Mouse-Proofing

[David BB 33]

Has anyone had any luck keeping the mice away from the wiring and upholstery when the car is put away for the winter?

David

[Tom Wesenberg]

Yep I use mothballs under the seats and in the trunk, as well as near the garage doors. I also use mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Cats are hard to beat for mouse control.

[Pete]

I use dryer sheets. They keep our local mouse population away.
Moth balls work also but I don't like the smell.

[billwill]

Irish spring bath soapfront ,back and trunk good luck

[Tom Wesenberg]

It must be only a certain brand of soap and dryer sheets, because I've seen mouse nests made from dryer sheets, and I've had mice chew up my bars of soap that I used to keep in my car.

[1crosscut]

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I recall a while ago one on the members on Ford Barn said that on occasion durning the "storage" season he would go out to the garage and fire up his car, leave the building and let it run for a while. Take a deep breath slip in and shut it off and get out. I would think that would take care of any resident mice.
Don't do this with an attached garage!!!

[daveymc29]

Cost me a thousand dollars to get the 89 truck smoked because the rats got to the engine wiring and more. Now I fill the valley with moth balls and park away from hedges and ivy. I also try to feed the neighbors cat on occasion, just some treats to make it look around my place also.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

If you have an attached car house, a Rat Terrier, like me, will solve ANY RAT or MOUSE problem! (Snakes are included @ NO extra CHARGE)
Buster T.

[SeaSlugs]

when my friend movied into thier new house out back was an older prebuild garden shed. opened it up to put his riding mower in it and saw about 4 mice scurry around. Needing to deal with the house stuff he decided to put it in anyways and mess with it tommorow.

Anyways as life does he left it alone for about 2 weeks, went to mow the yard , opened the door to the shed and immediately and slowly closed the door. Saw a 5 foot black rat snake curled around the steering wheel and on the seat. Hasn't had a mouse problem since! Hasnt seen the snake either...

so yea id say install a cat or install a snake in the garage...cat may pee on things or get fur everywhere but a snake wont, may take a nap on the warm engine tho..

[H. L. Chauvin]

FWIW:

When mice or rats are chewing on wiring, upholstery, wood, & even plastic shotgun shells, this is a very positive sign that without a doubt, they already have enough neighborhood intermittent "nutritional" food to survive, but just not enough to satisfy their appetites.

We cannot control our neighbors from feeding rodents, but we can keep dog food, garbage cans, etc., & anything that has a food odor "out" of our Model A garages, except for a generous supply of "fresh" Mice & Rat Poison like d-con.

When d-con get old, it is totally useless.

[Big hammer]

I went to hardware store to get moth balls and young lady said we sell something for keeping mice out of cars. I bought it and use it, smells like moth balls!!

[MikeK]

I let the cat pee in the garage. Haven't seen a mouse in years. As an added benefit, the smell keeps the wife out of the garage, too. When I was young I thought mothball scent was the cologne all grandmas wore.

[Ed Northrop]

Bounce dryer sheets and Irish Spring soap sliced up works well one year I did not do this procedure and they made a nest in my car, I would say it helps.

[CTH automotive]

I've had good luck with the dryer sheets. They just don't last longer than a season. Keeping all "food" sources out of the garage, and cats are also very effective. I try to check my vehicles halfway through the season too, maybe add some more sheets....Oh, better head to the barn...

[JonC]

I use moth balls placed in a plstic dish inside and under the cars, I also use mouse spring traps with peanut butter but after changing them out 20 or so times I just hope the moth balls do the trick. Problem is it takes forever to get rid of the moth ball smell.

[Keith True]

I have had bad experience with the dryer sheets too.Turns out I was just buying the mice blankets.They built their nests with them.The best thing I have used is the rat zapper trap,or it's Victor equivalent.It only takes a mouse or two in a shed to make you think you have a herd of them in there.

[1931 flamingo]

Mothballs on the garage floor and in a plastic bag in the car and then dryer sheets.
I like the m/ball smell.
Paul in CT

[Res731]

I have 2 cats which control mice and chipmunks. Just put a litter box in the garage if they start peeing.

[Fourd]

If you don't like the mothball smell use a repellant called Fresh Cab. It is made from Balsam Fir oil and works great and smells great.

[Terry, NJ]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

If you have an attached car house, a Rat Terrier, like me, will solve ANY RAT or MOUSE problem! (Snakes are included @ NO extra CHARGE)
Buster T.

Hey Bill! glad to see you and Buster are back! Terry

[George Miller]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

It must be only a certain brand of soap and dryer sheets, because I've seen mouse nests made from dryer sheets, and I've had mice chew up my bars of soap that I used to keep in my car.

Maybe they were taking a bath with the soap and using the sheets to dry off.

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by George Miller

Maybe they were taking a bath with the soap and using the sheets to dry off.

Just pull the plug and be done with the little pests!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bruskie]

Welcome back bill, hope your feeling better. I like to collect a few hedge apples to put in the garage in various places, they don't like those.

[Mitch//pa]

I get rid of them with this.. them suckers haul ass out

[Tom Wesenberg]

Isn't it ironic that Walt Disney chose the most destructive rodent on earth to make into a hero.

[31 Model A]

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Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Isn't it ironic that Walt Disney chose the most destructive rodent on earth to make into a hero.

In Minnie's book, "Living with a Rat Bag", she didn't have kind words for Mickey either.

[cp5491r]

I've used D-Con poison for 30 years in unheated garages with easy access for mice. Never a problem.

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by 1930 coupe

Miniature schnauzers make very good mousers, but they like to bring their kills in the house to show you what they killed. Birds, mice, snakes, bird nests, you name it.

love the pics:::nice documentation
you'll never go hungry LOL.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi David,

Mr. CP in reply #27, no doubt shares a common sense message that most will never understand.

After 30 years, he knows that there is ....... and there never will be ....... no such thing as rat & mice "Extermination".

The proper term is rat & mice "Control."

Really, not any different from our friendly Political Rats ....... we can "Control", most; but, never "Exterminate" them.

Concentrate on offering D-Con to the very first rodent that enters your garage, because he/she is seeking food and/or a place to dwell.

If he/she finds either, he/she leaves a trail that other rodents can smell to lead them to either join in the banquet ..... or enjoy the comfort of their the newly found Holiday Inn.

D-con is the best "Control" factor ....... get rid of the first rodent, & their is no inviting trail for others to smell.

Rodent "Control" can be thought of as being similar & as beneficial as political "Term Limits", i.e., these first "new" rats will not stay long in your garage.

Just trying to write it as ""Food for Thought" so Forum members can remember how our friendly rodents operate.

[MrBruce]

In Wisconsin I always used mothballs. Haven't had to use anything in NC until this year. I am trying dryer sheets, don't know if they will work, but will see if I see any sign of mice this spring (although I've had the car out all ready this winter). So far haven't seen any sign of them critters.

[loowiloowi]

Try Bay leaves under the seats.

[jg61hawk]

Well I'm new here so here goes....but having had another old car for years I too use D-Con and Dryer Sheets but I have found .....and here is where I get in trouble....shall we say.... relieving one's self after a couple of beers around the entrance doors to the garage will, without a doubt, help keep mice away. We humans, being sophisticated types, tend NOT TO LEAVE OUR SCENT anymore. Pee around the building apparently is VERY frightening to not only mice but other critters as well.

I hope I'm not banned from the club. There is a sink in my basement!!!!!

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Bruskie

Welcome back bill, hope your feeling better. I like to collect a few hedge apples to put in the garage in various places, they don't like those.

wonderd if natures softballs had a purpose... i know farmers hate em because they make cows sick when they eat em...

[Charlville]

I have a large Ginger Tom named TJ

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

wonderd if natures softballs had a purpose... i know farmers hate em because they make cows sick when they eat em...

Are we talkin' about the horse apples from the BEAU D' ARC trees? They are widely used for fence posts in Oklahoma. If you "plant" a post, shortly after harvest, it will grow into a tree, shortly! They have a beautiful GOLDEN wood & big BAD thorns!
Bill W.

[Bruskie]

its those big green hard as a rock thing you find along the road the mice definatly don't like them

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Bruskie

its those big green hard as a rock thing you find along the road the mice definatly don't like them

OH! NOT to be confused with ARMADILLOS
Bill W.

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by Bruskie

its those big green hard as a rock thing you find along the road the mice definatly don't like them

They are very hard on the forehead, just ask my cousin, she stepped in front on one once, long long ago.

[John/CT]

The mice seemed to hoard D-Con under the back seat of my Fordor in the long New England winter. Probably ate their fill and saved the rest for later.

I've had luck with a deterrent called Mouse Magic. It's oversize teabags of peppermint and spearmint potpourri. You have to replace them every other month or so. Amazon sells it.

John

[PepeLoco]

We used these in our barns to keep them completely mouse/rat free.
Not sure how to insert the link...

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86383

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86383

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Are we talkin' about the horse apples from the BEAU D' ARC trees? They are widely used for fence posts in Oklahoma. If you "plant" a post, shortly after harvest, it will grow into a tree, shortly! They have a beautiful GOLDEN wood & big BAD thorns!
Bill W.

sounds like honey or black locusts trees around here, looks like a normal tree from a distance but up close every foot or so is a 5" spike coming out of the trunk with needle sharp spikes coming from those spikes in a random pattern, whole trunk and branches are spikes, they arent flexible either, about as stout as a pencil and snap off if you get stabbed

[David BB 33]

Has anyone heard of or tried cotton sprinkled with peppermint oil?

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by David BB 32

Has anyone heard of or tried cotton sprinkled with peppermint oil?

I've heard it works well, but google it to see exactly what oil you need and where to buy it. I read that you should buy the oil from the health food store, but I don't recall all the details.

[David BB 33]

Thanks Tom - will check that out.
David

[Bruskie]

had a hawthorn tree in my yard kept getting flat tires on my mower so I cut that sucker down

[ronn]

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JG-I like your style! welcome to the board.

when in France do like the.............. do!

[wrndln]

I have had good luck with mothballs inside a covered pie pan. I drill about 12 or so quarter inch holes in the plastic cover so a little of the mothball odor is released. The reason I do it this way is to keep the mothballs from disappearing so soon. I have had mothballs last 2 years doing this. Since animals can smell many times better than people, there is enough odor to keep the mice away. Also, the pie pan makes it convenient to handle and place in various spots.
Rusty Nelson

[steve s]

IMO, the number one cause of mice in the garage or house is the storage of seed for the birds. Our mouse problems ended when we stopped feeding the birds.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by steve s

IMO, the number one cause of mice in the garage or house is the storage of seed for the birds. Our mouse problems ended when we stopped feeding the birds.

Same here, Stevie,
My next door neighbor left a big bag of fresh peanuts in her garage, the RATS chewed a hole in the heavy shake roof & ate themselves silly. Fortunately, they DIDN'T chew on her '26 Studebaker or her '66 Porsche!
Bill W.

[mshmodela]

Rice (like large bag) or grass seed is like crack for mice....

[ctvpa]

I have had very good luck with dryer sheets. But you should take some cloth, and with a rubber band, cover your exhaust output. I have seen many mice like to move in there.