mouse / winter proofing

[RPM]

so I know that there was a thread somewhere in this mess about winterproofing and rodent proofing. I cant find it..... basically I am winterizing my car and am trying to find the best ways to possibly protect the interior and underhood from mice... ( short of having a cat live in there).
I havnt had problems with mice in the past in the garage where the car is, but I am not taking any chances. I have some of the mouse glue traps where the mice get stuck on them under the car and such. I am wondering if I should put one under the car seat as well.... man I hate the thought of one of those little bastards burrowing into my nice seats..... gaaaaaaahhh.

I refuse to put mothballs in my car though... those things dont make good air fresheners.... any other ideas to help cure my paranoia over this subject ?

just wonderin'

-RPM

 

['70_Duster_340]

Lots of people swear by Bounce dryer sheets .. The mice hate the smell, but they don't stink up your car like moth balls ..

 

[stroked 340]

Dryer sheets it is,i put them on the rugs and seats and have never had a rodent problem,,,

 

[66340SEDAN]

Yep, I use drier sheets as well, I put lots inside the car, even some in the trunk. Also make sure all your heater/air vents are closed, also flip your sunvisors straight down so the mice can't sit on top of them and make a nest. I also make sure there is no food or trash in the car. Traps around or inside the car also works, be sure to check them every so often.

 

[RPM]

dryer sheets ? LOL well heck thats a simple thing to try......and will leave my car smelling spring time fresh as well. ....

thanks for that idea !

-RPM

 

[66340SEDAN]

dryer sheets ? LOL well heck thats a simple thing to try......and will leave my car smelling spring time fresh as well. ....

thanks for that idea !

-RPM

It really does work, never had a mouse since! I also buy some cheap bars of scented soap, break them in half and leave them in there too. The mice hate the smell of this too. My dad says the mice will sometimes eat the soap, but I bet the little bastards get pretty sick!

 

[340butterduster]

I've tried them all, moth ball, dryer sheets, traps, eletronic sound, poison...

If they want to get in they will. I've even found a nest inside an engine, distributor was off, they built a nest on top of the cam web. You'd think they would shy away from oil. The best thing to do is be around the car as much as possible, don't visit or start the car for a couple weeks the mice will be exploring.

Get a cat and tie it to the car, give it an old couch and a 30 foot leash, feed it once in awhile, lol just kidding.

Good luck man!
Giles

 

[71produster]

I put the mothballs around the garage floor and under the hood not in the car!

 

[pettybludart]

Has Anybody Heard Cedar Chips??

 

[memike]

Up on tall jack stands and a sticky pads around them and a couple rubber
snakes under the car and a blow up owl in the shop.
You would be surprised. I have never herd about dryer sheets for mice.
We use them here for tics and mosquito repellent.

 

[Small Block]

I use D-Con pellets and hope they eat all they want. I usally find them little dead bastards lying in the floor of the garage but the wires won't get eat up by em. I'll even try the dryer sheets. I only have a couple of cars that set all winter so the rest of em i strow em down the hiway when it gets cold. Too bad i don't have a camera that will take a picture of em tumbling down the road at 60 MPH. I like the sticky traps and when i catch them before i kill em i torment the hell out of em before they take their last breath. Turn about is fair play.

 

[340butterduster]

Has Anybody Heard Cedar Chips??

That's a first for me, but I would have to say I'm somewhat skeptical, due to my exterior walls for the garage are cedar board and they like venturing around them.

But then again, after some 50 years the smell of cedar is rather faint.

So far it almost seems like strong scents are a good detourant.

Giles

 

[GTXperience]

I hate to say it but a cat still is #1. We had an issue for awhile with mice and ever since we've had the cat, they have disappeared (no mice, no droppings). In the beginning, our little killer was bringing his little gifts for us in the house but once the little critters knew it was out-of-bounds, no sign of them at all. Granted, once in a great while, he will get a mole from the backyard and bring it in.

If you are using traps (mechanical or stickies, etc.) and you want to draw them to them, dab some peanut butter in/on them and they will come running.

 

['70_Duster_340]

Get a cat and tie it to the car, give it an old couch and a 30 foot leash, feed it once in awhile, lol just kidding.

Good luck man!
Giles

That's the funniest thing I heard all day !!! :toothy10:

Last winter I stored my Charger in an unheated garage on a huge piece of plastic to keep moisture away, and put 4 foil pie pans with about 6 mothballs in each, as well as a bunch in the trunk and under the hood ...

Good news is there was no critter damage .. BAD news is the freakin' car stunk like hell until half way through the summer !!! Gonna keep it in the shop this winter with the Duster..

I was skeptical about the dryer sheets, and thought the little ***** would shred them and make nests, but I've heard a half dozen people swear by them...

I think one of the most important things to do is clean the living hell out of the interior before storing, including shampooing the rugs.. Don't give the little critters any reason to hang out in your car.. That one little french fry under the seat will draw a hungry mouse from a mile away ...

Arghhh .... Winter just plain sucks !!!

 

[cannucky]

I've heard good things about the electronic devices my friend has more cars than I can count stored in 5s and 10s all over / all old mopes and he uses them to protect his collection ,last thing he wants is one of the bastards getting in the 70cuda he bought new as a teenager eh! that and like everyone else says clean clean clean don't give em a crumb to eat

ps I had a cat once ,damn thing used to watch the mice run around the house
the wife must have overfed him or something

 

[BigRichieO]

I saw this thread last weekend as I was in the midst of battling with some with some unwanted friends in my garage. First thing I did is load the car up with dryer sheets, next I went to the store and got some mouse traps. I set two traps out Sunday night with peanut butter on them. When I checked them in the morning they were both licked clean, so clean I could have put them back in the package and returned them as unused. I reloaded the traps in the morning on Monday and when I returned in the afternoon they were both completely clean and looked unused. So here I am making the enemy stronger by feeding them. I reload the traps Monday night just in case one of the vermin gets sloppy and triggers the trap, when I woke on Tuesday no luck and again traps clean as a whistle. Tuesday afternoon I go to the store and get some of those sticky traps and work a little harder on positioning the traps. Wednesday morning I ended up catching two in one of the traps, one actually snapped the trap and the other was stuck on the sticky trap. My luck had started to turn, here is a link to what I woke up to on Thursday morning.

*WARNING PHOTO COULD BE DISTURBING TO SOME*
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk125/BigRichieO/DSC00226.jpg
*WARNING PHOTO COULD BE DISTURBING TO SOME*

I didn't want to post the picture because I don't want anyone to think that I am cruel to animals or enjoyed this.

When my daughters saw that I was setting the traps they were not happy with me, and when I was getting skunked and the traps were cleaned they were having a good time teasing me and cheering the mice on. My oldest really got mad when I set up the sticky traps and she made me promise that if I caught one and it was alive that I would pull it off the trap and set it free. The first one I caught I was able to set free in open space area by our house but the little guy from Thursday in the photo above was stuck very good and didn't fair as well being removed from the trap. I was really bothered after I caught them and felt pretty bad, but I think I would feel worst if I found a mouse nest in my car somewhere. The sad thing is I know that I still have more out there, so the hunt continues. Wish me luck.

 

[RPM]

yay this thread helped someone besides me out !

cool... I guess I didnt think of what would happen when the mouse got stuck to the thing.... hmmm.... turn it over and step on it ??? dunno.

go get 'em !

-RPM

 

[briankaplan]

I have been using dryer sheets for the past 3 years.
Been puting them on the tires, the engine compartment and
anywhere else I can put them.
Pelive it or not, the work. I got the cheapest ones i could
fine. Went to the dollor store. It worked great.
Try it!