The Moen’s Mouse-Mix label puts it bluntly: every camper gets mice sooner or later. A camper sitting for the winter is warm, dark, full of soft materials and usually has a few crumbs left behind. Here’s how to close one up so it’s less inviting, plus quick notes for boats, classic cars, cabins and garages.
How mice get into campers
According to the Mouse-Mix label, mice usually get into campers from below, climbing in along pipes and hoses. That makes the openings where plumbing, electrical and propane lines pass through the floor the first places to check.
Closing up a camper for the season
- Remove all food, including sealed packages, pet food and anything in the outside storage bays.
- Clean thoroughly. Vacuum crumbs before storage, and wipe down counters and cabinets.
- Seal openings from underneath. The CDC recommends steel wool held in place with caulk or spray foam for small gaps. Mice can fit through about 1/4 inch.
- Open things up. The Mouse-Mix label recommends leaving cabinets open and drawers pulled out and set aside when you close up a camper for a long time, because mice love tight, dark spaces.
Where to put a deterrent in a camper
The Mouse-Mix label recommends focusing on three areas:
- Leaning generously on the pipes and hoses under the kitchen sink
- The same under the bathroom sink
- The utility area around the furnace and water heater
Larger campers need more product to spread the scent.
Which product for which camper?
- Up to about 30 feet: one Regular Strength bag. The label says it treats a 20–30 ft camper, and MouseMix.us lists a 30-foot camper/RV.
- Larger RVs and fifth wheels: the Regular Strength label suggests stepping up to the Farm Pack for larger areas and campers.
- More than one camper, or a camper plus a garage: the Regular Strength 2-bag option, or a Farm Pack.
Not sure which size fits? See Farm Pack vs Regular Strength.
Boats and pontoons
The Mouse-Mix label recommends leaving the cover off a boat stored indoors, since mice love dark, cozy spaces. Place prepared bags in all storage compartments and the glove box, with lids left open, and behind the control panel where the wiring is. If the cover has to stay on, the label notes that the scent at least stays locked in.
Classic and collectible cars
For cars stored indoors, the label recommends leaving the hood and trunk open and skipping the car cover, which it says gives mice and other rodents a home. Place bags on and around the engine and wiring, generously inside the car, and in the open glove box. Take bags out of the engine bay before driving.
Hunting cabins and garages
- Cabins: remove food before you leave for the season, seal gaps around pipes and utility lines, and treat the building. MouseMix.us lists hunting shacks as a Farm Pack use.
- Garages: one Regular Strength bag treats a 2-car garage, according to the label, with bags placed about every four feet along the walls. Larger garages need more product.
From the label: keep out of reach of children, it’s not for human or animal consumption, and wash your hands after handling. Don’t place bags directly on finished wood floors, furniture or plastic.
When you open up in spring
Check for droppings and gnaw marks, look for nests in cabinets and around the furnace, and inspect wiring before you hook up power or start an engine.
Clean up droppings safely. The CDC says not to sweep or vacuum rodent droppings or nests, because that can put virus particles in the air. Wear rubber or plastic gloves, spray droppings with a disinfectant or a bleach solution (1½ cups of household bleach per gallon of water) until very wet, let it soak for 5 minutes, then wipe up with paper towels. Full instructions: CDC: How to Clean Up After Rodents.