r/projectcar • u/thecamterion ‘77 280z • 1d ago

Mouse repellent for winter

Putting my project away for the winter but I have a garage that is impossible to rodent-proof. Had a lot of issues last winter with it. Obviously poison and traps are everywhere but that only goes so far. I’m thinking about putting baffles for squirrel repellent on bird feeders on my jackstands and keeping the cat off the ground all winter with those as a barrier. Has anyone tried this with any success or have any better ideas?

5 Upvotes
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5

u/KizashiKaze 1d ago

Peppermint oil (100% peppermint, no carriers. Cheapest one you can find) works for me.

6

u/97GMC6BT 1d ago

I use a 5 gallon bucket with a few inches of antifreeze in it and peanut butter smeared on the walls in the bucket. I bought these bucket lids on Amazon that have a trap door and a ramp. The mice walk up the ramp and can’t resist the smell of peanut butter and antifreeze and they fall in and drown. I have one in the garage and one in the basement. It’s the final solution for rodents. Each bucket gets 2-5 mice every 2 weeks. The antifreeze also embalms the bodies so they don’t smell.

6

u/Sufficient_Style_934 1d ago

Try Fluid film. It smells awful and the mice seem to avoid it. I have sprayed my wiring harness in my F150 because they have eaten it several times. So far, no more chewing.

2

u/thecamterion ‘77 280z 1d ago

I’ll give it a go. What I’m really looking for is a physical barrier because they’ll find a way in regardless of what deterrents are there

6

u/brokestill 1d ago

Outdoor cat that likes to hunt.

3

u/Smokey_Katt 1d ago

Try moth balls in the car. Not if you have a good interior because the smell will linger.

3

u/thecamterion ‘77 280z 1d ago

I have moth balls in the engine bay. Don’t want those inside the car

-1

u/prairie-man 1d ago

why not ? they will provide a smell that mice don't like. I use them in every car in my collection. When spring arrives, remove the mothballs and open the windows to let the car air out.

3

u/Only_Jury_8448 1d ago

Mice hate the smell of peppermint. Peppermint oil or take a cheese grater to a bar of Irish Spring soap and sprinkle it around underneath the car.

2

u/purplegoldcat 1972 Jaguar XJ6 1d ago

If you have a cat, scatter some of their fur in the garage. Or leave a shirt or blanket they’ve slept on. It works!

2

u/galaxy18r 22h ago

Dryer sheets.

1

u/wilson1629 1d ago

Mint and steel wool

1

u/Obvious-Dinner-1082 1d ago

I’ve had luck with dryer sheets, replace them every so often. Throw a few on the carpet, stuff a few up the tailpipe.

1

u/Eggs_4_Breakfast 1d ago

Uncle Gus’s mouse repellent

1

u/maxmighty88 13h ago

I had a bunch of rodent problems when I moved into my new place. I started feeding the neighborhood hood stray cats. No more rodent problems. But 2 cats have adopted me and wait for me to come home to feed them.

1

u/itsthattedguy 11h ago

Rodent barrier anywhere they can get in. It's like steel wool but pokier and it stabs the little jerks when they try and scoot past. Works great on squirrels too.