter or hide. Be sure to change the dryer sheets every few weeks to keep the scent strong enough to keep them away…
Soak cotton balls with peppermint oil and place them in suspected areas…
Moth balls are also a good idea. I personally do not prefer to use this, but others do not mind the smell…
Here are some other ways to keep the mice away…
Steel Wool – covering holes that mice can get through, they don’t like the metal.
Aluminum Foil – blocking passages.
Keeping areas clean and tidy will really help giving critters no areas to hide in. Also making sure all food is put away and sealed.
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209 comments on “How to keep Mice out of Campers”
All of the above are great ideas! Use more than one or two and be sure they stay out. Paprika in shallow containers (cover from round oleo containers) keep ants out as well.
Wonder if these tricks work on ants
I used dryer sheets to get rid of carpenter ants when I first moved into my home. We couldn’t figure out how they were getting into the house, and my neighbor suggested putting them into or on top of our heating vents (it was summer so they weren’t being used, but you can also just scrub the vents with them for a minute or two if you are actively using) and also wiping the baseboards of whichever room they were invading. Worked like a charm. Apparently they were using the vents to travel throughout the house, and as soon as we used the dryer sheets as a so called “barrier” they were gone after a few days. Give it a try! We used Bounce dryer sheets. Hope this helps you.
Cayenne pepper works well with ants
Try mixing a little icing sugar with borax for ants, in a container with a lid (to keep pets out), with small holes cut in for the ants to enter
Talcum powder. Dust the ant pathways. They will not go near the stuff and after awhile they stop
Trying. I thing it coats their feet snd antennas and that’s
What they track with. Pet and kid friendly.
Use bay leaf for ants just stuff the cracks where you see them
Ants you should use vinegar and baking soda mixed together and make a paste and leave little chunks of baking soda and they will bring the baking soda to their nest and die. It will leave a paste but u clean your floors after and your good.
Sprinkle baby powder where you see the ants coming and going. They don’t like the texture or the smell.
Moth balls work. I have issues with ants making my mailbox their nursery. They do not like it.
I personally had an ant problem at my business! They came from under a baseboard & trailed half way across the office! I checked out the internet & found the suggestion of cornmeal! Since I had a small dog with his bed within a foot of where they came in, I decided to try it. I put a small mound in front of their entrance which I replenished every day. Well guess what? As they carried the cornmeal back to their little home, they totally disappeared in about 4 days!
I use bay leaves to keep ants away. And it works. You can get bay leaves from the spice isle in your local grocery store Good luck
I had a terrible ant problem in my parkmodel. I used bay leaf. Not fresh but whole leaf from the seasoning isle. It was not instant it took a few days but they never came back. I don’t have to keep sugar in the fridge anymore.
I had ants every spring and fall I called Orkin for 1 year will come by every three months (uless called) so next spring and fall i am covered, for only 153.00 per year took care of spiders to.Man I spent more in that on products trying to get rid of them.They treat inside and out.
I used to have an ant problem in my apartment and got them from the cracks in the walls, so by the cracks to the floor where they were coming in took some sweet n low poked holes in the package and taped the ends of the packages to the cracks. By the end of the day they gone. The best stuff for ants.
I heard to use cinnamon oil for ants. Haven’t tried it so can’t verify it, but with a shot? I ordered some of Ebay for a little over $1
Mix up Borax ( 20 Mule Team ) sugar and water into paste balls. The ants eat the paste and carry it back to their nest. It kills them.
What has worked best for ants for me was mixing borax with sugar and water. (It is poisonous to animals and human). But I mix it up put in on disposable plates near where’s they like to go abandon they love t the come running for a few days to get it and take it back to the nest and it kills them plus all the ones in the nest
For ants I used Murphy’s oil soap and it keeps them from coming in my kitchen
My mom always used cinnamon and it seemed to get rid of ants
Ment will work on ants they hate the stuff
Ants do not like cinnamon. Try spreading it around where you see them.
jane use Borax soap and 10x powdered sugar. We buy Mule Team Borax powder laundry detergent at the supermarket. Mix the Borax powder with the powdered sugar 50/50 and then just leave it out. The ants will take the mix back to their nests and it kills them. Every spring we do the perimeter of our house with this and it works like a charm. It may take a week to kill them all off but it does work. It kills the whole nest. I love it. No chemicals… Although if you have pets put it somewhere where they won’t’ have access to it.
Thank you I’m going to try all these things I live in the Mojave Desert and I’m hoping something will work thank you so much appreciate it Jason
If you can get some double 0 steel wool and put in every little crack and hole you have in your house. I dont know about any of the other ideas but double I steel wool nice and eats will not chew through. It is to find and sticks their mouths.
Sorry mice will eat threw the aluminum foil.
Rats chew through everything
how do i get rid of rats
Put out a 5 gallon pail with about 1/3 to 1/2 full of water. Sprinkle some oats, or other type of feed on top of the water. Lean a board on the bucket as a ramp. The rats will climb the ramp, fall or jump int to eat the feed and drown.
D-con (brand name) is advertised as a rat poison
Blow torch
It’s a huge challenge. We had rats living in our shed and tried traps and bait and could not get rid of them. Unitl we cleared everything out the entire shed. After cleaning out, we sprayed it down inside and around the outside with the original Sol-u-mel, a Melaleuca product that a Pointe Pest Control guy recommended to destroy their scent trail. (We put a dilution in one of those big pressurized sprayers.) You could start with the Sol-u-mel spray and see if it deters them. I’ve read that rats don’t like strong odors like Tea Tree Oil (which sol-u-mel is made from. I didn’t try this method early on). If you choose to try rat bait, be warned that some dogs are attracted to it and it will kill them. To prevent rats from coming back, plug all holes where they can get in, including gaps in doors (use metal flashing or fine gauge wire screen) remove all food sources that could attract them (pet food, bird seed, etc) and store items in plastic tubs not cardboard boxes or other materials that can be used for nesting or hiding. I remain rat-free so far……Good luck to you!
We have had this issue in our garage, car and 5th wheel. We have done EVERYONE of these tried and true remedies. NONE have worked. My car is at the dealers right now getting de moused for the 2nd time. These pests are relentless.
We use packets of filled with saw dust and balsam oil.We have tried everything mentioned, and nothing else has worked. Put them in every drawer, cabinet under the hood of our RV. Several in each room, too. Good luck!
Get a black snake and turn it loose in you car or house. They will stop your mouse problem. Don’t use with Chicken farming. They also love eggs.
how does the dealer domouse a car??
Rodent sheriff strong peppermint. Google it.
We had mice in our fireplace insert. We could hear them scratching on the inside. I put a bowl of Coca-Cola by their enter point & they were gone within a week. They can’t digest the carbonation, get a belly ache & die.
Have you tried cinnamon scented pinecones or cinnamon sticks for the mice in your rv? I use them and have never had mice in my rv during winter storage.
THERE ARE SOME NEW PRODUCTS ONE IS CALLED MOUSE MAGIC.. THERE IS ALSO A SPRAY CALLED RODENT DEFENSE FOR THE WIRES IN CAR.. THOSE COVERS OVER THE WIRES HAVE SOY IN THEM .. ALSO A SOLAR MOLE STICK.. IT VIBRATES THE GROUND AND ALSO KEEPS THE MICE AWAY FROM VEHICLE..
When you have an infestation of mice (they are very territorial) the only way to get rid of them is mouse poison. The soap might deter new mice from coming in but once they are established they will not leave. Unfortunately there is no humane way to get rid of them. But you need to locate their entry points, ours was the garage, and then put bait in locations other animals cannot eat it. We even pit in our central air conditioner unit after they chewed through wiring.
Didnt you have them die inside the walls after ingesting poison and then have to deal with the real of decomposing mice? That happened when they set out poison in our office. The smell was unbearable.
Our 5th wheel is a haven for mice too. I’ve now blocked any portals for them to enter with expanding spray foam, especially around the water lines… we have used Irish Spring soap for years and it does help. Good luck!
We had a invasion of mice in our 5th wheel one winter. Patched holes around water/drain pipes, then went to the Dollar Store, bought a box of dryer sheets. No mice in the spring, but looked like we had an an explosion of dryer sheets. Still better than the damage those little rodents caused!!!
Moth balls are not a good idea. The vapors are poisonous especially to children. Just inhaling the vapors can make people very sick. The other ideas are worth trying.
I have the moth balls in my garage. The smell makes me gag, but I haven’t seen any mice.
Thanks
Would the soap work in my cars engine??? Apparently I have a critter living in the engine….
Both of our cars are garaged all winter, yet rodents have disabled both of them by eating the wires under the hood. I heard of one SUV that was totaled by over $2000 rodent damage.
I used moth balls wrapped in nylon stockings and placed the bundles in the engine compartment.
a neighbor mentioned the month balls in her engine unfortunately they had already eaten her wires
Just pour some oil on the engine after its heated up, the hot engine will not allow the oil to stick but will allow the engine to run smoother and the slick coating will keep critters away. Best place to pour it is on the exhaust manifold while motor is hot and running. 10w30 works the best
Fox urine has kept critters out of the engine area of our vehicle after over $1000.00 of damage caused by them chewing on just about every exposed hose and wire. Sprinkle it around the perimeter of the area where the vehicle normally sits. Also placed some cotton balls (sprayed with the urine) in a mesh bag and hung it in the engine compartment. No problem since.
Was wondering same thing. Thinking the high temperature from the engine may melt the soap.
They will eat the wiring in your car. It cost me 1500 to repair mine. Bad creatures.
So, where is that beautiful Scotty located? & Thank you for these tips! I will use them at our hunting/vacation camp
that was my first trailer too. we loved it/ going to try the Irish spring in my garage, and Florida room
Yes we have that problem with mice when our dog don’t chase them away but thanks for the information I will try that
Hi do you know how to get rid of roches
Combat max roach killing gel it works and yu can get it from Walmart
Yes it really does work. You can get it at Ace Hardware too.
How does that work ?
A mixture of boric acid and icing sugar. I put it in bottle caps and place them in the infected areas out of each of dogs and children. Handle with care. I’ve been told to use gloves and a mask when handling. We went away for winter and sprinkled it all over our counter tops. We also lowered the thermostat and shut off the water. Having had such a cold winter they were all gone when we returned in the spring. We had to get boric acid from a pharmacist as it is no longer on store shelves anywhere.
Love the idea of bottle caps to put it in. Thank you
BELIEVE IT OR NOT. THE BEST THING TO USE IS WD40. SERIOUSLY! Just saw it on the news recently
How does WD work?
I had problem with them because of a neighbor before and went to a feed and seed store and got a powder called demitrice earth or DE I probably put wrong spelling. But it works
Diatomaceous Earth
Ive heard hot sauce. Put a few drops every foot or so around the parimeter of each room.
Advion sygenta cockroach gel, you can get on Amazon it’s amazing and they are gone almost overnight. Used this a few years ago no roaches since.
Boric Acid around all the baseboards, as well as where there is any water source. Same ingredients as in Roach Prufe. Roaches get it on their legs and take back to the nest and it kills the whole nest. This was told to me by and exterminator, and it WORKS!.
Combat gel. Works wonder.
Try mixing boric acid (powder) with a little powdered sugar. Put it in old jar lids and set in problem areas.
Try sprinkling boric acid. It will get on their bodies & legs and take it back to their nest.
Line the area with baking ‘soda’. Roaches can’t fart. So, they ingest the soda an then ‘explode’. Laugh if you want, but it works!
Keep your stuff clean
Put boric acid powder around where the roaches are found.
Boric acid powder works good and any gel roach bait works good too .Just put a
Small dab.on floor of inside of kitchen, bath cabinets near hinged side of door at floor. Hope this helps .
Boric acid, mix in some powdered sugar. Put it in the back of cabinets, behind appliances. It got rid of ours quickly where the foggersers didn’t work
I have used roach motels (Walmart generic brand) with great success.
A mixture of boric acid and sugar with a little water. Place in a small container like a cap from a milk jug. Woris for ants too.
Sprinkle some diatomaceous earth all over. It’s a white powdery substances that will get stuck in the exoskeleton and draw out the body’s moisture. It’s all natural. Look it up for more ways to use it. I bought mine on amazon. I bought human grade and eat it everyday in my protein shake.
Put 20 mule team borax with a little sugar atound your home they will eat it and than die
Very Interesting, never new these tricks.
I will try
Will try it
Thanks for heads up with the Irish spring
We have a critter in our Rv who loves
Toilet & Paper towel. We definetly put the iris spring in spots that they come on but a
We’ll put it inthe tubs to keep it fresh.
I have used moth balls before for one winter and the mice simply made their nest around the mothballs as if they liked them. The mice destroyed the canvas on our camper that year.
We had that same experience. Dryer sheets seem to work the best. Also pack up and remove all food and bedding materials. I put all of the sheets into space saver bags and sealed them up.
Moth balls worked for me, I used for years
Hahaha not laughing at your problem but your mice and mine must be kin. They bathe in the peppermint oil and make clothes with the dryer sheets. 🙂 Haha
Be very careful of the moth balls. They have a cemical that is not good to inhail. Exspcial for the young and elderly!
Also please check your state putting noth balls around outside of your home keep other things away
Yeah… They keep away snakes too.
Yes..You are right..Never put moth balls in your home..cancer-causing carcinogens.
They can also cause fire I heard
HOW!, do you get they’re little “Legs’, Apart!??
I was waiting for someone to crack that joke. LOL!
Love these ideas I’m battling mice now and can’t set the traps quick enough and I hate setting the darn things
Try the glue boards. Nothing to set, they will accept multiple occupants and are a snap to get rid of.
Glue boards are absolutely horrendous inventions. If killing them is necessary, then make it a quick and painless ordeal. Not one where the lay there and slowly starve to death while fighting to free themselves.
i totallyyyy agree Alyson !
You obviously have never had mice in your home they defecate on anything and everything i dont care how they die as long as there dead there nasty germ spreading thing that can get your hole family sick 1 dead mouse or your the health of your family i say starve the sucker
I’ve tried the glue strips and they don’t work for me. Didn’t catch any and still see droppings behind the couch and my house is clean.
The glue strips weren’t working for me either, then I stuck a “Cheeto” in the middle of it and the mice couldn’t resist it. Caught (2) of those nasty little critters that way.
I love the camper. It is SOOO cute
Joyce
I will NEVER, EVER use a glue board. They are a despicable, horrible way to die. Very inhumane
I completely agree with Alyson. Glue traps are extremely inhumane. I found a mom & 1 baby on 1 glue board someone had set. It was awful to see.
We have had a two month long battle with them in a rental house to the point I set and cried it was so bad. They hate peppermint so I got peppermint tea bags and put under the appliances,on top of cabinets,in closets,even taped them inside the air vents. So far it’s been my only relief. The pest control company could not even get rid of them. Hope this helps
WILL TRY THR PEPPERMINT TEA BAGS.
Last year we had a mice problem too and I hated setting traps. I heard about the dryer sheets and the soap. I put moth balls outside on the ground AnD the dryer sheets and soap inside. I’ll check every month for signs of mice inside . Only just getting chilly here in Ohio but so far so good
“Victor power kill” traps are the best very easy to set
The best thing I’ve found is the Victor electronic traps. No mess and a blinking light lets you know you have a kill.
I use “Just one Bite” sell it at feed store
And then any other amimal that eats that mouse be it a cat, dog, eagle etc. will also die a horrendous death as they bleed to death.
Use peppermint essential oil. Add a few drops on a sponge then water. Wrap in aluminium foil. Then poke holes in the aluminium foil. Check and when the sponge is dry just add water. Voila peppermint is back!! I use in my garage where I keep my birdseed and cat and dog food for people in my area that need help!!
I got cats I had them real bad had to throw away a lot of things when I moved to the country out of the city
Yep
Had an unwrapped bar of soap (Irish Spring) under my sink along with 5 wrapped bars. The mouse actually chewed on the bar of soap.