How to Keep Mice Out of a Camper? (7 Tips) • Road Sumo

Mice can and will get into a camper if it isn’t well-sealed. How can you prevent this from happening? How to keep mice out of a camper?

Here are 7 effective ways to keep mice out of a camper:

Store your camper on a paved surface
Plug any holes inside and out
Clean your camper after every camping trip
Install lighting under your camper
Keep doors, windows, and vent fans shut
Inspect your camper regularly
Don’t store food inside your camper

Mice are prolific breeders. You must be proactive in mice-proofing your camper because they can do extensive damage to it.

Read on to learn more about the many effective ways of keeping mice out of your camper and how you can prevent them from coming back again.

How to Keep Mice Out of Camper

It seems no one is exempt from mice infestation. These little pests are especially fond of campers and other recreational vehicles because they are often exposed to the outside elements, and there is plenty of food inside.

If you have this problem, take heart. Keeping mice out of your camper is really not that difficult.

The 7 tips below will help you keep mice out of your camper for good.

1. Store Your Camper on a Paved Surface

If at all possible, store your camper on a paved or hard surface. Don’t park it in a grassy or forested area. These places are the roaming grounds of mice and rats while they forage for food. There should be some kind of pavement between your parking area and the grass or trees.

2. Plug Any Holes Inside and Out

If you’ve just bought your camper, this is the first thing you should do. Inspect all areas of the camper and plug every hole that you see in it. In other words, check every nook and corner of your camper as well as all furniture and cabinets.

By inspecting the whole camper, you will be able to see every possible entry point that pests can use to enter the camper. A thorough inspection is the first important thing you can do to protect your camper from pests.

Seal holes the size of a dime from the inside. If it’s not too difficult for you to do, also seal the holes from the outside. Double sealing the holes makes it harder for pests to penetrate. Look for the entry points of wires and pipes into your camper, especially on the floor.

The best sealant you can use is the one with expanding foam, just like a tire sealant. You just need to shake the can of the sealant and squirt the liquid onto the hole. The liquid will turn into foam, which will harden and plug the hole.

But don’t apply too much goo to the hole. Apply just enough to get the holes sealed. To know how much to apply, try it first on anything that has a hole in it. If there is any excess foam, remove it at once. Once it hardens, it can be harder to remove.

Another sealant that you can use is a caulk that seals window joints and seams or leaks in piping. Caulks are also available in cans. They are squirted on the gaps, cracks, or holes to seal the item.

3. Clean Your Camper After Every Camping Trip

The next tip in this list of how to keep mice out of a camper is to clean it often. Understandably, your camper will get dirty after a two- or three-week period in the wild. Before storing it, give it a thorough cleaning. This is the best thing that you can do to discourage pests from invading your camper.

Remove all food, especially the perishables. Clean all the cabinets and ensure that no tiny bits of food crumbs are left inside the kitchen. All dirty and sticky spots should be cleaned and vacuumed as well. Pay attention to the kitchen area because that’s where you’ll see bits and crumbs of food. Mice are experts in locating lost bits of food.

If you are using your camper full time, you should have a regular cleaning schedule. It is your home, and it should be kept clean at all times if you don’t want pests around. Mice and rats are good at scavenging food, no matter where you store them.

4. Install Lighting under Your Camper

Mice are nocturnal creatures and experts in foraging food in the dark. There are no lights in the holes where they live. So, one way to detract them from your camper is to install some kind of lighting under it.

Rope lights are the best because you can spread them out in all the underside sections of your camper. You can do this while camping to deter the pests in the area. While it is stored in your home, lights under your camper will also discourage mice from checking it out.

5. Keep Doors, Windows, and Vent Fans Shut

How to keep mice out of camper in winter? If you are storing your camper for the winter, keep all its windows, doors, and vent fans fully closed. Don’t give mice and other pests convenient entry points to your camper. Check the camper’s underside to see if there are any openings that pests could use to invade your camper. If there are any, plug or seal it.

6. Inspect Your Camper Regularly

The next tip in this list of how to keep mice out of your camper is to inspect it regularly. How to keep mice out of pop-up camper? Check your camper regularly while it is in storage. Don’t forget all about it while you’re busy with your usual concerns. Plan a regular inspection schedule so you can set aside time to do this important activity.

Aside from knowing your camper’s actual condition at the time of inspection, this activity will also discourage pests from checking out your camper while you’re not around.

7. Don’t Store Food Inside Your Camper

Mice and other pests are always scavenging for food and foraging around to where they smell the scent of something they can eat. If you store food inside your camper even if you are not using it, you attract and invite them to your camper to check if there’s anything they can eat there.

If they can’t find anything, they will leave and go somewhere else. Some mice may chew on electrical lines, but most of them are just searching for food they can eat. The best thing that you can do to prevent mice from infesting your camper is to keep food out, especially if your camper is in storage.

Next, let’s look at the things you can do if there’s already an existing mice infestation in your camper.

What to Do If Mice Have Already Infested Your Camper?

Don’t get discouraged if you discover that mice have already invaded your camper. If you do the following things, they will disappear.

1. Use Mouse Traps

If you are reluctant to using poison in your camper, mice traps are a good alternative. They are somewhat gruesome if you think about it, but your health and the safety of your vehicle are at risk. There are three kinds of mice or mouse traps you can use:

Standard spring trap
Sticky paper
Box trap

how to keep mice out of camper in winter

Standard Spring Trap

It is the old type of mouse trap you see in cartoon comic strips and movies. While it is somewhat gruesome, it is very effective in eliminating mice and reducing their brood.

Sticky Paper

This is one of the most convenient, non-bloody mice traps if you don’t like seeing blood. Just spread the sticky paper, put some leftover food on top, and then place it in a spot where you think mice are likely to go.

When they step on the sticky paper to get the food, they won’t be able to get out because they will be trapped in the strong glue. You have to dispose of the mice and the paper after that.

Box Trap

This trap is also effective in solving mice infestations. Put some food in the box trap to lure the mice in. Once the mouse is in, it will step onto something that will trip the box cover to shut close, trapping the mouse inside. You have to get rid of the mouse and maybe the box as well. But you can reuse the box by only getting rid of the mouse.

2. Use Rat or Mice Poison

Killing mice with poison is another option. The problem with this solution is that you won’t know where they’re at once they are all dead. You will surely be bothered by the stench of their rotting bodies. But you can’t find their bodies because you don’t know where they are holing.

One effective solution is to use a poison that weakens the mice and causes them to seek out the light when they are already weak. In this way, you won’t trouble yourself finding their bodies. They will be out there in the light once they are dead.

Mice or rat poisons are mostly available in powder form and are combined with food to attract rodents. So, be careful in spreading the poison. They should be placed in spots that small kids couldn’t reach.

3. Remove Food from Your Camper

Of course, you need food to sustain your body while you are out there camping. But storing food on your camper even if it is in storage is not a good practice. Food left in your camper will attract all kinds of pests, including mice and even rats. Remember, these creatures have a keen sense of smell.

If you think you will not be using your camper until the next month or two, get rid of all the food inside it. These are some of the food that you must pull out of your camper if you put it in storage:

Breakfast bars or health bars wrapped in paper or plastic
Flour or sugar in paper bags
Nuts and dried fruits in tin cans or cardboard boxes/cans
Coffee creamers (powder or liquid) in tin cans or plastic containers
Chips of any kind in plastic bags
Uncooked pasta in plastic or cardboard containers

Conclusion – How to Keep Mice Out of Camper Trailers?

How to keep mice out of a pop-up camper or regular camper? Below are 7 effective ways:

Store your camper on a paved surface
Plug any holes inside and out
Clean your camper after every camping trip
Install lighting under your camper
Keep doors, windows, and vent fans shut
Inspect your camper regularly
Don’t store food inside your camper

Mice, together with other pests, can ruin the interior of your camper. They will not only damage your furniture, but they will also leave their excrements and urine, making the interior of your camper smelly and unhealthy. They can chew on wood and electrical lines too.

Practice all the tips above, and your camper will not attract mice and other pests.