How to Get a Mouse Out of Your Car

Spotting, fixing, and preventing a mice infestation in your engine and upholstery

Do you drive for a carpool? We’re not talking about human passengers here, we mean mice! Unless it’s fresh from the pet store, it’s never fun to have a rodent riding shotgun. Mice infestations in your car not only lead to damage to the electricals and upholstery, but can be a serious health hazard, as well. If you think you’ve got some uninvited riders, you’re in the right place. We’ll cover how to rid your car of mice, how to spot signs of an infestation, and how to prevent further infestations.

[Edit]Things You Should Know

• Spray your car with peppermint oil or other scent-based deterrents to drive out mice humanely and naturally.
• Set up snap traps or no-kill traps under the seats and under the hood to catch mice in the act.
• Leave the hood open to expose any mice under the cover, and let your car heat up in the sun to raise the temperature to uncomfortable levels.
• Call a professional pest controller to handle the situation in the safest, most effective manner.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Removing Mice

1. Spray your car with peppermint oil. Peppermint oil has been found to deter mice, who don’t love the scent of peppermint. Add a few drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle of warm water, and spray your upholstery, trunk, and mechanics under the hood with a generous dose to drive rodents out. Repeat this every few days.^[1]
   
   • Alternatively, use a commercial scent-based rodent repeller, and spray it according to the instructions on the package.
2. Set mouse traps inside your car. Arm mousetraps in front of and behind your car’s seats, in the trunk, and even under the hood to catch intruding mice.^[2] Opt for no-kill traps if you’d prefer a gentler method of removal.
   
   • Arm your traps with nesting materials like cotton balls, which are often more effective than other bait types.^[3]
   • When using no-kill traps, be sure to release the caught mice far away from your home to prevent them from returning, and make sure it’s legal to release live mice in the area.
3. Honk your horn or use an ultrasonic repellent. Ultrasonic repellents are electronic devices that make sounds only some animals can hear, and which they find obnoxious. Park your car in a garage, and plug in the devices on a wall close to the car.^[4] Alternatively, take your car to a secluded area and lay on the horn for a while to scare the mice away.
   
   • Note that while these are popular methods, neither of them have been proven to be as effective as other means.
4. Heat up the car in the sun. Mice hate extreme temperatures, so go ahead and roll up those windows and park the car in a nice, sunny spot for a day or 2 to bring the inside to a broil. Alternatively, let your heater run on high for a while to get the inside real toasty.^[5]
   
5. Open up the hood. While it may seem counterintuitive, mice love a closed car hood, since it provides great shelter. Opening your car’s hood, however, exposes the space to the air, letting in the cold and making mice think twice about staying in such an exposed place.^[6]
   
   • Be sure to park in the garage first to avoid unwanted debris finding its way into your engine.
6. Contact a pest control service. Rodents can be stubborn, skittish as they are. The safest and most effective way to remove a rodent infestation from your car or anywhere else is to hire a professional service to do it for you.^[7]
   
   • Alternatively, many car cleaning services know their way around a vehicular rodent infestation, and will clean your car and remove the mice for you. Just call ahead and make sure they’re equipped to handle it.

[Edit]Signs of an Infestation

1. Look for droppings or urine. The most telltale sign of a mouse problem is visible droppings or discoloration on upholstery caused by urine. Mouse droppings are small, dark pellets often found in the nooks and crannies of your car, like under the seats or in the mechanics.^[8]
   
2. Smell the interior for foul odors. Mouse droppings and urine come with a stale, pungent smell. But even if you can’t identify a nest in the interior, the little intruders may have nested within your car’s ventilation system. Turn on the AC or heating for a few minutes and test for a foul odor from the vents.^[9]
   
   • If you do detect a foul smell from the ventilation, refrain from driving your car until the problem is solved, as a compromised ventilation system can pose serious respiratory health risks.
3. Examine wires and upholstery for chew marks. Chew—it’s what mice do best. Pop the hood and check any visible wiring for teeth marks or stripped cables. Also check for holes in your seats, sun visors, and any other fabric inside your car. If you see any ragged edges, it could be a sign of mice.^[10]
   
   • If you suspect your car may have an infestation, first check the engine block for signs of damage, as full or partial damage to this area may be dangerous. Take your care to a mechanic if you’re uncertain of your car’s internals.
4. Look for nests in the air filter and other places. This another easy giveaway—bundles of shredded nesting material all bunched up in one location. Check your car’s air filter (under the hood) where mice are likely to nest due the warm environment.^[11] Also check under the seats, in the glove compartment, and elsewhere under the hood.
   
   • Nests are often made of soft bedding, like wood chips, shredded newspaper, or even your car’s own upholstery. In addition, they’re often fairly large and easy to spot.
5. Drive the car and check for any mechanical or electrical problems. Sometimes the problem is invisible, and is happening deep in the internals of your car. Take it for a spin and listen for any mechanical issues like irregular noises. Also check the dashboard for any warning lights, and make sure the electronics on the console are all in working order. If they’re not, a mouse may have chewed through some internal wiring or electronics.^[12]
   
   • Test your car’s dashboard and console functions—like the AC, radio, windshield defroster, etc. —one by one to make sure each is in working order.

[Edit]Prevention

1. Clean your car with bleach after an infestation. Rodents attract other rodents (not to mention the health concerns), so it’s important to cleanse your car after you’ve rid it of mice. Park it outside, open the doors, and let it air out for about 20 minutes. Then, vacuum up any mess and spray any areas where mice were present with a mixture of 1 part of bleach and 9 parts of water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then use paper towels to soak it all up.^[13]
   
   • Wear a mask and rubber gloves while cleaning to avoid contact with any unsanitary substances.
   • Use color-safe bleach on upholstery and other fabrics.
2. Lay dryer sheets on your upholstery. Mice hate the smell and feel of dryer sheets, which is great news for car owners looking for cheap rodent prevention. When you go to store a car, simply lay dryer sheets over the seats, floor, dashboard, and in the trunk. Then, when you come back to retrieve the car from storage, it’ll be rodent free and smell like fresh laundry, as a bonus.^[14]
   
   • Alternatively, sprinkle mothballs along the interior and under the hood.
3. Block entrances to your engine block with wire mesh. There are so many ways for mice to get into your car, and it’s nearly impossible to block them all. That said, use wire mesh to make a barrier to entrances to the more sensitive or valuable parts of your car, like the engine or internal wiring.^[15]
   
   • Stuff the wire mesh or use wires to affix it to places like exposed vents, wires, and hood scoops. Every car is different, so consult a mechanic to find out the best places in which you might use the mesh.
4. Drive your car at least once or twice a month. The best way to prevent mice from nesting in your car is to take away the opportunity. If you drive your car often, you’ll give any pests looking to bunk down inside second thoughts with all the motion and noises.^[16]
   
5. Tidy your car and throw out any trash inside it. It’s easy (and tempting) for mice to make a home in a place that already has bountiful nesting materials like fast food wrappers or leftover food.^[17] Take away the temptation by keeping your car tidy and clean, which also removes any extra hiding spots.^[18]
   
   • In addition, remove any food and nesting materials from your garage.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/diy/a30568515/rats-in-the-engine-cradle-and-how-to-keep-them-out/
2. ↑ https://publichealthinsider.com/2017/04/21/rodents-your-car-and-hantavirus-what-to-do-if-you-suspect-rodents-are-living-in-your-vehicle/
3. ↑ [v161770_b01]. 1 April 2021.
4. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rodents-a5816950285/
5. ↑ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/5-ways-to-tell-if-mice-are-living-in-your-car-301244627.html
6. ↑ https://extension.usu.edu/wildlife-interactions/featured-animals/animals-in-car
7. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rodents-a5816950285/
8. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rodents-a5816950285/
9. ↑ https://extension.usu.edu/wildlife-interactions/featured-animals/animals-in-car
10. ↑ https://extension.usu.edu/wildlife-interactions/featured-animals/animals-in-car
11. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rodents-a5816950285/
12. ↑ https://extension.usu.edu/wildlife-interactions/featured-animals/animals-in-car
13. ↑ https://publichealthinsider.com/2017/04/21/rodents-your-car-and-hantavirus-what-to-do-if-you-suspect-rodents-are-living-in-your-vehicle/
14. ↑ https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/tips-to-keep-mice-out-of-stored-cars/
15. ↑ https://extension.usu.edu/wildlife-interactions/featured-animals/animals-in-car
16. ↑ https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/diy/a30568515/rats-in-the-engine-cradle-and-how-to-keep-them-out/
17. ↑ [v161060_b01]. 28 June 2019.
18. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rodents-a5816950285/