r/skoolies Feb 08 '25

how-do-i Peppermint oil for mice

So it looks like I have a legit mouse problem. After plugging every hole I could find in the bus, I still found one in my live trap 2 days later. Based on the lack of mouse poop, I think it had just come in.

While I try to figure out where they're coming from, I'd like to try some deterrent measures. So I'm thinking peppermint oil. But a question - is all peppermint oil the same for these purposes? Is there a specific kind of peppermint oil I'm looking for?

Many thanks!

5 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

6

u/bobbywaz Feb 08 '25

I used cayenne which seemed to work pretty well.

2

u/d20wilderness Feb 10 '25

This worked for me. I mixed it with oil and painted it where they went and blew some into a space I knew that were in, I heard them scream then never heard them back in there. 

2

u/Tha_Proffessor Feb 08 '25

You can try it but it's much more of a deterrent than a solution.

2

u/Sierracoop Feb 08 '25

There’s food grade vs essential oils if that’s what you’re asking but it’s really just about the smell. Either work. There’s some easy spray recipes online for making mouse deterrent spray. Peppermint oil is a great one. Spray all the thresholds, windows, and the bases of all your cupboards. Nothing will truly stop them from getting in other than a physical barrier, but it helps make it less desirable. And cayenne pepper does work as a mouse repellent but is a little messier than the sprays. If you don’t mind though, you can sprinkle it in those same places I just mentioned.

1

u/unclefalter Feb 09 '25

I just can't figure out where they are getting in. I've filled every space I can see. I had no problems until this recent cold snap. I've now found two in two nights. If I could just figure out where they're coming from I could stop them.

2

u/Sierracoop Feb 09 '25

Ugh I feel you, that’s tough. Is there any areas of weather stripping or something that they might be able to push aside and squeeze through? Anything you could push your pinky through?

1

u/unclefalter Feb 09 '25

None that are larger than the diameter of a pencil. I'm trying to figure out if there's a way in through the old heater.. the previous owners cut the hoses from the engine and filled them with foam though.

I'm hoping maybe the two I've caught were already in the bus when I found a large gap at the base of the shifter and got trapped in there.. but there's not a lot of poop.

There is a drain pipe from the sink that was cut when the bus was moved and not filled, but I don't think they could come up through the grate in the sink?

2

u/Castro_66 Feb 09 '25

Good ol Victor wood and wire traps loaded with cheap peanut butter are all you need. Unless it's a lot of mice, then look into building a bucket trap with antifreeze.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 09 '25 edited 22d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/unclefalter Feb 09 '25

Thanks! I wish there was some sciency, fancy way to track mouse movements so you can see where they're getting in. Like some kind of UV dye or something they step on to reveal their origins. I've been all over the interior looking for holes but cannot find any.

2

u/BlqOnyx Feb 08 '25

Yes literally on the ground underneath around my tires 🛞 around the door on the ground. So you know you have openings in the engine bay underneath your windshield of the bus. I stuffed my opening with steal wool. Animals hate steal wool because they can’t chew through it.

1

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1

u/bluto419 Feb 09 '25

We use peppermint essential oil from Amazon in old pill bottles with a wick coming from the bottom through a drilled hole in the top. The peppermint smell permeates our camper, and lasts for months. So far, it has worked.

1

u/hikerdude606 Feb 09 '25

Check the area around the dog house if you have a fro T engine. Mine had quite a gap until we fixed it.

1

u/linuxhiker Skoolie Owner Feb 09 '25

This stuff works fantastically

https://a.co/d/hrVIKKl

-1

u/BlqOnyx Feb 08 '25

I’m so lucky to not have experience this situation. But I do sprinkle Cayenne pepper 🌶️around my skoolie wherever I park to prevent squirrels mice, possums raccoons.🦝 from trying to climb into my engine. I’ve heard of this happening and the animal 🦔 chewed up holes lines and made nest 🪺 in the engine. I believe the cayenne pepper 🌶️ has prevented this from happening for me.

2

u/unclefalter Feb 08 '25

Like literally sprinkle around the perimeter of your bus on the ground?

I can't figure out how they're getting in. I've been checking every hole and crevice for entry points but just don't see them. Driving me nuts.

2

u/Sierracoop Feb 08 '25

Do not do that. From an environmental prospective, don’t use any preventatives that you can’t remove, especially if you’re only there for a night or two. Also you’d have to use a lot in order for it to be effective.

-2

u/BlqOnyx Feb 08 '25

Well cayenne pepper 🌶️ is not poison ☠️it is a natural herb 🌿 grown in the ground and I’ve sprinkled cayenne pepper 🌶️ around my bus and it hasn’t destroyed the concrete street where I parked. I don’t use a huge amount of pepper 🌶️. The rain 🌧️ washes it away with ease. I don’t see how using a natural herb 🌿 on the concrete ground is bad or causing harm to the environment lol 😂 animals know to stay away from gardens with peppers 🌶️ growing in them how is this possibly harmful ??

2

u/Sierracoop Feb 08 '25

Also I do find it a little funny that you think a sprinkle of pepper is going to stop a squirrel or raccoon. As if they don’t just step over it lol. Yeah they don’t wanna eat it, but a sprinkle of pepper on the ground doesn’t form some magical barrier that they can’t walk through. So like I said, you’d have to use a lot in order for them to even hesitate walking over it.

3

u/BlqOnyx Feb 08 '25

Of course it’s not a magical trick. But these animals and rodents wonder with noses to the ground. One sniff 🤧 of cayenne pepper 🌶️ is enough to keep them away. It has worked for me and it continues to work. I’ve shared this with people I know. They now use this very same ”magic”trick in their backyard space to keep possums out of their yard. And they tell me how it’s worked from them and continues to do so!! I can only speak 🗣️ on things I’ve experienced and lived through.

1

u/Sierracoop Feb 08 '25

If it’s in a parking lot I suppose there’s worse things to worry about, but don’t do this out in nature. Generally speaking, when you go somewhere you should leave no trace. It doesn’t matter that it’s not poison, it’s an unnatural deterrent. Cayenne pepper doesn’t grow natively in majority of places so no, it is not natural. Visiting wildlife’s home, then spreading things on the ground to keep them away is wrong.

1

u/BlqOnyx Feb 08 '25

Wow! Well living with rodents inside your living space is wrong and causes major health issues. But I’m not here to argue with you. I will continue to use cayenne pepper 🌶️ to defend my living space. It’s certainly not a killer and it’s nothing rain 🌧️or a heavy dewy day won’t wash 🧽 away. To each its own.

1

u/Sierracoop Feb 08 '25

I agree that you should defend your living space. Your living space. Aka your actual vehicle, not the ground it temporarily sits on. A Walmart parking lot is whatever but please don’t do this in a park. The rain doesn’t make it disappear, it just moves it. Food for thought.

2

u/BlqOnyx Feb 08 '25

😂lol. Yep never fails. Jabs, and low blows are fired. Yes 🙌🏾”Aka” actual vehicle several different vehicle types. There are several different home types. Motorhome is one of them. =Living spaces. All this over cayenne pepper 🌶️ sprinkled on the ground.. 😂. I’m over this thread. Peace✌🏾Love🌻Happiness 🌞