We were recently browsing Facebook (did you know we have more than 30 RVtravel.com Facebook groups?) when we came across a post from an RVer struggling with mice in his rig. Poor Jerry F. absolutely hates dealing with mice—and we don’t blame him! Fortunately, 91 fellow RVers jumped in to share their advice on how to keep the critters out for good.
We’ve covered the mouse problem before, but it’s been a while. And with warmer weather on the way—bringing more pests with it—we thought some of those 91 comments were worth sharing in case you’re battling the same issue. Chances are, a few mice are lurking outside your RV right now…
Just keep in mind: What works perfectly for one RVer might not work at all for another. That’s just how mice are, as you’ll quickly learn from the comments below. Read on and see.
Here’s Jerry’s original post: “I hate mice!!!! Two years ago one got in when we had to leave our site for a couple of days, crapped around, chewed up an empty fruit basket, chewed a hole in a water line and left. No thank you, no see-ya later…. nothing! This year, right out of storage, we opened the RV up and found crap around the openings for plumbing in the kitchen and bathroom. So, taking advice from a pest control guy I know, I stuffed those holes and the ones coming up from the belly with a combination of steel wool impregnated with expanding foam. For the next one that wants in, it’s gonna have to eat steel to do it!!”
Peppermint and cloves
Nancy S. was the first to comment. She wrote, “I used Peppermint balls over the winter. First time I never had any mice. I will definitely be using them again.”
Angela S. replied to Nancy, “That’s what I used. Plus, I put them under the sink next to the opening for the hoses in the kitchen and bathroom. I also put it under my furniture and refrigerator. Made sure my cabinet doors were closed if not in use.”
But then… Patty W. responded, “Didn’t work for me at all. They pooped right by them, the dirty buggers!”
What about cloves? Do they work better than peppermint? Karin S. thinks so: “This past winter we used cloves. Sprinkled them everywhere. Bit of a cleanup, but I’d rather clean up cloves than mouse droppings. I got a tip from a friend about the cloves. They store a vintage vehicle and use cloves and never had mice. So we tried it.”
Irish Spring soap and dryer sheets
Andrea R. shares, “I have used Irish Spring soap bars and dryer sheets for years with no mice. We park it by our house for winter out in the country.”
But then… Steve S. says, “Would someone please find a way to kill the false claims about Irish Spring and dryer sheets? Mice eat the soap and nest in the dryer sheets.”
Steel wool
Toni-Maree H. writes, “Steel wool is the only thing that works. The buggers don’t need much of a gap to get in. If you can get a pen through the gap, then that’s big enough for a mouse.”
Dan O. responded to Toni-Maree and said, “Use copper wool instead of steel wool. Steel wool rusts.”
Connie W. says, “I had luck with the steel wool and foam insulation spray around all the holes under the cabinets. Plus, I did peppermint oil-soaked cotton balls and cinnamon sticks.”
Lights
Pony G. commented, “I keep seeing people say they are putting up string lights (like Christmas lights) all along under their campers and RVs, and because mice don’t like light, it keeps them away …. ??”
Kathy S. responded, “The lights have worked wonders for us! We use red rope lights.”
Rodent repellents
Dan L. shares, “I have tried almost everything to keep them little buggers out of the camper. I saw the BugMD Vamoose packets online and so far, since January, haven’t had a mouse. Hopefully it keeps working. Just little packets you throw out, kinda smell like Grandpa Guss packets.”
Lynne Z. uses Fresh Cab. She writes, “Fresh Cab, 24/7, 365 days a year. Use liberally. It has never failed me.”
Another vote for Fresh Cab. Vicki S. says, “Get some Fresh Cab!! It works. We had to use the sticky pad at first to get rid of them (which I hate), but it worked. Then used the Fresh Cab as a repellent. We have never seen another mouse or even evidence of one!!”
But then… Paulita C. has a different experience: “I tried this (Fresh Cab) after reading everyone’s recommendations, and it didn’t do anything. Went out to the camper last week to open it up for the year, and the darn rascals got in and ate through some bedding, towels, and got in my utensils and left their droppings. I don’t understand since I put the sachets everywhere.”
Mothballs
Steve W. has had good luck with mothballs. He says, “This is what I do. I put mothballs all around my camper underneath it on the wheels, which keeps the rodents away. When I shut it down in the wintertime, I put four or five packs inside the camper. Then, when springtime gets here, I’ll take them out. Open the doors and windows and let it air out. No mice!”
Bait boxes
David I. recommends bait boxes. He says, “Luck and weather-proof bait boxes OUTSIDE wherever you are storing your RV. Freshen that bait religiously and FIGHT BACK. YOU RULE over rodents!”
Nothing works…
Freedom T. responded to Jerry and wrote, “What you have done is the only thing that truly works. All of these other recommendations don’t work, and if they do, they don’t work for long. Maybe these GA mice are different, but they eat the soap and dryer sheets and peppermint cotton balls and anything ‘botanical’. The only thing that works for these mice is old-fashioned traps and blocking their entry points, like you have done.
“I wish these other ‘solutions’ would just disappear. The same suggestions appear on every mouse-related post, and they are so tired.”
Rhino W. agrees. They say, “Nothing you use is going to keep the mice out of your unit. No Grandpa Gus’, no Tomcat peppermint spray, Irish Spring soap, or dryer sheets. They all don’t work. The only thing that works is keeping your unit clean and plugging up all the holes underneath that they can get into. We had an issue with mice but after I plugged up all the holes, I haven’t seen any signs of any mice or chipmunks in two years.”
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RVT1207
What works for us is blocking all entry points, then storing the RV in a garage where all those entry points are also blocked. Of course, don’t be surprised if you left the garage door open too long, especially in fall, or that these insidious beasts find another entry point. I have “sticky traps” set around the garage, just in case.
It’s never ending vigilance.
It’s a war that must be fought on multiple fronts. I’ll add to the arsenal. If you can keep the trailer powered up leave a radio playing loudly. Mice think you’re in it. I use country music or talk radio. Rap would probably work better.
Yeah, rap would keep me out, all right.🤣 Have a great day, Wayne! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Keeping a radio on 24/7 inside your RV (loud is best), works wonders. I totally agree with Wayne. Avoid lullaby music.
To start, keep the mice out of the enclosed belly as there are some big holes in your floor from that belly space. Do you have slide rooms using a cogged rail? Then you have some big holes through your frame that are like railroad tunnels into your belly. The screwdrive hole is biggest. I closed mine using an aluminum drywall patch. No more mice. Do you have an auto-leveling system? Check for frame holes to get electric or hydraulic to the motors and plug them. You can plug some of those holes in the floor, but keep the mice from getting into the belly to begin with!
I use the ultrasonic Marten repeller 2 pak. It uses ultrasound and bright flashing strobes to keep the pests away. Works great for me.
My 40ft diesel pusher sits on a concrete slab in a forest environment. I have LED multi-color flashing light strings around the entire coach at night, with flasher lights in engine area. Works great! No more mice. Tried many other methods prior with no success.
Fresh Cab works great, especially during the time our RV is winterized & sitting there. When we are traveling, we have our two cats with us. They love capturing mice!
I count on my neighbor’s two mouser cats. So far, fat cats and no mice.
So far so good with peppermint spray. I spray every 2-3 weeks. How long do the balls last?
What works for one, doesn’t always work for someone else, but we have been putting mothballs around and underneath our motorhome and also inside the coach and the engine compartment. Haven’t had any mice issues in 11 years.
Get a feral cat. They keep mice away very well. Just keep one in your neighborhood and no mice !!!! Our neighborhood has one. I used to scare him
away. Now I let him roam our property anytime he wants since then no mice at all !
That would be a possibility if I had a problem with mice, but for 11 years I haven’t had a problem.
The only thing that works is to seal ALL the holes. They aren’t easy to find, but leave a hole = get mice.
Our trailer sat outside for many years and got infested with mice. My husband and I spent many hours going through it…inside and out…looking for anywhere mice could get in. Amazing how many small openings there can be! We mostly used steel wool on the inside with some modifications using wood. On the outside…mostly underneath…my husband used misc. “patching” materials to close up outside entrances. That was several years ago and we have since upgraded to a Class C. The trailer once again has sat for years outside next to our house on property that is ranch land and we have never once found a mouse inside! Preventing them from entering in the first place was the best solution for us!
Motorhomes have too many openings around the front part of the rig, Never have found a way to seal up all of them. EEK hate the buggers.
In 25 years of RVing and now full timing we have never had a mouse problem in any of our RVs. Why? We have always had one and occasionally two cats in residence. And they don’t even have to be accomplished mousers which indoor cats usually are not (too well fed and lazy). Only thing we can figure is the little buggers smell the cats and don’t even try to move in. May sound silly but you can’t argue with success!
Thank you for sharing these, Emily! I agree with Freedom T and Rhino W, in that sealing holes matters, a lot. We also have barn cats, who seem to have reduced the number of mice trying to enter our RV to zero. Have a great week and safe travels!
I hit them on all fronts and so far have been lucky for the last 5 years. Spray foam any opening going thru the underbelly. Then steel wool blocking all of those beautifully made zagged holes they put in the floor for piping, wires, etc. If they get thru that, cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil, snap traps, and lastly a few glue boards. Haven’t caught or seen any signs in the trailer since I’ve blocked any access I could find. But if and when they get thru, they have lots of sticky, snappy surprises.
Pack rats…worse than mice…they don’t like those glue strips though.
Resigned to the fact that they will get in. Use moth balls, but they still enter. So, mouse traps are a must. Check them once a month when in storage at my house. Forest River made so many large penetrations, it is impossible to close them all.