How To Get Rid Of (EEK!) Mice Living In Your Car

Forbes

09-05-2025

Mice and rats can find a vehicle a safe place to call home, yet the can cause damage and prove to be ... More a health hazard.
For many, a long drive unaccompanied by screaming kids and chatty acquaintances can provide a welcome respite from the day's trials and tribulations. But these wanting to drive solo may find they have some unwelcome guests coming along for the ride.
Mice or even (shudder) rats.
Whether a given car, truck or SUV is parked on the street or in a garage, it can become a safe haven for rodents and other pests to become squatters. Even if parked with the windows tightly closed there are plenty of ways for a mouse to move in and get comfortable.
To a rodent, one's prized ride exists as a warm, dry and safe place in which to reside, but they shouldn't be considered welcome guests. Aside from the potential health issues involved by rodent-borne diseases, even a single rodent taking residence under the hood can cause thousands of dollars in damage. They can also leave behind their droppings throughout the cabin, which at the least is just plain gross. And you don't certainly want to be out driving when a mouse suddenly decides to start running around at your feet.
How to avoid or get rid of an infestation? We consulted multiple sources to discover how to prevent them from nesting within a vehicle, how to tell if it's become a dwelling for vermin, and – importantly – how to evict them once and for all.
To prevent critters from making a vehicle home sweet home, make sure the interior is kept clean and with no food residue left behind to attract them. This also goes for the garage where a vehicle is parked, which is the worst place of all to store pet food and bird seed which are guaranteed pest magnets. Also keep the garage clean from clutter that would act as hiding places for rodents.
Avoid letting the vehicle sit parked for extended periods of time when vermin could find the solace especially hospitable. And though it may seem counter-intuitive, some sources suggest leaving the hood (also the air cleaner box, if it's accessible) open when parked in the garage to make things colder and less cozy to them. Likewise with the car doors.
Aside from the obvious rodent droppings left on the carpeting, seats or dashboard, look for chewed wires under the vehicle's hood or dashboard. Pests are often attracted to the insulation, which these days is often made of yummy (at least to a mouse) soy, peanut oil, rice husks or various plant-based materials. Often, a vehicle won't start or fails to operate properly because mice have gnawed through wires in the engine compartment. Even if they're not eaten all the way through, frayed wires can be a fire hazard.
Another tell is to inspect a car's interior air filter (if so equipped) to see if it's being clogged with droppings or other debris not typically known to be airborne. A likely spot for a nest, the filter box is typically located at the back of a car's glovebox or under the dashboard and may or may not be easily accessed (check the owner's manual for details). If there's rodent residue, don't bother to clean it out, just install a new one or have a mechanic perform this task and insure that surrounding areas, including the blower motor and housing, are likewise cleaned out and disinfected as a precaution.
Pay attention to damaged upholstery, whether it's holes in the seats, chewed cushion foam or missing chunks of insulation. Those with kids who frequently eat meals or snacks in the car should remove or have the backseat taken out to ensure food and candy debris dropped on the floor or between the cushions is not providing a delicious food source for Mickey and Minnie residing underneath.
Bad odors can also clue a motorist into unwelcome company. A foul smell can be evidence of an infestation, especially since rodents often use the venting system as a shortcut to the interior from the engine compartment to harvest nesting materials. It can also mean that a mouse has since passed away somewhere within the vehicle and (yuck) is in the process of decomposing.
Short of calling an exterminator, experts suggest the following ways to rid a car, truck or SUV of rodents:
One way is to simply make the vehicle uncongenial. Start by honking the horn and upping the radio volume to drive away pests who are otherwise seeking a quiet place to call home. Since mice don't care for extreme heat, park in the sun on a hot day with the windows up, or turn the heater on full blast to drive them to a cooler place.
Try a mouse repellant that's available at home center and auto parts stores to place at various locations within the vehicle to drive pests away. Some motorists use peppermint oil either sprayed onto key areas mixed with warm water or soaked into cotton balls and placed strategically throughout the car.
Some sources even suggest hanging cut-up sections of Irish Spring soap or Bounce dryer sheets under the hood or to use cayenne pepper, pepper spray or Pine-Sol cleaner as deterrents. it's an especially good idea to use a repellant if the vehicle will be sitting idle for an extended period.
Finally, there's the time-honored practice of setting a trap baited with nesting materials like cotton balls. While the old-fashioned kind may not be suitable for in-car use (especially if the idea of seeing and dealing with a dead mouse turns one's stomach) choose the kind that traps a rodent within a disposable containment (some allow it to be released humanely elsewhere if revenge is not part of the picture.
Once the squatter has been trapped or has otherwise fled the premises, it's a good idea to have the vehicle checked out by a mechanic to ensure no damage has been caused, and to clear out any nests, droppings or other evidence of occupancy left behind.
Fortunately, any damage a mouse leaves behind should be covered under an auto insurance policy's comprehensive coverage component, minus any deductible.