Camping is an adventurous and fun way to spend your time, but it can be much more enjoyable if you don’t have to deal with mice. Mice are one of the most common pests that can get into your camper.
They will wreak havoc and eat your food, ruin your clothes, and possibly even make holes in your walls or the roof.
If you want to keep them out of your camper, you’ll need the right combination of traps. Other methods will help you do it safely and effectively. Here are what keeps mice out of campers.
What Keeps Mice Out of Campers?
Sprinkle Corn Meal
It’s not just for feeding your chickens! Corn meal is a tried-and-true mouse repellent. Sprinkle a little in your camper, RV, or wherever you see mouse droppings.
They’ll be running from it like crazy. Make sure to replace it with a fresh corn meal every few weeks, or the mice will get used to it. You can mix flour, peppermint oil, and water into a paste.
If there are holes in your camper (which are most likely at the top), plug them up with cork pieces and seal around them tightly with caulking or silicone sealant.
You can even place strips of fabric over the seams where walls meet floors and ceiling.
Do this if you don’t want to risk messing up the wall surfaces while trying to seal up holes—this is part of what keeps mice out of campers.
Use Scent Deterrents
Using scent deterrents is a great way to keep mice away from your camper. For example, peppermint oil, menthol crystals, or mothballs can all help keep mice at bay.
If you’re looking for a more long-term solution to keep mice out of campers, try leaving coffee grounds or citrus rinds around your trailer.
These solutions don’t smell great on their own, but they will ward off various critters, including cats and dogs and small animals like mice.
And if you’re planning on using these tactics inside your home, be sure to put them in areas inaccessible to pets!
Keep It Clean
One key to keeping mice out is keeping things clean. Even if you’re staying in a luxury campground, that doesn’t mean there aren’t mice around. Mice enjoy food leftovers just as much as humans do.
So when cleaning up after your meals, it’s best to double-check that everything has been put away.
It might seem like a lot of work to pick up everything immediately after lunch, but it could be worth it.
If an outdoor grill or picnic table is provided at your campsite, use these as they will not be as tempting to mice.
Block All Access Points
What keeps mice out of campers includes blocking all access points. Mice will find any small opening they can use to squeeze into your trailer.
Close off as many gaps as possible. Including those around wires that are leading inside. Sealing up spaces is much easier with a can of spray foam insulation.
You should do this at home before leaving on vacation, too! If mice can get in through tiny openings, fill them with steel wool or copper mesh.
Sticky Traps
Sticky traps are an easy way to monitor mice activity in your camper and a great low-impact way to remove them.
If you place one at night, you’ll probably find it contains a mouse by morning.
And if you start noticing more than one stuck to your trap? It might be time to schedule a pest control appointment.
Place traps away from food areas (like stovetops or under counters) for best results. Do this in areas that mice have been known to frequent.
Sticky Tape
If mice or other small creatures get into your camper, electrical wiring is one of their favorite things to chew on. But there’s a simple solution that’s easy to do.
Get some sticky tape—it works best when it’s humid. Also, seal up any cracks in your camper, especially around pipes and corners.
Once you seal up all those entry points, put some poison out so you can catch any rodents already in there.
The campsite will be much more enjoyable once you eliminate those pesky mice!
Store in a Cool, Dry Place
What keeps mice out of campers? Storing foods. All food should be stored in a cool, dry place when you’re away from your trailer, and certain food items in airtight containers can keep critters out.
Note that mice have an excellent sense of smell. If it smells like people are nearby, they won’t risk getting trapped inside a cooler.
Store these odor-blocking boxes alongside your food to deter potential intruders.
Park Your Camper on Pavement
If you have a camper that is on wheels, it’s essential to park it on something hard. Mice don’t have excellent eyesight.
So as long as your camper isn’t in a grassy or wooded area, it shouldn’t be too much trouble for them to find their way inside.
However, if you are parked near tall weeds or grasses, these will usually act as tunnels for mice looking to get inside your camper. Park your camper on a cement slab or asphalt road if possible.
Outdoor Lights
While mice aren’t scared of people, they do fear bright lights. That’s why setting up outdoor lights around your camper is essential.
This is one of the most effective methods if you’re looking for what keeps mice out of campers.
This will help keep mice at bay without you having to make any significant changes inside your home away from home.
Bright outdoor lighting is also helpful because it can prevent accidents like tripping on uneven terrain.
Consider using security cameras and outdoor lighting so that you can monitor any movement outside your camper 24/7.
Additionally, for added protection, spread some peppermint oil near places where mice are likely to come into contact with food or surfaces where they could leave behind droppings. Don’t have peppermint oil?
Slow-acting Poison
Although you can use poison to keep mice out of your camper, taking precautions is essential. This is to prevent you from accidentally poisoning yourself or other family members.
For example, keep traps in a safe place away from pets and children. Check traps regularly to ensure they aren’t full before moving them to a new location.
Place poisons only in areas that are least likely to be seen by pets or children. Follow all instructions carefully, as improper application can lead to serious health risks.
Health risks include exposure through skin contact or ingestion if a pet laps up bait left behind on carpeting.
If it becomes necessary, consider calling a professional exterminator to help deal with larger infestations that don’t respond well to home remedies.
Conclusion
There’s no substitute for consistency when it comes to what keeps mice out of campers. But, you have to be vigilant. It’s not enough to set a few traps here and there.
If you don’t want mice in your camper, you must treat it as an active war zone. Actively seal off every entry point with a combination of DIY traps and commercially purchased devices.
