keeping mice out of car during winter

[Paul B.]

I know this a little late in season ,but someone told me that putting downey fabric dyer sheets in car wil keep mice out I had trouble this yr., any commits
paul

[Kevin M.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

A cat that sleeps in the garage, even a house cat allowed in the garage keeps em out.

Kevin

[Mike E.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

Paul--
I've also heard the same from many people. Of course, there were many that said that mothballs keep them out too, and a car that I bought at one point had all sorts of mothballs all over, mouse droppings and chewing everywhere, and mothball smell not gone even 7 years later. I don't know whether there is validity in the fabric softener theory, but I do know there is none in the mothball theory.

[Joel F.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

I have heard the fabric softener story before, and while it does make the car smell good, it does not keep the criters at bay.

Google it and you will read of people who have had mice turds on the sheets themselves. I'm convinced a good trapping mechanism is the best bet.

[Paul H.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

De-Con kills the little varmints. That's what I use. Sorry animal lovers

[Christopher R.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

Fabric softener sheets, Irish Spring soap bars, moth balls, and Fresh Cab (google it) inside the car.

Sprinkle cayenne pepper, peppermint spray, and anything else available at Lowes or Home Depot outside the car but inside the garage.

Seal the garage and the car as best you can.

Various traps and those jobbies that make noise that you can't hear but pisses off the animals.

A cat would be best.

[Rick S.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

Ammonia in an open container, just take precautions to prevent it from spilling.

[Jay G.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

Have used downey dryer sheets in our put up cars. Seems to work. But.... our barn cats are most effective. Will work for deli-cat vittles.

[Brian M.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

The cats or the mice???

De-Con kills the little varmints. That's what I use. Sorry animal lovers

[Gerard F.]

Here's my method

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=370&stc=1&d=1205884590

But I never caught one. I think it was just the sight of the traps around their nest of underdash insulation that sent them running. They never returned.

Or maybe it was the run to Walmart, where I dropped them off.

Perhaps a good deterrent is to just start the engine once in a while and take a run.

[Rick S.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

jerry,
Us northern guys can't just start er up and take her for a run as we have to put her in hibernation for the winter. Similiar what the wife does to us guys over 60.

Rick

P.S. My son might be getting a job in the Oakland area, how far are you from Oakland?

[Gerald C.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

To all,

I bought a high pitched sounding "mouse and little varmit repeller" years ago and it work fine. Just plug it in and let it click & pitch its way to a mouse free garage.

Jerry Coia

[Gerard F.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

Rick,

For hibernation, my trap method might just work. Maybe Clem will chime in, he has a better mousetrap. It's in the archives, but I guess they are temporarily off.

I'm about 3 hours out of Oakland.

[Nick M.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

Jerry

I've heard that the high pitched whine also keeps wives out of garages!

[Michael D.]

Re: keeping mice out of car during winter

A friend of mine had mice eat through two headliners with in 1 months time after replacing the first one. He was told to put a "continuious use fan" at one end of the car and just let it blow a stream of air under the car... no more mice or headliner replacements in 2 years so far. The fan is the type used for greenhouses that are made of plastic. The fans blow air between two sheets of plastic that make the greenhouse. They are very efficient to run, use very small amount of electric.