rubyred93

I know many of us are getting ready to store our cars for the winter months, and I have come across the Bounce Dryer Sheet Theory a few times. I have been told/read that if you place a few Bounce Dryer Sheets in your car during the Winter, the mice will not bother with your car. :confused:

What do you guys think? Any truth to this?

Guest

Hi, Ruby

I've been wondering the same thing. Overkill (no pun intended) to use Irish Spring (?) as well? I have to tell you, it makes me sick to think of taking the cover off in the spring and finding a decomposed mouse in a trap I put in there...just to make darned sure - over and above the bounce and Irish Spring.

Is the mouse thing a real threat?

Barrier

You might want to try mothballs. I have used them for years in my Motorhome,no rodents, in fact the odor is so strong you have to air it out but it works. Make sure you know where you put them so you don't leave any behind in the Spring. I place some on the intake manifold so the wires don't get chewed.Paper cup works well,to put them in.
Barrier

GS 163

Bounce or I rish Spring, either way the little dead buddy will still smell fresh.:D

rubyred93

Hi Mairi -

I believe the threat of rodents would depend on your living arrangements; I happen to have several wooded areas near my home, and always notice an increase in rodent activity once the weather begings to turn cold. We have already begun the poison pellet routine and that is very effective.

If all you find when you lift your car cover in the Spring is a dead mouse, consider yourself lucky. My husband has owned a 1970 Mustang Mach 1 since he was 16 years old. He loves the car. Well, last Winter a bunch of mice decided that it would make a great Winter haven. In the Spring he found that they had completely destroyed the original headliner by making several nests in it, in the meanwhile doing their "business" throughout the headliner and the entire car. As much as I don't care for Mustangs, I would never wish this on any car. :(

It took him quite some time, but he was able to get it cleaned out, and of course had to gut the headliner. Lesson learned. Rodents can be highly destructive in a short period of time. It is better to err on the side of caution here. It cannot hurt to add the dryer sheets and/or Irish Spring. From what I gather, they do not like the heavy perfume scent. And just to also mention - at the same time my husband's car was being inhabited by the mice, we had a 1967 GTO sitting in the same garage. The GTO had both dryer sheets and moth ***** placed throughout the car. In the Spring...no damage from mice at all. There must be some truth to this. Just wanted to know what others thought as well. :)


[Modified by rubyred93, 8:10 AM 10/11/2001]

Dave's_88

The dryer sheets should work...I initially tried filling the entire interior with saw dust and wood chips; hanging little water bottles from the door handles and air vents; even put a little hamster wheel in the rear hatch area. Didn't work well...actually seemed to attract those little critters. :crazy:

Jim85IROC

I put a bunch of Bounce sheets in my IROC and my GTA for the winter, both in the car and under the hood. Neither had a single sign of rodent visits when I took them out for the summer, and they both smelled springtime fresh. :D

I'm definately putting them in the car this winter too.

Guest

Eeeek! Thanks for sharing the story, Ruby. I, too, have wooded areas around me and already saw a mouse in the house. The garage it will be in is a tuck under and I suspect that's where the mouse got into the house to begin with. I'm taking no chances....Bounce, Irish Spring, moth ***** and traps.

Thanks!

GS470

I know the mothballs are effective, but the nasty smell can take a while to get rid of so I stopped using them. I always put some of the poison rodent food in my cars when I store them. I can't remember the brand for sure, but I think it's DCon (or something like that) and it's in a yellow box with dark text on it and the food is green/blue in color. I just open a couple boxes of the food and put 'em in the car. I guess it is supposed to drive them out of the area before they die so you don't end up with a dead carcass inside. I may try the Bounce thing, too, since that doesn't smell so bad.

rubyred93

GS470 -

I believe the mice/rat poison pellets work on the premise that once ingested, the mouse/rat will go in search of water, hopefully their water source is away from your home. :yesnod:

R23HTC

Not sure. I can say I haven't seen any rats in the laundry room! :D

onedef92

I don't know about that, but if you want to keep spiders and other creepy crawly insects out of your car, a hedgeapple works great! I don't know what it is, but we keep them around our house this time of the year and no bugs!

A hedgeapple is any of various wild or cultivated trees (genus Malus) that are cultivars or relatives of the cultivated apple. They are green and bumpy like a hand grenade and produce small, sour fruit! I have also heard them called "horse apples." :crazy:

Getaway

I did the Irish Spring routine.....no critters. I also put in three bowls of pellets that absorb moisture. (find them at the hardware store...for eliminating moisture in closets) Would DEFINATELY do that, too for storage. And stuff a rag in the tailpipes.