Mice carry a lot many disease-causing germs with them. They roaming freely inside your camper can never be a pleasant view to our eyes. It feels disgusting. The camper is for accommodating friends and family where mice are unwanted guests. Mice infestation can seriously ruin the plan to travel in luxury in our home-away-from-home camper or RV.

Fret not, as you will know here how to keep mice out of camper van or any other travel trailer. Let’s check multiple ways through which you can get rid of the mice from your camper.

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How to Keep Mice out of Camper Van During Winter Storage?

To make a camper mice-proof, you should try different methods includes – seal openings, deep cleansing, Ammonia spray, Mousetraps, etc. Mostly, mice look for space on winter days when campers are mostly parked in the garage. From tearing furniture to wires and polluting different kinds of diseases, mice can make harm to you as well as your camper.

Mouse proof a Camper VAN — Mouse looking at a piece of cheese

These highly undesirable intruders need to show “the exit” without any delay. Here are multiple ways to keep mice out of the camper van. Now, let’s learn about those.

1. Seal the Small Openings

The first and foremost task will be to identify the entry point of such ghastly rodents and seal the sources of trouble. Where to check for such entry points?

Crawl under your camper to locate holes and gaps. A small is enough for the mice to seek entry.
Mice in RV underbelly is more common than you can imagine.
Check the access panels (if any) inside the washroom of your campers for any small holes/gaps.
Check around the wiring and plumbing areas in the living space of your camper.
The gaps at the corners can also be the entry points.

It will be better to check your camper during broad daylight as the holes/gaps will be easy to locate as the stream of light enters through it.

Once you detect all the small openings and gaps, consider following the below solutions:

You can use spray foam to seal the entry points. Take care not to overdo it.
You can also use good quality steel wool to fill the openings. The metal strands should be flexible enough to reach in and around the corners.
Finish it off by applying a mouse shield over the top of the steel wool.

2. Ensure Thorough Cleansing

To ensure that your camper is less hospitable to rodents, you need to put effort to keep it clean thoroughly.

RV Floor Cleaning — Floor cleaner for RV

Do not keep food items left unattended outside the refrigerator.
Make sure to empty the camper of all edible items, especially snack items, in between trips.
Vacuum the floor to remove the tiny food particles that you carelessly drop on the bottom of your camper. A few crumbs here and there feel heaven to rodents.
Wipe down your counters properly.
Always keep food items (when travelling in your RV) in glass bottles/jars or air-tight containers. Plastic containers will never help.
Periodically empty your garbage buckets as rodents also find leftover rotten food items quite appetizing!
Do not keep many luggage/boxes huddle up together inside your camper. It is crucial to clear the clutter. Now you understand how to keep mice out of RV during winter storage.

You cannot underestimate the importance of cleanliness and sanitation if you wish to keep mice out of your camper van forever.

3. Attention Please! Mice Hate Peppermint Oil

A bottle of peppermint oil can pause your ongoing frustration over how to get rid of mice in RV. Rats or mice have a strong distaste for this essential oil.

You can soak cotton balls in a mixture of water and peppermint oil and place them near small openings.
Add a teaspoon (approximately 30-35 drops) of peppermint oil in two cups of water and keep the solution in a spray bottle. Spray it at the corners, on the free surfaces, at and around small openings, and at any place you suspect the free roaming of rodents.

4. Ammonia Spray can Repel Mice

Ammonia is an excellent rat/mice repellent and can be one of the best ways to keep mice out of camper vans.

Take 100 millilitres of ammonia and add two teaspoons of ammonia to make the solution.
Pour it in a spray bottle.
Spray it at areas where you suspect the rodents commonly.
The odour of ammonia is very pungent, and it can instantly chase away the mice.
Use the spray when you are not inside the camper for a long time.

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5. Treat these Unwanted Guests with Chocolate!

Yes, the article is still about keeping out mice, and we stick to it. Mice like chocolates and you give them your specially made choco chips!

Mix cocoa powder with Plaster of Paris
Make a soft paste and make tiny balls
Sprinkle these small balls along the suspected trail of mice
Also, place them at the corners, near the refrigerator or in the kitchen area, and under the furniture inside the RV.
Once the mice feed on it, they start feeling suffocated
Their condition drives them out of the camper as fast as possible.

6. Use Mouse Traps and Place these Strategically

You can choose between traditionally used snap traps and electronic traps. With an electronic mousetrap, you will get an indication once the mice fall into the trap.
Use a live mouse trap in case you do not wish to kill the rodents.
Mice find high-calorie food items very appealing. You need to select baits that can attract the mice. Chocolates, candies, bacon, and dry fruits are suitable edible baits.
Mice also hunt for things to make their houses. Using cotton balls, dental floss, and yarn are also good bait options.
Make sure to set the mouse traps at right angles to the wall. Set it every two-three feet along the suspected trail of the mice.
Always use gloves when setting the traps as mice can easily smell your scent and will avoid the traps then.
You can also place it in enclosed areas like inside the cabinets and beneath furniture/appliances.

These are some of the methods that will help you keep your camper mice-proof in the best possible way. These are not that difficult to follow, and a few of these are even deadly to mice.

Some Tips on Cleaning Up After Mice in Camper

Wear rubber and vinyl gloves while cleaning rodent faeces and urine
Keep small children, allergic people, older adults, and pets outside or away while cleaning the area.
Ventilate the camper by keeping the doors/windows open for a while
Do not try to vacuum the mice droppings. Apply a bleach solution (bleaching powder and water mixed in 1:9 ratio) to the debris and wipe these clean with paper towels.
Dispose of the paper towels in the garbage.
Apply the bleaching solution on the dead mice and its surrounding area. Please pick it up by its tail while wearing gloves and dispose of the body outside.
Do not use the gloves after cleaning up the mess. Discard its use

Hopefully, these tips can help you keep your camper mice-free and your dear ones risk-free!

The diseases that Mice bring

Before straightway jumping to how to keep mice out of RV, let us find how mice can threaten our health. Mice is a rodent, and rodent droppings inside your RV or camper can cause salmonellosis, hantavirus, and listeria diseases. The accumulation of faeces and urine from mice can spread viruses and bacteria which paves the way for infections.

It also can contaminate food sources. Mice or rats can even bite the occupants and your small pets.

Also read:

Best Travel Trailer Brands For Camping With Your Family & Friends
Average Travel Trailer Weight & Free Towing Guide
Top Bunkhouse Travel Trailers Under 30 Ft For Growing Families

How to Keep Mice out of Camper VAN, Trailer, RV In Winter?