Mice love to nest in cars and cause damage by chewing through insulated wire and interior upholstery. Mice chew holes in seat covers and ceiling fabric. The rodents shred hood insulating material and seats for nesting material. Mice can wreak havoc in a car stored for years. They will move into and damage a car in a matter of weeks, especially in autumn and early winter. Mice nests clog hoses, air ducts and air cleaners. When mice get stuck and die in the dashboard or duct work, the smell permeates the car for weeks.
Mouse proof your garage or storage area by sealing up any hole, chink, crack or opening of any kind more than 1/4 inch across. Cut sections of copper or steel wire mesh to cover the openings. Nail or staple the mesh securely. Inspect the entire building, inside and out, from top to bottom. As you check the building, keep in mind that mice are good climbers and can enter a building under the eaves or higher up.
Eliminate any source of food in the car. Clean the interior thoroughly to remove any trace of food that will attract mice. Look under and between the seats for bits of fast food hamburger, bread or French fries. Get rid of the packets of ketchup and other condiments, the mice can smell them. Shampoo spilled drinks and sauces out of carpets and upholstery. Keep your car clean to prevent attracting mice by their sharp sense of smell.
Roll up the windows and close all outside vents at night to deny easy entry to nocturnal mice. Park your car away from places frequented by mice, such as piles of lumber or firewood. Protect a car in storage from vermin by letting a cat live in the building or sleep there at night. Get a good mouser, not all cats are good at catching mice. Introduce a rat terrier that's known to hunt mice into the building.
Set traps in and around your car to catch and kill mice trying to live there. Start with the standard snap-trap. Bait it with peanut butter or bacon. Roast the bait with a match or lighter to enhance its aroma. Switch to a walk-in type trap when the mice learn to take the bait off the snap-trap without setting it off. Check the traps daily and dispose of mice carcasses immediately.
Use glue boards to trap mice when they've learned to avoid other types of traps. Place the glue boards against walls and behind objects. Put them wherever you see droppings or other signs of mice infestations. Poison the mice if they persist. Put boxes or packets of rodenticides in secluded, out-of-sight areas. Place them about 10 feet apart. Use a single-feed bait to eliminate rodents quickly. Protect children and pets by using childproof bait stations.
