Did you only think that mice seek refuge in your home or business? Well, they also love cars, especially those that have been sitting around for a long time.
Letting mice stay in your car is very dangerous. These tiny creatures can gnaw through wires, and destroy your fabric, upholstery, and anything they can get their tiny teeth on.
That aside, mice pee and droppings leave behind a very foul smell. It’s even worse than the smell of a dead mouse.
Though a weird place for mice, they love hiding in car vents. And that’s why cars infested with mice will always have a funny and foul smell especially when the AC is turned on. This smell will make it hard for you to drive or even step foot in your car.
If you are experiencing a foul mouse smell from your car events, there are several ways you can get rid of it. You can use a blower or spray a Lysol disinfectant.
Though these methods are effective at getting rid of mouse smell, they won’t offer lasting results. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to permanently get rid of the mouse smell on car vents.
The Recommended Method of Eliminating Mouse Smell Out of Car Vents
You can’t get rid of the mouse smell if you don’t remove the mouse itself. It is the source of the smell and no matter how much air freshener or disinfectant you use, the smell will still be there. This brings us to our first step on how to get rid of the mouse smell of car vents;
Step 1: Locate the Mouse/Mice
As mentioned earlier, the source of the mouse smell can either come from its droppings or a dead mouse. Irrespective of the source of the smell, you must try and locate or chase away the mice.
In my experience, mice love to hide around the engine compartment. The reason for this is that, inside the car, there are no hiding spots. And mice don’t like being spotted so they don’t like hiding beneath car seats.
To locate the mouse in your car, open the bonnet and remove the cowling. The cowling is the space between the front passengers and the engine compartment.
As you may already know, this area is rarely touched or accessed, and it’s, therefore, the best home for a mouse.
If there is no mouse there, don’t close it. Vacuum any bedding that is lying around. This will also be an opportunity to dust and clean your car.
Look around the engine compartment for any dead mice and don’t close the bonnet till you are sure there is none.
Step 2: Move Over to the Vent Grills
The next step is to head over to the vent grills. If you have noticed that the mouse smell usually comes from the AC, then the source is definitely in the vents.
So, you need to be very thorough when cleaning this area. The vent grills in most cars are usually pivoted on two plastic dowels. Try and open the vent with a screwdriver or needle-nose pliers.
To locate your car vents, you will need to do some research on where the vents on your car model are found. And we are not talking about the vents on the dashboard. Please take note of that.
Having located and opened it, pull it forward and rotate it so that it faces the ground.
The objective here is to blow out as much dirt, particles, and mice droppings as possible. The dowels shouldn’t face the vent, as they may clog it when we are blowing it out.
Step 3: Cover Your Seats before You Get to Blowing Stuff Out
Before you get to blow out any nasty crap that might be causing that foul smell, you should cover your seats. As things blow out, obviously it will hit your seats and the tiny particles can find their way into small openings.
Also, you don’t want to ‘dirtify’ your fabric or seat covers. To avoid all that, wrap plastic sheets on your seats. Or you can improvise and use clean garbage bags.
Step 4: Prep Your Car
Now it’s time to get that bad mouse smell from your car. However, you will need to do some preparations. For instance, the windows should be rolled down, and ask kids to vacate the premises because lots of nasty stuff will be coming out of the vents.
If the vents in your dashboard are shut, open them. And as you turn on the car, wear a mask. This is very important. Mouse droppings are associated with the Hantavirus and you don’t want to get sick. Turn on the car and let it warm up for a bit.
Step 5: Blow Out Your Car Vents
This is where things get messy. Now that your car has warmed up adequately, open the driver’s door and don’t get inside. Crank the heat up and stand back.
You will see lots of objects flying out. Depending on the amount of dirt and filthy stuff in your vents, this can go on for a minute or so.
Once all the debris has been thrown out, get back in and slide the temperature vigorously up and down. The purpose of doing this is to ensure everything comes out of your vents.
Repeat the above process till you are sure your vents are 100% clean. For you to remove bedding and droppings of mice that may have stuck onto your ventilation system, the entire process can take you up to 15 or 2 minutes.
Don’t be afraid to be violent when cranking up the heating system. And don’t switch it off when you hear vibrations on the hood. These vibrations are the ones going to loosen up the bedding.
Step 6: Fumigate the Vents
Once you are assured that everything has been blown out of your car vent, the next step is to fumigate it. You may be wondering why you need to fumigate your car.
It’s because even though mouse bedding and droppings may have been blown out, its urine probably has been soaked onto some parts of the vent.
And, if not fumigated, it will still have a foul smell. To neutralize this odor, choose a fumigating liquid of your choice and start spraying.
For lasting results, you are better off using pure bleach. The latter is very strong and it will neutralize the entire vent and eliminate any mouse smell.
Whatever bleach you decide to go with, you should be aware that these ingredients can be harmful when ingested or inhaled. To be on the safe side, you can use vinegar as it is less harmful.
So, wear a mask when spraying it in your car vents get away from there and let it do its job. During a fumigation, the car ought to be turned off. The windows should also be rolled down. Let the bleach soak in the vent for a couple of minutes.
Step 7: Final Touches
For the final touches, get into your car, with a mask on of course. Start it up and heat the temperatures. Make sure that you are outside when the temperatures are being heated up.
Seating inside can expose you to gasses coming from the bleach and they can be dangerous. Crank the heat to full blast and let it sit there for a while.
After 20 minutes, get to the cowling area and spray the bleach. And am not talking about light sprays but the entire area should be drenched with bleach.
The more bleach used guarantees maximum neutralization of mouse smell not just in the vent but everywhere else.
Allow the car to run when the windows are still down. Switch the car off after 10 minutes. And if possible, the car should stay with windows down overnight.
The above procedure is very effective at getting rid of mouse smell from car vents. It’s time-consuming and requires a lot of effort but it’s worth it.
If you have been struggling with mouse smells then gather the essential tools needed for the above project and get started.
There are other solutions to solving this problem. Despite not being as thorough, I need to mention them if you are looking for a quick fix.
Other Ways to Get Rid of Mouse Smell From Car Vents
• Using Lysol Disinfectant
Also known as Dettol in other parts of the world, Lysol disinfectant spray kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria. This cleaning product is very strong and can easily get rid of mouse urine smell.
Please be informed that’s the most Lysol can do. If you have dead mice, the smell will still come from your vents.
• Taking Apart the Entire Air Intake System
For those who possess mechanical skills, taking apart the entire air intake system can help locate dead mice and clean the vents.
The only downside of this problem is that it requires a lot of technical know-how which most drivers aren’t familiar with.
• Vacuuming the Vent
The last quick-fix option you have got is to vacuum the vents. This procedure can pull out mice bedding and remains. It will however leave behind urine. The most recommended option is the one described above.