Winter mouse prevention

Mice have chewed through the rubber seals under my slideouts. Since then I place mothballs on the exterior of the camper around the frame, slideouts, trim, tires, jack, etc. On the inside I use a couple different kind of dryer sheets. I know that neither of these is fully mouse-proof, but the combination has been working for me (knock-on-wood). The best of course is to seal up the camper fully, but when they chew through the seals, what can you do? I also FULLY empty out the camper, vacuum, mop etc. to try to get rid of any food/food smells.

I look at it my percentages/odds. While some of these things may be only 50% effective, the more things that are partially effective in combination, the better your odds. But reaching that 100% level is tricky!

retiredtraveler wrote:

David R wrote:
I filled the openings underneath ours' with a combination of steel wool and later added some spray foam. No mice since using the steel wool.

I hope you realize that use of steel wool is absolutely a no-no. It rusts. It will rust, stain, and break down.

X2. That's why I use copper wool. You can find it at Walmart by the kitchen sponges and cleaning pads.

David R wrote:
I filled the openings underneath ours' with a combination of steel wool and later added some spray foam. No mice since using the steel wool.

I hope you realize that use of steel wool is absolutely a no-no. It rusts. It will rust, stain, and break down.

Traps, lots of traps. I have been over every inch of my camper with lights at night,poking around where anything could come in and yet they do. A snap trap, some glue boards and the little thing where they go in and don't come out. KILL the little buggers, don't try to poison them. And right now as the days get cooler is when they start looking for their winter home. I found that crunchy peanut butter works best.

we clean out the unit, vacuum it thoroughly to get rid of any food crumbs, (plus makes it nice and clean) put down some well bated traps, along with having looked for and closed up entrance points (the little buggers still find a way)
by doing that thorough cleaning you will find that forgotten half bag of sunflower seeds or peanuts at the back of some cupboard where a little bugger will feast for days

I filled the openings underneath ours' with a combination of steel wool and later added some spray foam. No mice since using the steel wool.

Can't prevent. Only traps to eradicate them upon entrance. Get them before damage. It's the only way.

The best mouse preventative is to seal up where they get in. The standard technique is to get a large light, crawl all over the unit into every crevice on the floor, and have someone underneath spot where light is coming through. Then, spray foam insulation to fill these areas. Additionally, crawl under the vehicle and look for the holes/cracks yourself without someone being in the unit shining a light.
For every person who says dryer sheets work, another one tells you about how the dryer sheets were chewed and provided excellent nesting materials for the mice.
Every article I've read says the best way to deal with mice are the traps. All the various products and 'common-wisdom' techniques are largely ineffective.

I have been using this product recently. So far so good. Has a strong long lasting smell that is pleasant.

Fresh Cab Botanical

Edit: Single box quantities are available in stores