How to Protect Your Car from Rats & Rodents?

Be it a romantic drive in the night, a road trip or just a bunch of old friends going to a food joint, cars are generally the most preferred transport mode. However, rats and rodents are not welcome in a car. These little creatures can cause a lot of havoc inside a vehicle, starting from foul smell to damaging the wires inside the car.

Continue reading this article to know how to protect a car from rats, mice and rodents!

Here are the ways if you want to know how to protect a car from rats, rodents and mice -

1. Keeping the Area Clear

Inspect the area where you park your vehicle to identify and eliminate all the potential breeding and hiding spots for rats, rodents, and mice. For instance, do not park the car near any bush. In cities, the parking areas generally do not have grass around them; however, make sure that there are no empty boxes or trash near the parking spot.

To summarise, keep the parking spot clean and don't allow the rats and rodents to make a shelter for themselves. To ensure this, keep the parking area hygienic, non-cluttered and litter-free.

2. Discard Food Sources

Like any other living creature, rats and mice need food to survive. So, if there is any food source in and around your car, it will surely attract rats and rodents. Therefore, make sure that there is no food loitered around to protect your car from these unwanted guests. Making the vehicle a ‘no food’ area is one of the best ways to protect the car from rodents, rats and mice.

3. Avoid Parking in Dark Places

Rodents and rats prefer to take shelter in places that are dark. Therefore, make sure to switch on the lights of the garage while parking the car. If you are not parking in a garage, make sure that the parking spot has ample lighting. During daytime, make sure that the car’s interior receives direct sunlight.

4. Use Peppermint Oil

Rats and mice do not like the smell of peppermint oil. Therefore, this can be used as one of the ways to protect cars from rodents and mice. Put some peppermint oil on small cotton balls and strategically place them in different spots in your cars to repel rodents. To ensure optimal results, repeat this process for a few days.

5. Seal the Entry

Once you detect the entry point of the rodents, use a rat mesh for the car to seal the entry point. Nevertheless, finding the entry points can be difficult as these rodents can squeeze in through tiny holes. Consult with any professional mechanic and seal the points accordingly to avoid any confusion.

6. Invest in Electronic Devices

There are several gadgets in the market that vibrate or emit a sound that only rats and mice can hear. Unlike peppermint oil, these are motion-sensitive devices and can be used as a one-time solution.

7. Use the Vehicle Regularly

If you do not use your vehicle for a long period, it can become a breeding spot for rodents. Starting the engine every now and then will help you and your car stay protected from this issue.

8. Usage of Biological Deterrents

Rodents fear cats and dogs. Therefore, cats and dogs act as biological deterrents and drive rodents and mice away from your car. However, before starting the vehicle, make sure that there is no animal present in your car, as there can be deadly consequences.

9. Place Trap Devices

Traps have been used to pin down rodents and mice for over a century. Tempt the rats and mice using bait and trap them with a mousetrap. Moreover, you can use a sticky-tape trap to do the needful.

10. Use Poison as a Bait

Using poison can be one of the effective ways to protect the car from rodents. However, think twice before using poison, as the rodents might die inside the vehicle, which leaves a pungent smell. Moreover, if the rodents die outside the car and other predators eat it, they can be poisoned too.

The teeth of a rat constantly grow; they gnaw on several things to keep the teeth trimmed. If a rat or mouse gets in a car, they can chew the wires, start a fire or blow fuses, and even cause total wreckage of the vehicle. They can gnaw the wires around an engine, shred gauze in an air vent, chew the upholstery and scratch the seats, cushions and surface. Furthermore, no one likes to see rodent droppings inside their car. So, knowing how to avoid rats in the car becomes necessary.

Now that you know how to protect a car from rats and rodents, let us know what are the signs that show rodents and rats are already inside a vehicle –

• If your car is infested with rodents, you will get an unpleasant smell.
• If rats and mice are present in your car, they will make chewing or scratching noises.
• Check if there are any chew marks on the cushion, floor mat, seat belt, etc.
• Rats and rodents sometimes chew the wires of gadgets connected to the display unit of a car. These instances lead to a faulty display.

Mice and rodents can nest inside your car through multiple inlets. The engine of your car needs air, so there are several vacant areas for these rodents to get inside and disrupt. Rodents can also climb the tyres and make their way inside the car by crawling. Moreover, numerous holes in the body panel of a car are potential entry spots for rats and rodents.

Here are some possible areas where mice and rats can nest –

• Vents
• Trunk
• Dashboard compartment
• Air filter chamber
• Seats
• Batteries

Every car owner should know how to protect a car from rats to maintain a hygienic car interior and avoid foul odour. Moreover, the preventive ways will help you avoid the several significant damages caused by rodents and mice to your car.