I have been bragging about how to keep mice out of the vehicle. I was wrong. I apologize.
Yesterday I noticed oil dripping onto the ground underneath the truck bed. No motor smell. I started searching.
The mice chewed through the bottoms of mayonnaise, catsup, honey mustard and a quart of cooking oil. I hadn’t noticed it. I saw only the tops of the containers.
Those sneaky mice. There were globs of catsup, smears of mayo, tiny footprints in oil. They almost got the peanut butter through the lid! I admire them for their focus and “stick-to-it-ness”. But it did mean it was time for a DEEP CLEAN.
Took everything out.
Cleaned the floors (this is a before image), wiped down the walls (extreme layers of dust), lit some incense and let things dry out. The curtains were grimy, actually heavy with grime. Now we have clean bar-towel-curtains.
It was just past sunset when I finished the back. A kind neighbor gave me 4 rechargeable puck lights to put under the truck at night. Light plus cleanliness plus no available edibles might be THE solution to the problems of mice.
Gonna continue the DEEP CLEAN to the front of the truck. Pack away the Colorado maps and uncover the AZ maps.
Am using my “phone” for this post as a trial.
Truck Camper Hints 
Misery loves company…Gray squirrels ate the spout off our plastic gasoline can. Before that they chewed a tiny hole on the side of another plastic can. That hole was only discovered after filling the can and watching the gas/oil mixture squirt out. So much fun.
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Aagh. So much fun is right. I finally put out giant rat traps. Caught 2 pack rats and one giant rat. Still have scrabbling around at night … even with lantern on all night. Supposedly the critters are so bad this year because of drought.
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Wow! Tough teeth on those rodents. Seriously that is some tough plastic. They hate light that is for sure ….peppermint balls work really well, at least here anyway. So I put a couple drops on cotton balls and place in corners etc. I also have peppermint in a spray bottle couple drops diluted with water and spray it all over like floors curtains etc. It wears off for us but keeps it saturated enough they stay away.
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The peppermint works. I don’t have cotton balls, so I smeared some on my finger and dabbed and dabbed. Even on top of the tires. She came in last night, then left without stopping for snacks. The handle of my cooking pot now has her tooth prints. Tonight handles get the treatment, too. Love the idea of the spray. Will assemble. Thank you for your hints! ❤️🙏
On Wed, Nov 4, 2020 at 7:33 AM Truck Camper Hints wrote:
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Company comes in all forms, doesn’t it ? At our cabin we use only glass for those things but it is a bit heavier. We put all the blankets and pillows in tin boxes for the winter. Be well in your clean cozy home. We are quiet here in Woody Creek.
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Quiet here, too. Quail and dove and coyotes. Snowbirds coming in slowly. No Canadians. Great hint about tin containers. Do you think a hard sided suitcase would work?
On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 10:04 AM Truck Camper Hints wrote:
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He he, had to chuckle a bit about those resourceful mousies!
Bummer about the food Pic, -congrats on the very clean truck interior!
How about a CAT?!
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Ha. No reptiles, raccoons or insects either. The immaculate living room is a joy. Still have too much stuff.
On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 7:34 AM Truck Camper Hints wrote:
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OMG, those little sneaky buggers! Batman and use those Lowes plastic tubs for all of our food stuff when car camping/living. its an extra heavy layer of plastic for them to try and get through. nice job on the cleaning. probably felt really good for a good fall clean :)
so awesome as always to read your posts!!!
xoxo Cindy
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I have heavy plastic containers. Just the condiment box stayed open because of tall containers of catsup and mayo and oil. Mice. So clever. So industrious. Love the idea of them, just not the reality. Now things that they like are better secured in a closed heavy duty box. They don’t like coffee or Braggs so they stay in the open box. The cleaning needed doing anyway. You are right. On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 9:06 PM Truck Camper Hints wrote:
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Those pesky mice😊 just to let you know that seems fine on phone.
Kind regards
Pippa
Australia
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Thanks Pippa for responding so unbelievably quickly! Have you got an Instagram account with pictures of where you camp?
On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 8:07 PM Truck Camper Hints wrote:
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