Nothing ruins the excitement of summer quite like opening your trailer to find that it has become a mouse house over the winter. While your RV sits in storage, it becomes desirable to mice and other rodents. Luckily, there are many ways to protect your sweet summer home from pests and mitigate the negative impacts if they are to get in.
First and foremost, it’s important to understand just how damaging mice can be. They can risk your electricity or plumbing if they chew through chords or tubes, wreak havoc on your food, clothing, or bedding, destroy any paper, books or documents, and damage your furniture and cabinets. They are also dangerous to your health as they can carry disease and leave awful odours behind.
We know exactly why we don’t want mice, so how do we keep them out? Let’s get into it.
Leave No Gaps
The main thing you want to prioritize is keeping them out in the first place. You’ll want to scour your entire unit for cracks and gaps. Check under the bottom of your trailer or RV, look for cracks inside cupboards and drawers, and explore the wheel wells and cab if your rig is drivable. This process takes a while, but it is critical to keep the critters out. If you find any potential points of entry, you’ll want to fill those cracks and gaps immediately with silicone, expanding foam, or something of that nature. You don’t want your camper to have any holes for several reasons, so this process will also help you with weather protection and security during camping season.
Do The Ultimate Cleaning Job
A huge part of this process is ensuring you do a tip-top job when you clean out your trailer when the season ends. For example, you’ll want to ensure all food products are removed unless they are completely sealed in a can or container. This includes other food-like products such as toothpaste and beauty products. Beyond food products, you also want to be careful with anything that could become a good nest or get ruined by mouse droppings. You’ll want to store your bedding and paper products in bins or airtight containers and avoid leaving anything out that could get torn up or destroyed. While these things won’t attract mice as much as food, they’re vulnerable if rodents gain access.
Pick Your Parking Wisely
Another critical thing to consider when planning for safe camper storage is parking on a hard, paved surface. You’ll want to find parking on pavement, if possible or gravel as a second option. Mice tend to dwell in grassy or wooded areas, so adding a buffer with some pavement will make your camper a less likely home for the little creatures.
Start The Engine Often
If you have an RV with an engine, there’s a chance that rodents may try and build a home under your hood. It’s a good idea to start your engine often to avoid this. Consider starting it once a week to keep it mouse-free.
Keep It Smelling Strong
Many fragrant things work as mouse repellents. This includes moth balls, dryer sheets, and essential oils. This might not keep them out in the first place, but it might discourage them from staying all winter as these smells are unpleasant for mice.
Lay Traps Incase All Else Fails
Last but not least: traps. While they don’t help your efforts to keep mice out, to begin with, they will help ensure you don’t have any damage if mice make it in. Seeing other mice in traps also tends to scare new mice away. There are many different approaches to traps, so that is totally up to you.
This story is brought to you by Great West Media Content Studio. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff.
