hey, so my mom calls me up and says she seen a article to use pepermint oil mixed with water in a spray bottle and to spray it on the floor and trunk and in the engine bay to deter rodants. you just have to do it every other month. I right now have mothballs in my car, so do you think i should try this out or do you think it wont work as well. Has anyone heard of using pepermint oil before????

 

One member on this board whose opinion I value recommended cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil placed strategically in/around the car. If inside the car, put the cotton balls on a plastic plate or something to keep it off the carpet. I can't remember who it was, but he said that you need the really concentrated stuff: wear rubber gloves for protection.

 

+1 on the peppermint oil. Better than using mothballs.

I've left a note for the member mentioned above in RedY2KS2K's post (assuming we are thinking of the same guy), and he should chip in at some point with all the details.

Also see this link for winter storage tips

 

Been doing this for nearly a decade... however, I do not suggest
the mix in water and spray.

Mothballs contain naphthalene, which is not at all good for humans - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naphthalene
I realize it would be hard to become over exposed just by using mothballs in the car, but still, why take the chance, and why choose to live with that f'ing lousy smell when there are better options.

Peppermint Oil is the way to go!

When you buy the stuff, be sure you are getting pure Peppermint Oil, this is NOT the same stuff as Peppermint Extract used in cooking, the Peppermint Oil is very serious stuff. When you handle the oil, please, take some degree of caution, as an example, it you get a bit on your finger, and then rub your eye with that finger, you may be standing in front of an eye washing station for a few hours trying to get past the pain. I have never had a problem with it getting on my hands, fingers, I just make darn sure I wash after I'm done.

Peppermint Oil typically comes in a little jar containing about 1 ounce, I pay less than $10 for that size bottle, and I use about half the bottle per car, per season.

Here is what I do for the S
- get 4 shallow metal cans, tuna fish can is perfect, or in my case I use cat food cans as I have plenty of then
- wash and dry the living crap out of the can, it needs to be really clean, I mean really clean
- for each can you want 3 cotton balls
- put several drops of oil on each cotton ball, and place them in the cans, be sure to use about a half ounce of the oil in total spread out over the 3 cans/9 cotton balls
- place 1 can on the floor in front of the driver's seat
- place 1 can on the floor in front of the passenger's seat
- open the trunk, pull off the protective cover so you can get to the spare tire area, and place the last can up near the spare
- close the truck
- close the roof but don't latch
- lower both windows so there is about a 1/8" gap at the top
- cover the car
- pray for an early spring

Normally I do not take the time to uncover the car and refresh the oil, but sometimes I do
If I am having a warm winter and/or I put the windows down too much the odor will mellow out a bit and I will choose to refresh the cotton balls by adding a few drops

In the spring I just toss out the cotton balls, and put the cans up on a shelf for next year

I have a 1957 MGA, a 1990 CRX-Si, and the 2002 S2000, each one of them gets this type of treatment

Good luck, do the cotton balls and cans, do not mix with water and spray onto your carpet fabric

 

For anybody with sensitive skin this is an excellent suggestion!

 

where can i purchase pure peppermint oil?

 

I buy mine from a local specialty food/spice store, but on-line is an option if you don't want to make some phone calls to stores in your area



http://www.amazon.com/Peppermint-100.../dp/B00181CFIK

 

sorry for the late reply b/c i couldn't find my thread but thanks for the awesome info

 

not sure if it works for peppermint or not but they were suggesting spraying "mint" around to deter stink bugs too bonus if it works for that as well, and I'm sure it smells way better than mothballs