How to Keep Mice, Rats and Other Rodents Out of Your Car Engine

Rodents are all around, and some are probably going to attack your vehicle and do harm. They can discover your auto, choose it is a protected place to make a home and a helpful site to store sustenance. In the event that you can debilitate them, you may win the fight.

There are many systems used to forestall commotion by the ruinous critters. Here are some effective measures rodent harm casualties have attempted, particularly in blend. Different lines of guard appear to work best.

Leave the hood up. Rodents are looking for a dark place to nest. This idea may help discourage nesting, but may not be practical in all situations.

Hide your dog food, cat food, and birdseed. Dog food is the gold standard of rat society. Rats will stuff pounds and pounds of it into the air cleaner, glove compartment, or other empty spaces in your car.

Remove or seal off rat hiding places near the car. Cut down nearby shrubbery and vines where they can hide. If you have a garage, block rat-sized entrances to the building, or spray them with substances or solutions that rats hate (see below).

Block small entrances to the engine compartment. Some car owners place traps around the vehicle or on top of the wheels, since rats climb wheels to get into the engine. Some block engine openings with wire screen.

Use electronic deterrent devices. Rodents can hear ultrasound, and it annoys them, at least for a while. Some learn to ignore it. Strobe lights like Mouse Blocker or Rid-a-Rat may work for longer periods, as they disrupt the darkness that rats prefer.

Make your engine and its entrances smell bad, at least to rats. Motorists have had success with peppermint oil, powdered fox urine, used cat litter, cat hair, dog hair, Pine-Sol, Irish Spring soap, red pepper, and laundry dryer sheets. The people who make "Rataway" tell you to spray it on all the wires in the engine.

Finally: use traps to remove the rats who get through. The old-fashioned snap traps still work. Glue traps work too but may torture the rat. Humane cage traps may work, but relocating the varmits can be a problem. Toxic baits do kill rats eventually, but are likely to also poison predators, including domestic animals.