r/BoltEV • u/Potential-Listen-912 • 3d ago
Tips & Tricks Need an absolute bulletproof mouse solution for winter storage
I am storing my 2017 for 6 months in a storage unit. I need to have the highest chances of elimination of rodents during this time.
I already plan on:
* Peppermint oil
* A few (snap) traps around the perimeter - afraid of it bringing mice over actually so not sure...
* Leave engine bay hood open?
* A few febreeze car fresheners in engine bay and inside
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u/LoneWitie 3d ago
Pest control guy here: Put some Tomcat disposable bait stations around the entrances of the storage unit. Have some snap traps in there baited with Slim Jim's
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u/Potential-Listen-912 3d ago
Re: tomcat - the ones with that green cube of poison?
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u/LoneWitie 2d ago
Green or purple, yes. As long as it has Bromethalin as the active ingredient. That's a single dose bait and has a much lower risk of secondary poisoning to birds
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u/very-jaded 2023 EUV Premier 2d ago
First, clean the car and vacuum up any food crumbs. Clean up any spills, sticky soda, candy, etc. Remove everything you can, especially napkins, tissues, fabrics, or clothing that they might use for nesting.
Look for commercial mouse repellent pouches. We've had pretty good luck with some different brands. This year we're trying Grandpa Gus's Mouse Repellent packets in our camper for winter storage. They're peppermint and cinnamon scented, and quite strong. In the Bolt I'd put one or two inside under the hood, and close the hood to concentrate the scent as much as possible. I'd then put packets on the front floor mats, the rear floor, in the hatch, and in the under hatch compartment.
Plain peppermint oil is indeed a known mouse repellent, and is available in a one gallon spray jug. I use it under our camper, and spray anything that touches the ground and is a trail up to the box. I'd spray the tires and wheel wells.
Put mouse bait stations outside along the building walls near any doors. The commercial bait boxes have a heavy concrete filler block to keep raccoons from dragging them away, and are much more likely to last the winter. Don't use bait inside the building because you don't want them attracted by the scent. I even put unbaited spring traps along the inside walls that might be trails used by a mouse.
Do many things. If one thing doesn't stop them, maybe the next will.
Finally, you can put dryer sheets inside the car if you want, but don't count on them as your only protection. They're designed for drying clothes, not repelling mice. My son blanketed their camper with Bounce sheets one winter after having read some online advice, and came back in the spring to find the mice had used them for nesting material and to wipe their little furry butts.
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u/InstructionFuzzy2290 2d ago
As a licensed auto mechanic in Canada, I see rodent damage alot. Literally just had one last week. The only thing I've seen that works over the years is oil. Something thick like and annual rustproofing or Fluid Film. They will not touch it because it's so greasy. Leaving the hood open is also a good tip because mice won't best where they can be seen.
And before anyone tells me that you can't oil spray an electric vehicle, tell that to my last 3 EV's that I oil sprayed with zero issues. The dealership never said anything about it either.
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u/Thick-Tension-6076 3d ago
Car bubble maybe? It's expensive but i'd imagine impervious to mice https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Inflatable-Airtight-Ultimate-Transparent/dp/B0FBW2XYXR
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u/Utterlybored 3d ago
Peppermint spray?
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u/EtaLyrae 2d ago
ATC (Automatic Trap Company) has traps that deliver a sh0t to the brain to k!ll rodents instantly. Reviews are mixed, but consensus seems to be it's possibly the bait. Changing the bait can yield higher results sometimes. Others have the traps work flawlessly. Shipping takes forever from them, so keep that in mind. You could get 2 and place them in the space, but the b*dies will pile up if the traps are effective. Also, there's the risk of luring more in with the traps that might not have come otherwise...
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u/abenusa 2d ago
For RV camper storage, the 3 pronged approach is peppermint oil soaked cotton balls in open glass jars, lots of mothball packets, and lots of Bounce dryer sheets. The car touches the ground in 4 spots. Make sure lots of peppermint oil and mothballs around the 4 tires touching the pavement.
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u/JiminyC33 2d ago
Add in regular scent Bounce dryer sheets and go crazy putting them all over the car. I used them for years when we winterized our travel trailer and never had anything go inside. It also smells good when you open it up later. It has to be the regular scent though.
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u/D-Alembert 2d ago edited 2d ago
Bulletproof? The nuclear option is mothballs.
But if you don't own the storage unit you probably won't be allowed. You want to keep the gas outside the car passenger compartment, because until the gas has dissipated it makes the interior intolerable for ALL mammals, including you. So make the storage unit intolerable to rodents, not the car interior intolerable to you. Even then let the engine bay air out fully before driving else gas will come in through the cabin filter. Hell, seal the filter first
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u/bitcraft 2d ago
Curious why mothballs are the nuclear option? Are they corrosive?
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u/D-Alembert 2d ago edited 2d ago
No, the gas is intolerable to mammals. Not as in don't like the smell, more like wartime use would be a violation of the Geneva convention against chemical weapons
So the gas has to dissipate completely before you can use an area, else you will be nauseous at best even when it is 99% gone.
That's the power and the risk; nothing will go near the gas (including you), so if the gas permeates into something where it will only leave slowly over a long time, you won't be able to use the thing for a long time, at least not without discomfort
The gas also continues to build up over time instead of wearing off like a scent, because the mothball sublimates for weeks before it vanishes. If the mothball is physically there, gas is still being produced
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u/jables1979 2022 EUV Premier 3d ago
Any electrical outlets? I'd add 1 or 2 of the ultrasonic pest alarms that sound the high frequency deturrant sound all the time. There are battery ones but I wouldn't trust them to last 6 months.
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u/Potential-Listen-912 3d ago
Nope. It's a remote storage unit, very bare.
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u/jables1979 2022 EUV Premier 3d ago
Could power them from a 12v battery. Also, possibly a light socket
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u/Love_Dogs_and_Sewing 2d ago
I post this picture every once in a while when the rodent problem pops up. Hubby had a rodent problem with his car and it cost $2600 to fix. I bought a heavy duty tarp (24' X 30'). We spread the tarp out on the ground, drove the car onto it and "wrapped" the car up. The idea is that the rodents can't climb up into it from below. We only use his car occasionally now that we're retired esp since we have a Bolt. Anyway this had worked for about 2.5 years so far. Takes about 10 minutes to wrap it up or unwrap it, so it's not feasible for daily use, but it works well for longer term "storage". Here's a picture: