Picture the following: you get in your car and start the engine. Immediately, a strong smell wafts from every conceivable nook and cranny. The issue might be a small rodent inhabiting your engine bay.
Although it’s advisable to tap on the hood of your car before starting it, especially in
the cold months (this forces out critters), what happens if one’s already nested? Since mice can have upwards of 100 droppings daily, the smell infiltrating your car could be their excrement and urine mixed with whatever materials they’ve decided to next with.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict how much damage rodents in engines can cause. It can range from a clogged air filter to severe damage to your engine’s wiring harness. The cost might be a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect your car wiring from rodents.
Block Entrances
A simple way to get rid of rodents nesting in car engines is to block all entry points. Rodents can easily access your engine bay via your vehicle’s hood or vents. If you install mesh wiring, you’ll work to deter them. Although some websites might recommend using hot sauce, it’s inhumane and can get in an animal’s eyes. This can lead to corneal lesions or temporary blindness, along with significant pain.
Simply install mesh wiring to help deter these critters. You can also place small pieces of Irish Spring soap under your car’s hood, keeping animals away with its strong scent.
If available, you can park your car inside your garage. However, your garage must be sealed. This means that you have to caulk any access points, including cracks and gaps. If you see small holes in walls, seal them as well. Rodents can sneak through very tiny openings, so you may need a
professional pest removal company to conduct a thorough search for you.
Open Your Hood
If you’re looking for how to get rid of rodents in car engines humanely, you can try this next trick since rodents look for dark cozy places to nest.
If you pop the hood of your car and keep it up, you’re removing this attractive nesting point. If keeping your hood popped is offputting, you can look into engine lights that stay on, deterring rodents from nesting.
Clear Nearby Areas
If rodents are nesting in your engine, they probably have nearby nesting places. The best thing you can do is make the area surrounding your vehicle as unattractive as possible.
Rodents in a car engine might be hiding in tall grass, shrubs, or tree limbs, so keep these hiding places as far away from your vehicle as possible. It’s always a good idea to
keep your outdoor space well-pruned, working to deter pests in the first place.
Protect Car Wiring From Rodents
Now that you know how to protect car wiring from rodents, you can begin to follow these helpful tips. However, you may still notice that rodents find your vehicle to be a cozy place to create a nest. If this is the case, you may need professional pest removal services.
This is where Serene Property Services comes into play. We have the knowledge and expertise to humanely and efficiently tackle any pest infestation and service all of Sussex County, NJ, and Warwick, NY.
Contact us today to see how we can help prevent rodent damage to cars and homes.
