How Do I Keep Mice Out of My Glove Box?!?

[carbdoc]

Mice have been nesting in the glove box of our 1987 BMW 325e on a regular basis for some time now.  I clean them out, and back they come (perhaps they never "left" but simply migrated elsewhere in the car; I don't know).  The car in question is an HPOF vehicle and it is actually driven fairly often, so this is even more of a mystery to me . . . and I don't seem to have this problem with our other cars.

So:  what can I put in the glove box (or anywhere in the car) that will keep them out?  I would rather not go the "mothballs route" if possible.

 

Jeff Dreibus

[nick8086]

Get this stuff.. 

 

 

[Graham Man]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELasTsv7ZGE

 

Tomcat bait station

 

I put a couple in the car and another 4+ outside the car in the garage.  You need them year round for the best protection.

[carbdoc]

Thanks, guys.  I was thinking more along the lines of repelling them rather than killing them since I don't want them to die in an inaccessible part of the car, but these products could be a possibility if I can't come up with anything else. 

[chistech]

A dead mouse in your car won’t smell. A living one will. Kill them fast. Don’t put pelletized bait in the car. They’ll carry it all to their food storage area and often it’s places like your heater/defrost ducts. As me how I know! I had blue pellets flying out of my AC vents one summer when I put it on high. Also, remove any nesting material in your car. I used to keep a roll of paper towels in my dually and one time found the roll shredded and all in my glove box. They will eat papers in your glove box also so get rid of those. 

[Dave39MD]

I have been using Fresh Cab but it does have a strong evergreen kind of smell. 

 

https://www.earthkind.com/product/fresh-cab-rodent-repellent/

 

Dave

[car crazy]

a repellent that's cheap and cheerful.. 

[John Byrd]

Addition to my post above, check this out, and notice the yellow highlighted section:    https://fixautousa.com/blog/stop-rodents-from-chewing-car-wires/#:~:text=Why Do Rodents Chew Car,appetizing for rodents to chew.

[Str8-8-Dave]

3 hours ago, Dave39MD said:

I have been using Fresh Cab but it does have a strong evergreen kind of smell. 

I bet it's got clove oil or peppermint in it.  Those would be common likely active ingredients.  My mother in law grew up on the farm and buys raw clove oil and puts it around their sheds and that keeps them out  of the interior and out from under....

Edited April 28, 2021 by Str8-8-Dave (see edit history)

[GARY F]

I found mice nest in my 89 F-150 glove box. They get in through rust hole. I leave the glove box door open. No more mice, most likely went somewhere else.

[Dave39MD]

I was working on a car this afternoon and happened to see this guy. A King Snake is a good back up plan to the Fresh Cab.

 

Dave

[Graham Man]

The mouse poison makes them thirsty, they go out side to die.

[Dave39MD]

When they go outside full of poison you can also kill a cat, dog, hawk, or other critter you really don't want to poison.

 

Dave

[Bush Mechanic]

1 hour ago, Dave39MD said:

When they go outside full of poison you can also kill a cat, dog, hawk, or other critter you really don't want to poison.

 

Dave

 

The serious shortage of owls in this district has been put down to them eating poisoned rodents. And despite allowing a couple of large poisonous snakes to live in the garden, I usually still have to trap some mice in Autumn, when they try to move inside. Those pesky little critters just keep doing their own thing.

[carbdoc]

On 4/28/2021 at 7:23 AM, chistech said:

A dead mouse in your car won’t smell. A living one will. Kill them fast. Don’t put pelletized bait in the car. They’ll carry it all to their food storage area and often it’s places like your heater/defrost ducts. As me how I know! I had blue pellets flying out of my AC vents one summer when I put it on high. Also, remove any nesting material in your car. I used to keep a roll of paper towels in my dually and one time found the roll shredded and all in my glove box. They will eat papers in your glove box also so get rid of those. 

chistech, I disagree about the absence of dead mouse odor.  I once had a 1961 Chrysler that smelled so badly that I could hardly stand to drive it; I eventually found the huge vacant nest (complete with dead "resident") beneath the rear seat.  I removed it; problem solved.

 

Thanks, Dave.  They have also nested in our HVAC blower plenum, so I am familiar with this problem as well.  They use the car's own interior insulation material as well as paper napkins kept in the glove box for material; no more napkins in there now.  You and Graham Man bring up an excellent point:  I don't want them leaving the car with a belly full of poison and potentially poisoning my cats or wildlife.

 

Jeff

[NatR]

Peppermint oil on a cotton ball - it works & smells good !  I guess that they don't like breathing it

[wmsue]

Place traps with peanut butter as bait - outside the car.

If you or a neighbor have pets (dogs or cats especially) they could die because they've eaten the sick or dead mouse.

It happens more often than you might think.

 

 

Bill

[carbdoc]

Bill,

 

Thanks.  Don't worry; I won't use poison.  I have cats.

 

Jeff

[chistech]

On 4/29/2021 at 1:55 PM, carbdoc said:

chistech, I disagree about the absence of dead mouse odor.  I once had a 1961 Chrysler that smelled so badly that I could hardly stand to drive it; I eventually found the huge vacant nest (complete with dead "resident") beneath the rear seat.  I removed it; problem solved.

 

Thanks, Dave.  They have also nested in our HVAC blower plenum, so I am familiar with this problem as well.  They use the car's own interior insulation material as well as paper napkins kept in the glove box for material; no more napkins in there now.  You and Graham Man bring up an excellent point:  I don't want them leaving the car with a belly full of poison and potentially poisoning my cats or wildlife.

 

Jeff

It wasn't the rodent's body stinking, it was the nest along with the urine and ex cremate in it. The rodent's body will dry right up to the skeleton with virtually no odor. I've found many mouse skeletons in people's cars and they never knew they were there. The carcass basically gets petrified. Actually, mouse urine can make you very sick so it's essential to keep them from making a long term habitat out of your car.

[chistech]

Not sure if I believe the poisoned rodents are causing many other deaths. The poison causes the rodent to bleed to death. They do not die immediately but start to get ill, often retreating to their nest to die in it. Can a mouse be caught on it's way to the nest with a full stomach, possibly but not a lot. Many birds of prey actually eviscerate their food before eating it and don't even bother with the entrails, which would contain the pelleted poison. In most cases where the birds of prey are daying, its because they're getting into the poison directly. They do say they can get it indirectly but in most cases I'm willing to bet its rare. Think of all the house cats that would be constantly dying. A mouse in your garage doesn't venture much past your garage. I'm not saying it can't happen but it's not as common as they would like you to believe. I have many hawks and owls in the woods behind my home. Twice now I've seen rabbits picked up live, and eviscerated while the hawk is in flight, both times with the entrails coming down on my driveway. the hawk then retreats to it's nest to eat the meat only.

[Rusty Heaps]

I find that stuffing a cat into the glove box helps keep the mice away!😂

[AutoMechanic]

Irish Spring soap will keep them and many other rodents away. 

[carbdoc]

On 4/28/2021 at 3:24 PM, John Byrd said:

Addition to my post above, check this out, and notice the yellow highlighted section:    https://fixautousa.com/blog/stop-rodents-from-chewing-car-wires/#:~:text=Why Do Rodents Chew Car,appetizing for rodents to chew.

Thanks, John.

Jeff

[carbdoc]

9 hours ago, AutoMechanic said:

Irish Spring soap will keep them and many other rodents away. 

Unfortunately, it will also keep ME away from the ca's interior; I can't stand the smell of that soap, either! 😄

[Buick35]

Hide the key.

[dictator27]

Try Animal b gonMax by Ortho.  I've used for the last three years.  Have not seen/heard a rat or mouse in my garage since I started using it.  

[carbdoc]

dictator27, how does the Animal b gon max smell?

[dictator27]

1 hour ago, carbdoc said:

dictator27, how does the Animal b gon max smell?

Animal bgon is synthetic cat pee.  To a human nose there is no smell, but to an animal there is.  We have been having a problem with our mini schnauzer peeing constantly on a corner of our raised herb garden.  Spritzed some Animsl bgonMax on it and he avoids it now.   He does it at the other end! 🤔  More Anima bgonMax coming.  One application lasts quite a while when done per the instructions.

[carbdoc]

Thanks!

[Century Eight]

Like WMSUE said, use the old reliable trap.  If you can remember where you left it,  you just might find a dead mouse in it.  Just dont put it back in the glovebox

[plymouthcranbrook]

Ok, I held off as long as I could. How to keep them out, Raise the rent.

[Frank DuVal]

Sure fire method to keep them from nesting in a glove box. Remove the glove box.😉

 

The door has to stay closed to keep the light out on higher end cars. Keeping it open does help, removing the interior box works everytime.

 

I didn't say it was convienient....😆

 

[Restorer32]

For years we had a mouse problem in our house every Fall. Suddenly a few years ago the mice disappeared.  Didn't see a mouse for several years. A year or so ago I ventured down into the unfinished basement and found a fat Black Snake in the dirt floored crawl way.  He's still there and seems happy and well fed.  Please don't tell Wife.

[carbdoc]

Restorer 32, I will give this method a try!  Since the car is my wire's, I will "accidentally" forget to tell her that I have placed the black snake inside.  This should result in a good story . . . and a good beating for me! 😆

 

Jeff

[pvfjr]

I've seen countless anecdotes about Irish Spring, or Bounce, or what-have-you over the years.  I finally did some research and found some decent experiments what were performed with controls that debunked the usage of these items.  They don't really work very well.

 

They also tested peppermint oil, and it actually turned out to work pretty well.  Of course, it'll need freshening up to maintain adequate potency. 

[Guest]

Get a glue sheet from Walmart.

 They will get stuck on it and you can have the satisfaction of throwing that little rat in the trash.😈

[nickelroadster]

I think you should just put a cat in the glove box.

[Jim Bollman]

Two friends swear by Bonide Mouse Magic Mouse Repellent. I just bought some to try in my camper. Has a minty pine smell that isn't objectionable.

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B01IDXDU98/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I have had good luck with dollar store  dryer sheets.

[AutoMechanic]

On 5/1/2021 at 8:11 PM, carbdoc said:

Unfortunately, it will also keep ME away from the ca's interior; I can't stand the smell of that soap, either! 😄

Haha. I love the smell of the soap I guess it will keep me in there. 😂

[john hess]

Keep them samiches in the trunk..! that will keep out of the glove box..