Best Way to Keep Mice Out of Camper: Here Are 16 Options

Let’s get real: mouse infestations in your living space are probably one of the last things — if not the last thing — you want to deal with as an RV owner. But the truth is, these little critters can often find their way into your wheeled home. That’s why you’re here looking for the best way to keep mice out of camper, right? The good news? You can get rid of mice if you have a rodent problem — and with your best efforts, you can also do a bang-up job of preventing them from entering your RV camper at all.

Here are 16 tips, tricks, and solutions to keep mice out of your camper, whether at the campsite or garage.

Best Way to Keep Mice Out of Camper When Camping

An experiment by Barrier Pest Control in Idaho found that mice can actually squeeze through holes that are the size of a dime. Unbelievable as that may sound, it’s true. And unfortunately, from my years working as an RV tech, I know firsthand that there are places here and there on an RV that a mouse could easily squeeze in — especially when it comes to the underbelly. If you don’t act fast, you’ll soon be looking at some serious damage, including nibbled furniture, chewed wires, ripped clothes, holes in your cereal boxes, and nasty droppings.

Here are some proven methods you can use to keep mice away from your RV at the campsite.

Close Off Any Potential Entry Points

Your first step is to identify and eliminate any small openings the rodents may use to access your rig. Look for the tiniest gaps, as mice have the ability to squeeze themselves into even the smallest of spaces. Truthfully, any gap that’s larger than a quarter-inch wide is a potential entry point.

Close all doors, including the storage compartment doors and city water hatch, then keep windows shut. Other openings to plug include vents, exhaust, pipes, and areas around damaged sealant and caulking.

Seal Gaps with Steel Wool

After identifying the openings, it’s time to close them off. Steel wool is the best material to plug holes, as rodents can’t chew it. Plus, you can easily remove it later on. Don’t use plastic, wood, rubber, or fabric, as a mouse will easily gnaw it and enter your wheeled home.

If you’re camping for an extended period, apply some caulk to the exposed steel wool to prevent mice from pulling it out. Some RVers suggest copper wool is a better alternative to steel wool, as it doesn’t rust and weaken over time. For large openings, you can use a lath screen.

Choose Your Campsite Wisely

The spot where you park your RV determines whether you’ll have a mouse problem at the campsite or not. While it’s hard to mouse-proof a campsite when you’re boondocking in the wild, try choosing a space that’s away from tall grasses, bushes, leaf piles, or holes in the ground.

Look for a flat, open space with little or no grass. If there’s a concrete or gravel pad, all the better. When parked in open areas, rodents will feel exposed when they try to access your camper, and it will be easy to spot any intruders.

Use Lights Under and Around Your RV at Night

Mice love dark areas and will try to stay away from well-illuminated spots. Since they are more active at night, you can install some lights around your RV. Bulbs that emit blue light are an effective method of repelling these pesky rodents.

According to a study done by West Virginia University, blue light disrupts mice’s internal clock, so they avoid the illuminated area. Use LED bulbs, ribbon lights, strobe lights, and flashing lights. Rodents are adaptable creatures, so you shouldn’t rely on this method solely as the best way to keep mice out of camper.

Secure Your Food

Mice are usually on a relentless search for food. Once they identify a food source in your RV, they’ll hang around or seek shelter nearby. To prevent them from smelling and accessing food items, put all the edibles in plastic or glass containers. Make sure you fit the lid tightly.

Before you go to bed or leave your camper for a hike, clean up crumbs on the dinette, floors, and sink. Wash your dirty dishes, store leftovers in the fridge, and hang your garbage bag outside on a tree that’s a good distance away from your RV. You’ll also want to store pet food in a lockable cabinet.

Try Natural Mouse Repellent

There are plenty of home remedies you can use to repel rodents. Items like garlic, vinegar, clove oil, cayenne pepper, spring dryer soap, mothballs, dryer sheets, and peppermint oil essential oils have scents that are too strong for a rodent’s nose. Spread the scent around the RV, especially at possible entry points.

Notably, this DIY option isn’t the best way to get rid of mice in the long term. That’s because rodents will get used to the harsh scent and continue invading your camper. Only use home remedies when camping in an area for a few days.

Best Way to Keep Mice Out of Camper in Storage

Here are some mice preventative measures to apply when storing your RV.

Look for Signs of a Mice Problem in Your Garage

Before storing your RV for the winter months, inspect your garage for rodent activity. This will tell you what kind of problem you have at hand and whether you need to take radical measures. Some signs to look for include mouse droppings, which are usually the size of a grain of rice, urine smell, and gnaw marks.

Also, look out for nests, squeaks or scratching noises, shredded paper or clothes, and, of course, live or dead mice. Next, use copper mesh wire to seal any holes or cracks that critters in your garage can exploit. Don’t forget to discard potential nesting materials such as newspapers, boxes, straw, rags, and other clutter.

Remove RV Items that May Attract Mice

After your camping trip, you’ll want to remove any items that may draw rodents. That includes dry food, butter, seeds, pet food, toothpaste, deodorants, shampoos, and water. Clear out the shelves, pantry, cabinets, and fridge.

Next, deep clean your RV’s interior, making sure there are no crumbs on any surface. Use plastic tubs and tote boxes to store items that mice can use as nesting material—toilet paper, magazines, linen, and clothes.

Fix Damaged Sealant

An RV’s sealant cracks and gets loose over time, creating openings that rodents can use as access points. Inspect your unit’s sealant, especially around windows, doors, skylights, vents, and slide-outs.

Look for a quality sealant, prep the damaged area by washing it, and remove any loose or peeling caulk. Once the area dries, carefully apply the sealant, making sure to plug all gaps. Use spray foam to seal areas where plumbing and wiring enter the RV’s living area.

Tidy Up Your Yard

An unkempt yard can be a breeding ground for mice. Keep up on yard work by frequently mowing the lawn, pulling long weeds, raking leaves, trimming tree branches, securing your trash bins, and disposing of yard waste.

You’ll also want to remove woodpiles near the garage, hang bird feeders on a metal pole, and cover burrow openings. When your garden plants bear seeds, fruit, or nuts, pick them before they start attracting rodents. To deny mice a source of water, create proper drainage in areas that pool.

Set Up Mouse Traps

Traditional snap traps are an excellent way to catch mice if you’re dealing with one or two stubborn critters. Snap traps, even though they are kill traps, are more humane traps as compared to glue traps, which are essentially live traps that won’t allow the mice to escape due to their paws being mired in the glue substance, leaving you to deal with the disposal.

To increase the chances of catching mice, use a bait mice crave, such as peanut butter. Now, place several traps along the walls where they primarily travel or near possible entrance areas. Remember to wear gloves when handling bait to prevent mice from smelling your scent.

Enlist Your Cat

A cat’s lurking presence is often enough to evict your unwanted guests. Cats have strong hunting instincts and love chasing off mice. No need to be concerned, as most domesticated felines that have a reliable source of food and water won’t actually eat mice, even if they catch them.

To persuade your cat to patrol the garage, frequently place some treats around your RV. The fresh scent of a cat will be an excellent deterrent. Some dog breeds, such as terrier breeds, can also be very effective at catching mice.

Set Up a Camera

Mice are fast, sneaky, and clever, making it hard to know when they’ve moved in. Luckily, you can use video and still cameras to identify and control rodent infestations. After investing a fortune in your RV, it pays to invest a few more dollars in a wildlife camera with a motion sensor.

This technology will alert you when there’s movement, helping you know the scale of the infestation, where the intruders are entering from, and what steps to take. Ideally, the camera should have night vision, capture still images, and record clear video after detecting motion. It should also be wireless and WiFi-enabled to send you alerts. Position it where mice are likely to pass.

You can also set up your phone to record if you don’t want to invest in a camera.

Choose a Premium RV Storage Facility

If money isn’t a problem, store your camper in a dedicated RV storage facility. These locations can be large warehouses or individual garage-sized spaces that store your rig indoors. Most have a preventative pest control plan to stop critters from getting to the RVs.

Other perks of dedicated storage facilities include tight security and a climate-controlled environment to shield your rig from extreme cold or heat. Some even have round-the-clock staff who ensure your batteries are topped up.

Use Metal Sheets

Mice access your RV by climbing up support jacks and tires. To hinder their climbing abilities, get metal sheets from your local hardware store, cut them into long strips, fold vertical tubes, and then wrap them around your jack stands and wheels.

Despite being good climbers, mice can’t get a grip on an aluminum sheet. That’s because the material is slippery. When cutting the metal sheet, make sure it’s tall enough, as mice have a powerful vertical jump. A height of 15-20 inches is a safe bet.

Get a Tight RV Cover

If storing your RV outside, a snugly fitting cover will add another layer of protection against rodents. It will close off spaces that mice can use to enter the rig. Just make sure there’s no gap between the RV and the cover.

Of course, a cover also helps protect your camper from weather-related damage, dirt, debris, bird droppings, tree sap, and small branches. Another good idea is to add custom-fitted skirting around your rig to prevent rodents from reaching the undercarriage.

Hire an Extermination Service

Sometimes, a mouse infestation around your RV storage area can get out of control, especially when you consider that mice can reproduce every 25 days. In such a scenario, your best option is to contact rodent exterminators.

Call the experts if you’re unable to trap or eradicate the issue or if you keep seeing signs of an infestation but can’t find the intruders. Exterminators have the equipment and know-how needed to safely, quickly, and permanently get rid of mice from your RV, garage, or yard.

Best Way to Keep Mice Out of Camper: Rodent-Proof Your RV Like a Pro

Dealing with unwanted squatters in your RV can quickly become a costly headache. The above solutions will help you get rid of mice, whether at a campsite or home. Instead of focusing on one best way to keep mice out of your camper, I really recommend combining different methods to make the most impact. Notably, think twice before using poison to get rid of mice since you may end up harming children and pets that may come into contact with the poison. Another bad thing about poison is that, after ingesting it, the mice can go hide somewhere in your RV and die, which will become apparent when you start to smell it decaying. This is not a something you want to have to deal with — trust me!

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about the best way to keep mice out of your camper.

What Keeps Mice Away Permanently?

Sadly, there is no magic deterrent to keep mice away permanently. The best way to lock out rodents for good is to combine different solutions. Remove items that may attract them, clear the yard, tightly seal off all entry points into the garage and RV, set traps and repellents, use metal sheets, and if the problem persists, get an extermination service.

Do Mice Leave on Their Own?

Mice will only leave your home if you actively make life difficult for them. That means denying them food, shelter, and nesting material, setting multiple repellents, and introducing a prowling predator such as a cat.

How Much Does a Mice Exterminator Cost?

If you decide to hire a professional exterminator, pricing for eliminating a mice problem ranges between $200 for small infestations and around $600 for severe problems. This typically covers a thorough inspection, sealing entry points, trap placements, and a follow-up visit. Notably, costs vary depending on the severity of the problem, the company you hire, and your location.

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Cynthia Measom

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Cynthia Measom is the founder and main content creator of RV Top Tips. Not just a writer, she’s a dedicated RV owner and enthusiast, alongside her husband, Joe, who is an experienced RV tech. With their joint knowledge, the two are up on the latest trends and technologies in the RV industry, as well as practical camping and lifestyle tips.

The couple own a 2020 Coachmen Chaparral fifth-wheel that they absolutely love. Their secret to being so satisfied? They purchased the model after a solid year of researching different fifth-wheel campers in person and online to find the perfect fit for their family of three.