How to Keep Mice Out of Your RV

Mouse droppings. That’s the last thing you want to see when you’re packing up your RV for a camping trip. Unfortunately, RVs are just as susceptible to rodent invasions as brick-and-mortar homes are, if not more so. It’s likely you’ll deal with a mouse chewing through a bag of chips or creating a nest in a storage compartment at some point in your RV career.

So how can you keep mischievous mice out of your rig? Read on for some tips!

Keep it Clean

This may go without saying, but rodents are attracted to food that is easily accessible. To prevent mice from creeping their way into your rig, keep the interior as clean as possible. Store foods in airtight containers, clean up after prepping and cooking food, and empty your trash receptacle frequently so you don’t entice mice into your home on wheels. 

Seal Entry Points

Mice can sneak into your RV’s roof, ceiling, walls, ductwork, furnace, you name it – if there’s hole or a weak spot in materials, a mouse can take advantage of it. In fact, a mouse can squeeze itself through an incredibly small hole if it wants to. That said, it’s important to seal any entry points a rodent may have access to. Using spray foam is often a quick and easy solution. It can be sprayed into holes through which pipes and power cords run, into storage compartments, and into other nooks and crannies. Spray foam isn’t impenetrable, however, and resourceful mice who are desperate enough – or can work at a spot over time – can and will chew through foam.

Use Steel Wool

One surefire item you can use to plug entry points is steel wool. No, not the kind used for scrubbing pans, but the kind used to strip wood. Mice simply won’t chew through the stuff. Stuff steel wool in known entry points in and around your RV, including in any potential entry ways in the underbelly of your rig.

Use Traps

Not everyone will agree with using traditional snap traps to catch mice, particularly anyone who has children, pets, or doesn’t want to hurt or kill captured mice. While the standard snap trap may not be for everyone, it is a highly effective option and should kill a trapped mouse on contact with no suffering. But there are plenty of other mouse traps on the market to try. For example, live mouse traps are containers with baited entry points and chambers in which the mouse can be trapped. The rodent can then be set free into the wild. It’s best to keep in mind that simply trapping and releasing or killing mice won’t necessarily address the root cause of the infestation.

Have you had to fight a mouse in your RV before? What mouse deterrent or trapping methods worked best for you? Let us know in the comments or contact us today!