By Blue Stahli Luân (LED lights Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsWe all know mice are nocturnal. They sneak out at night, when no one is around, and scurry about in search of food, all the while causing destruction and spreading disease along the way. Mice cost millions of dollars in damage to homes, cars, and RVs every year. Don’t let their cute, furry looks fool you!Numerous remedies exist to keep mice out of your RV. From blocking holes with steel wool to simply keeping any food sources away the options available are endless. While these methods are certainly helpful to protect certain parts of your RV, they aren’t always practical or effective for every part of the RV. You might be able to plug a hole on the outside of your RV with steel wool, but you certainly can’t plug your engine with it, and oftentimes mice enter through the engine.
Recently RVers have started talking about how they’ve successfully kept mice out of the RV using LED lights. It might seem too good to be true, but it actually makes a lot of sense. After all, mice are less likely to come around during the day (i.e. when they see light). This solution, in fact, is actually a great way to keep other pests like squirrels out as well. This idea was inspired by Me and My Dog…And My RV. Check out their website for detailed photos.
Setting up the LED light display is pretty simple. It requires:
- Outdoor safe LED lights
- Zip ties
- A minimum of 10 feet of electrical wire
- DC plug
- Soldering gun
Pull the electrical wiring through the engine compartment so it can feed to the DC outlet or cigarette lighter. Connect, preferably through soldering, the end of the LED lights to the electrical wire. String the LED lights through the engine area, making sure to zip tie them so they do not touch any hot or moving parts, although this will only be running through the night. Connect the power source.
To learn additional methods to keeping mice out of your RV check out the video below.
