In the recent Escapees magazine there was an inset about Fresh Cab for repelling rodents. Since we'll be storing our Outback in my son's barn in Tucson for several months and because rats recently ate $3200 of wiring in his wife's Sierra we were looking for something to protect our auto. Has anyone ever used this? It's $17.00 a box at Ace.
Sherry
ps I wasn't sure if this was the correct are to post This question.
Lucky Mike said
10:30 AM Mar 16, 2014
I got to watch a documentary on how fresh cab came about and thought it was an amazing product as to what it does and the lady who created it!!!!
the documentary was an outside source and wasnt promoting the product, it was more on how someone took an idea and created an empire using a very simple observation, so there was alot of generic truths exposed about the product itself!
I would use it............
dewwood said
10:37 AM Mar 16, 2014
I have used it and it does work. I use it in conjunction with dryer sheets in the 5th wheel. I was actually a dealer for it at one time but the customer base I have is in another area and I discontinued as a dealer but still use the product. As Mike mentioned it is an interesting story about the product's history. It states it is good for 30 days but I have found it to last longer but not as intense as when first put out.
Lynn and Ed said
12:49 PM Mar 16, 2014
I have read that other RVers have found Fresh Cab helpful. We have not yet had the opportunity to use it in our RV (but we will place some in our basement). I tried using it the S&B garage this winter; particularly given the extreme weather we had this past several months in the Northeast (and the absence of mice in the garage), I am happy with the product.
If you have not smelled Fresh Cab, it has a pleasant pine smell.
You can find Fresh Cab on Amazon.com for about $11-$13 (and free shipping).
-- Edited by Lynn and Ed on Sunday 16th of March 2014 12:51:58 PM
CJSX2fromCT said
12:52 PM Mar 16, 2014
Using it now over this winter in the 5'er and have no issues as of now, Moth Balls also do the trick, Just takes awhile for the smell to go away when your ready to use vehicle again. Also heard that dryer sheets work and flea collars.
Mark V said
01:09 PM Mar 16, 2014
Camphor oil seems to work on squirrels, and I imagine it might have the same effect on rats and mice.
NWescapee said
09:24 PM Mar 16, 2014
Certainly seems like a good option to keep those varmints at bay. We haven't had to store a vehicle for any length of time but watching Dale help a friend of ours diagnose her hubby's SUV starting issue (he was in Afghanistan on deployment) and determing it was a mouse induced issue, made us reasearch options to help her out after the problems were corrected. This wasn't available at the time, but looks like a great option.
TRAILERKING said
10:08 PM Mar 16, 2014
WestWardHo wrote:
......... Since we'll be storing our Outback in my son's barn in Tucson for several months and because rats recently ate $3200 of wiring in his wife's Sierra we were looking for something to protect our auto.
I'd be very hesitant storing your expensive rig in the barn with knowingly large hungry rats. I would kind of want to know they were under control................................Or store somewhere safer.
MarkS said
11:34 AM Mar 17, 2014
Had a mouse in the garage, maybe a rat, possibly a small furry dragon, not sure just know that he had attitude. Used the sticky things and when he got stuck he ran through the wheel on the jeep to get free. Went to fill the washer reservoir on the smart car and found that he had eaten away the lid and part of the reservoir. You have to remove the front clip off the car to change the reservoir. Not really a big job. It's held on with duct tape and chewing gum (ok, not really). Less than a week before I was going to burn the house down to get rid of him, he moved out. No forwarding address and haven't seen him since.
My question is, where we're you guys and your Fresh Cab while we were considering nuclear waste or napalm as a solution?
dewwood said
11:44 AM Mar 17, 2014
Mark,
Sorry to hear about your problems. Critters can be very destructive. We store our fiver in a bank barn we have modified with a 14' overhead door but there are still critters around. We keep rat and mouse poison out all the time and we leave the Fresh Cab and some dryer sheets in the fiver all the time. We do not full time so it sits for extended periods sometimes. The other problem in our barn is raccoons, they can be extremely destructive. I catch 8 to 12 every year in a live trap and remove them to where they will not return.
I would recommend leaving the Fresh Cab and or dryer sheets in the unit all the time. You can attract critters even when living in the unit full time.
WestWardHo said
03:08 PM Mar 17, 2014
Really great responses all. I thank you very much. Raccoons! I never thought of those critters. I do know that a bobcat had babies in there once when my son was storing a neighbor's MH in there. Now thinking about renting a large storage unit to store it in for 5 months or so, $480.00 in storage would be way cheaper than rewiring.
Sherry
dianneandsteve said
05:57 PM Mar 17, 2014
Hi Sherry. A couple at the RV-Dreams boon docking rally in Quartzsite recommended Fresh Cab so I purchased some before heading to Alaska. We eventually had mice in our bedroom ceiling and basement. I removed the unused AC electrical box in the bedroom ceiling and put a packet in behind and a couple packets in behind the inner walls of the basement. No more mice...this stuff works!
Safe travels!
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Monday 17th of March 2014 05:59:33 PM
WestWardHo said
06:51 PM Mar 17, 2014
Thanks Steve & Diane,
Fulltime friends of ours this year had an experience where she woke up feeling feet running across her face. Needless to say her husband was immediately awakened! Never found the critter. I'll tell them about Fresh Cab too in case they don't know about it.
Sherry
TXRVr said
06:52 AM Mar 18, 2014
I have mentioned this in the forums before, but will add another two cents worth. Put a few drops of Peppermint Oil on cotton balls and place them in the back of drawers, cabinets, bays, etc. The smell isn't unpleasant and it absolutely works. I've been using this technique for years.
Lonney Wade said
11:57 PM Mar 18, 2014
Might I ask how long a few drops of Peppermint Oil on cotton balls will last in the RV before you will need to redo it again. I have never heard of that but I would like to try it, sounds cool and smells nice. I have heard that Peppermint Oil can ease a headache, works for me thanks.
Lonney
WestWardHo said
01:39 PM Mar 19, 2014
Love the peppermint oil I suggestion too! tXRVr!
Sherry
dianneandsteve said
09:46 AM Apr 18, 2015
I've read on several forums that Irish Spring soap works for getting rid of mice so thought I would give it a try as it's much cheaper than the Fresh Cab we've been using. After we got all set up at our work camping site I cut up several cakes of soap and placed them all around the frame wherever I felt mice may have access. Surprisingly several times I found the soap pieces on the ground and figured maybe it was one of the plentiful chipmunks we have in the area.
Well Dianne found mouse poop and a partially eaten Yam in our bottom kitchen drawer as well as chewed toilet paper in the bathroom cupboard. These are all areas I've sealed up before with steel wool so my job today is to figure out how they are getting in again.
Like an idiot I didn't replenish my stock of Fresh Cab before leaving the U.S. and we're out. There aren't any distributors in our area and not many in Canada. Hello Amazon!
Oh...I placed a trap in the drawer while we went out for dinner and on our return...Success!!
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Saturday 18th of April 2015 09:49:21 AM
TRAILERKING said
03:04 PM Apr 18, 2015
dianneandsteve wrote:
Oh...I placed a trap in the drawer while we went out for dinner and on our return...Success!!
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Saturday 18th of April 2015 09:49:21 AM
Great now you have supper. You can whip-up some Chinese food.
I know people that put Irish Spring and Bounce Sheets in cars to deter mice but the mice still came in. The Irish Spring was chewed up and carried off. Maybe they shower with it??
dianneandsteve said
08:33 AM Apr 19, 2015
I think they do shower with this stuff TRAILERKING.
I was up twice in the we hours of the morning chasing another mouse that had one hind quarter caught in the trap. Finally found him trying to get back into a small hole in our kitchen counter where I placed some Irish Spring yesterday.
Irish Spring MYTH BUSTED!!!!
FOSJ said
08:57 AM Apr 19, 2015
Someone had mentioned to us to put lights on the ground around the motorhome. Steve went out and bought the $2 boxes of Christmas lights and laid them out. He then put them on a timer so they came on at dusk and went off at daylight. We had no problems while staying at Lake Mead this past winter. It's very dark in the volunteer campground so having the lights on when we came home after dark was nice. Several other volunteers did the same thing after finding mice and they had no more problems after adding the lights. We had tried the soap, dryer sheets, peppermint oil and a few other things with no luck. The lights are worth a try!
Anna + 1 Yorkie said
09:58 PM Apr 22, 2015
I am glad I started reading this. I am pleased to hear that there is a repellent. I had mice in my RV over the Winter here in Ohio. The mice that were in my RV are now gone, but I just ordered some Fresh Cab and will put it in the RV as soon as it arrives. I had to have some wiring repaired in the RV before I took it out this year. I sure do not need any more of that.
dianneandsteve said
09:47 AM Apr 24, 2015
FOSJ wrote:
Someone had mentioned to us to put lights on the ground around the motorhome. Steve went out and bought the $2 boxes of Christmas lights and laid them out. He then put them on a timer so they came on at dusk and went off at daylight. We had no problems while staying at Lake Mead this past winter. It's very dark in the volunteer campground so having the lights on when we came home after dark was nice. Several other volunteers did the same thing after finding mice and they had no more problems after adding the lights. We had tried the soap, dryer sheets, peppermint oil and a few other things with no luck. The lights are worth a try!
I've heard of using the lights before and have been sceptical, however I'm still waiting for my Fresh Cab to arrive and just caught mouse #6. So in desperation I'm going to try the rope lights.
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Sunday 3rd of May 2015 08:37:04 AM
bjoyce said
01:51 PM Apr 24, 2015
Rope lights work best with pack rats, which don't like any light. Mice are nocturnal, so they don't want to be seen and thus the lights might help.
There are solar powered rope lights that will light all night if you don't have electric. I have a set from Amazon that cost $17US for 50', so two would surround an RV - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGOCRLA/. (I think Technomadia recommended them and know they recommend the solar rock lights I bought first). They stayed on all night when I tested them in Alabama last March. Too bad you do not have Harbor Freight Tools stores in Canada, since friends showed me their $9 22' solar rope lights with 50 LEDs. Having the same number of lights in half the length, they put twice the light out per length. Maybe you can find something similar?
dianneandsteve said
08:55 AM Apr 25, 2015
Thanks for the info Bill. Unfortunately we can't wait to order anything on line as we leave this Friday for a month. (New grandson arrives on the 12th) The only solar rope lights available in our area only last 4-6 hours which won't do, so forced to buy 120V. Placed the lights around the rig yesterday and my trap was empty this morning.
When the Fresh Cab arrives our work camping neighbours will place it for us while we're away.
Cheers!
dianneandsteve said
06:29 AM Apr 29, 2015
Another MYTH BUSTED!!! Rope lights don't work either. So far I've trapped 3 mice in the 5 nights of using them. Thankfully my Fresh Cab arrives in 3 days.
FOSJ said
07:40 AM Apr 29, 2015
Uh oh! There goes my security blanket. A mouse in our motorhome after only 4 months on the road almost ended our adventure. Sure hope you find the answer.
bjoyce said
08:31 AM Apr 29, 2015
I was hoping rope lights would work for mice, but I guess they only work for pack rats. Even having a cat does not stop all mice from getting in. Our cat has killed a few over the years and we have trapped more, since some hide where the cat cannot go.
Hdrider said
08:31 AM Apr 29, 2015
Dang, I guess we should feel lucky that after almost 3 years of being on the road we have not had a mouse. But just the same I think I will go down and get some Fresh Cab today for our travels up north this summer just in case.
We use the solar powered rope lights that we bought at Home Depot and they seem to stay on all night. I just use them under the engine compartment mainly.
jaynjazz said
07:21 PM May 3, 2015
We are using some right now in the rig. I bough a 4 pack off amazon. The instructions say if you DO NOT have mice then use one bag if you do use one bag per 8sqft. We don't have any now but had some over the winter. I think we will use them next winter when we put her back in storage.
In the recent Escapees magazine there was an inset about Fresh Cab for repelling rodents. Since we'll be storing our Outback in my son's barn in Tucson for several months and because rats recently ate $3200 of wiring in his wife's Sierra we were looking for something to protect our auto. Has anyone ever used this? It's $17.00 a box at Ace.
Sherry
ps I wasn't sure if this was the correct are to post This question.
the documentary was an outside source and wasnt promoting the product, it was more on how someone took an idea and created an empire using a very simple observation, so there was alot of generic truths exposed about the product itself!
I would use it............
I have used it and it does work. I use it in conjunction with dryer sheets in the 5th wheel. I was actually a dealer for it at one time but the customer base I have is in another area and I discontinued as a dealer but still use the product. As Mike mentioned it is an interesting story about the product's history. It states it is good for 30 days but I have found it to last longer but not as intense as when first put out.
I have read that other RVers have found Fresh Cab helpful. We have not yet had the opportunity to use it in our RV (but we will place some in our basement). I tried using it the S&B garage this winter; particularly given the extreme weather we had this past several months in the Northeast (and the absence of mice in the garage), I am happy with the product.
If you have not smelled Fresh Cab, it has a pleasant pine smell.
You can find Fresh Cab on Amazon.com for about $11-$13 (and free shipping).
-- Edited by Lynn and Ed on Sunday 16th of March 2014 12:51:58 PM
Camphor oil seems to work on squirrels, and I imagine it might have the same effect on rats and mice.
I'd be very hesitant storing your expensive rig in the barn with knowingly large hungry rats. I would kind of want to know they were under control................................Or store somewhere safer.
My question is, where we're you guys and your Fresh Cab while we were considering nuclear waste or napalm as a solution?
Mark,
Sorry to hear about your problems. Critters can be very destructive. We store our fiver in a bank barn we have modified with a 14' overhead door but there are still critters around. We keep rat and mouse poison out all the time and we leave the Fresh Cab and some dryer sheets in the fiver all the time. We do not full time so it sits for extended periods sometimes. The other problem in our barn is raccoons, they can be extremely destructive. I catch 8 to 12 every year in a live trap and remove them to where they will not return.
I would recommend leaving the Fresh Cab and or dryer sheets in the unit all the time. You can attract critters even when living in the unit full time.
Sherry
Hi Sherry. A couple at the RV-Dreams boon docking rally in Quartzsite recommended Fresh Cab so I purchased some before heading to Alaska. We eventually had mice in our bedroom ceiling and basement. I removed the unused AC electrical box in the bedroom ceiling and put a packet in behind and a couple packets in behind the inner walls of the basement. No more mice...this stuff works!
Safe travels!
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Monday 17th of March 2014 05:59:33 PM
Fulltime friends of ours this year had an experience where she woke up feeling feet running across her face. Needless to say her husband was immediately awakened! Never found the critter. I'll tell them about Fresh Cab too in case they don't know about it.
Sherry
I have mentioned this in the forums before, but will add another two cents worth. Put a few drops of Peppermint Oil on cotton balls and place them in the back of drawers, cabinets, bays, etc. The smell isn't unpleasant and it absolutely works. I've been using this technique for years.
Might I ask how long a few drops of Peppermint Oil on cotton balls will last in the RV before you will need to redo it again.
I have never heard of that but I would like to try it, sounds cool and smells nice.
I have heard that Peppermint Oil can ease a headache, works for me thanks.
Lonney
Sherry
I've read on several forums that Irish Spring soap works for getting rid of mice so thought I would give it a try as it's much cheaper than the Fresh Cab we've been using. After we got all set up at our work camping site I cut up several cakes of soap and placed them all around the frame wherever I felt mice may have access. Surprisingly several times I found the soap pieces on the ground and figured maybe it was one of the plentiful chipmunks we have in the area.
Well Dianne found mouse poop and a partially eaten Yam in our bottom kitchen drawer as well as chewed toilet paper in the bathroom cupboard. These are all areas I've sealed up before with steel wool so my job today is to figure out how they are getting in again.
Like an idiot I didn't replenish my stock of Fresh Cab before leaving the U.S. and we're out. There aren't any distributors in our area and not many in Canada. Hello Amazon!
Oh...I placed a trap in the drawer while we went out for dinner and on our return...Success!!
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Saturday 18th of April 2015 09:49:21 AM
I think they do shower with this stuff TRAILERKING.
I was up twice in the we hours of the morning chasing another mouse that had one hind quarter caught in the trap. Finally found him trying to get back into a small hole in our kitchen counter where I placed some Irish Spring yesterday.
Irish Spring MYTH BUSTED!!!!
I've heard of using the lights before and have been sceptical, however I'm still waiting for my Fresh Cab to arrive and just caught mouse #6. So in desperation I'm going to try the rope lights.
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Sunday 3rd of May 2015 08:37:04 AM
Rope lights work best with pack rats, which don't like any light. Mice are nocturnal, so they don't want to be seen and thus the lights might help.
There are solar powered rope lights that will light all night if you don't have electric. I have a set from Amazon that cost $17US for 50', so two would surround an RV - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGOCRLA/. (I think Technomadia recommended them and know they recommend the solar rock lights I bought first). They stayed on all night when I tested them in Alabama last March. Too bad you do not have Harbor Freight Tools stores in Canada, since friends showed me their $9 22' solar rope lights with 50 LEDs. Having the same number of lights in half the length, they put twice the light out per length. Maybe you can find something similar?
When the Fresh Cab arrives our work camping neighbours will place it for us while we're away.
Cheers!
We use the solar powered rope lights that we bought at Home Depot and they seem to stay on all night. I just use them under the engine compartment mainly.