Updated January 2, 2024
While camping, an RV is a pleasant, cozy place to chill out and unwind. However, you definitely don’t want your RV to turn into a comfy haven for mice! Having mice inside your RV is not only disgusting, but they might also seriously harm your vehicle. They can squeeze through tiny gaps, mice are difficult to keep out of your RV.
Mice are more likely to try to enter your RV as the temperature drops. They have strong reason to start expanding their search for food when their native food sources start to diminish. Additionally, the chilly weather encourages them to search for a warm, dry location to build a nest and survive the winter. Mice enjoy being warm and dry in your RV just as much as you do!
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How Do Mice Get In An RV?
Mice are tiny, intelligent critters that are also excellent climbers. This is a lethal combination. Mice will find any openings in your RV that lead from the exterior to the interior. An RV has a lot of tubing, wiring, hoses, and other connections, which means there are many holes that mice can enter and use to travel around in search of food.
Keeping mice out of your home in the first place is the greatest method to avoid them. This can be accomplished by blocking off internal and outdoor entry points, employing deterrents, and maintaining a clean camper. There are various ways to get rid of mice if your RV already has one or more of them.
How to Keep Mice Out of Camper
Preventing mice from entering your RV is the easiest approach to avoid an infestation. That entails sealing off any potential openings a mouse might use to gain access to your setup. There are numerous ways to accomplish this. Depending on the type of holes and entry points you’re working with, you might need to utilize more than one.
Examine All Points of Entry for Mice
Your RV has a lot of crevices and crannies. A comprehensive check is the best approach to ensure that they are all completely sealed up. To find every port of entry, you’ll have to crawl under your RV. Bring a flashlight so that no area is missed. Once you’ve identified the openings, it’s time to start sealing them to keep those pesky animals out.
Bear in mind that mice’s rib cages can collapse when searching. Why is that crucial? Because if their head can fit into a hole, then their entire body can as well. A mouse can squeeze through a hole about the size of a cent or penny. You must therefore search for even the smallest flaws and holes that a flexible mouse might exploit when searching for potential entry sites.
Seal All Holes with Spray Foam, Caulk, and/or Steel Wool
You can fill holes with a variety of materials, such as steel wool, caulk, or spray foam. A more durable fix is caulk and spray foam. However, steel wool is a wonderful choice if you want to get rid of it quickly in the future. Additionally, steel wool is difficult for rodents to chew through. As an added advantage, you may use “0000” ultra-fine steel wool to thoroughly clean the windshield of your RV.
Even the location where the fresh water and wastewater hoses enter the water bay needs to be sealed. This is a frequent entry point for mice and is very simple to neglect to close.
Use Mouse Deterrents
Make your RV unattractive to mice as this is another efficient method of preventing them from entering. You might be wondering what in the world could stop animals that enjoy trash, but there are a lot of choices.
Although the efficacy of some of these approaches is debatable, there isn’t always a flawless tried-and-true approach. I guess that each mouse has their own preferences (and drawbacks). However, the following measures should help scare off the majority of these little creatures:
Peppermint oil spray
laundry sheets (fabric softener sheets)
Mothballs
a new cab repellent for rodents
Keep in mind that any repellent that makes use of potent aromas or essential oils will eventually lose its potency. These perfumed repellents will require frequent replacement. Given how dirty these materials can get, it’s a good idea to wear gloves and have a rag with you (or scratchy in the case of steel wool). Making a mess of yourself and your RV while trying to enhance it is the last thing you want to do.
Keep in mind that steel wool is a wonderful option if you want to get rid of it quickly in the future. For instance, while your RV is in storage, you could wish to utilize it for openings that you’ll later remove before your next camping trip. Just make sure to mark these places with vivid tape so you don’t forget to take the steel wool off.
Use Lights Under/Around RV at Night
Although there are differing views on the efficacy of under-RV lighting, there isn’t much harm in giving it a shot. Mice may be deterred from entering your RV at night by placing LED lights there. In the worst case scenario, it gives your camping trip a little atmosphere. Additionally, the additional light may dissuade potential thieves when your RV is in storage.
Use Sheet Metal Rings
You’d be surprised at what a mouse can scale. Tubes? Check. Tires? No issue. Jack gets up? Easy. But sheet metal is something they can’t crawl over. Sheet metal rings come into play in this situation. You can purchase some strips of galvanized sheet metal from the hardware shop or have the store employees do it for you. Typically, you can get materials like metal or wood cut to size.
Next, create a ring with these strips around your tires and jack stands. To ensure that mice cannot climb to the top, the strips must be about 10 inches tall. Additionally, make sure your sheet metal ring is completely seamless. Once they are in position, they create a barrier that prevents rodents from gaining access to the areas of your RV that are in contact with the ground.
Keep RV Clean
You’re less likely to get mice if your RV is cleaner. Mice will find any crumbs, food, or pet food that is lying about. Being tidy and putting your food in airtight containers will help keep mice out of your RV while you’re living there. Pet food follows suit. Additionally, you need to remove all the food from your RV before putting it in storage. It might seem easy to store snacks in your RV for your upcoming road trip, but doing so could result in a rodent infestation.
During storage, you might want to think about taking everything perfumed out (apart from any cotton balls that have been soaked in peppermint!). Among them are soaps, cough pills, and other items. Since mice are fussy eaters, even items you might not consider to be food will entice them to visit and investigate.