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How To Keep Your RV Insect Free During Storage
Rate it! Votes (3) | Comments (0) By Alan Wiener Photos: Alan Weiner Posted January 7th, 2009

We recently received this question from one of the visitors to our website. I am sharing the answer we gave this RVer in the hopes that it will help other RVers.

QUESTION:
"We plan on leaving our 5th wheel in Florida (outside) for six months this summer. We have electric available at the storage site. Are there any hints or tips for keeping our RV free of insects while it is in storage?"

ANSWER:
Here are some simple tips for preventing an invasion of insects into an RV when in storage. Some of them are common sense and some of them are unique solutions that RVers have come up with and say that they work.

Just a heads up for you, I do not guarantee that all of these tips work, but give it a shot. Let's start with the simplest steps first.

• Make sure you have removed all fruits and vegetables from the RV before storage. Rotting fruits and vegetables attract and produce all kinds of creepy crawlies. This is especially important if you have kids or grandkids that have traveled with you. They may have stuck a Banana, apple or orange in a drawer or cabinet, so they can eat it later, but they forget to eat it later. I know this one from experience.
  
• Remove all other food stuffs from your RV unless they are sealed in a can or bottle.
• Get rid of all standing water.
  
• If you have an Ice Maker in your RV’s fridge, make sure you empty the water out of it.
  
• Put plugs in all the sink drains; make sure the toilet seats are down.
  
• Cover the shower or bathtub drain (yes, some RVs do have bath tubs).
  
• Turn off the propane at the tank, not only is this a safety tip, but it also stops little insects who love the smell of propane odorizer from congregating in the stove and fridge area. Believe it or not there does not have to be any leak of propane, these little critters somehow are able to detect it and are drawn to it like a moth is drawn to a flame.
  
• Make sure all windows, exterior doors and slideouts are tightly closed.
• If you are storing the RV in an area where pets etc. cannot get to it, spread Roach and ant powder around the tires, leveler jacks etc. Remember if it rains the powder will have to be re-applied.
• Since your RV is going to be plugged into electric, make sure that the RV's power cord is not touching the ground.
• Check for any areas under your RV that may allow insects to crawl in. Do the same for the interior, in particular around slideouts, cabinets, etc. If you find some gaps, go to the hardware store and get a can of expanding foam sealer and seal them.
• Make sure the inside of the RV is clean, I mean really clean, even one little crumb is like a buffet to certain insects.
• Since you will have electricity you might want to go to the hardware store and see if they sell insect and rodent ultrasonic devices. These devices plug into a normal electrical outlet. They supposedly produce a high frequency sound that only rodents and certain insects can hear. This sound is supposed to drive them away. Be forewarned, if you have a pet Gerbil or pet rat, this sound will also drive them insane.
• For preventing a roach or ant infestation sprinkle diatomaceous earth and/or borax around and between cabinets, on floors and into any crevices. Do this with caution, as you are going to be the one that has to clean this up when you are ready to use the RV again.

More Ideas
Now we enter into suggestions, that I cannot vouch for personally but in doing the research to answer this question I discovered these tricks and tips that other RVers swear by.

The following items should be put in bowls and liberally spread around the RV, They are not in any particular order.

• Mothballs
  
• Pieces of Irish Spring Soap
• Fabric Softener Sheets
• Peppermint Altoids
• Cotton balls soaked with Tea Tree Oil, Cedar Oil, Lavender Oil, heck, why not try used motor oil (just in case, the used motor oil suggestion was just a joke).
• Some RVers suggest using rags soaked in Coyote or Fox urine. Supposedly this repels some rodents and insects (it's repelling me just writing about it). This great product is supposedly sold in sporting good stores. If you are brave enough to go to your local sporting goods store and ask the salesperson which aisle the Coyote Urine is on, then go for it. This is one that I am not personally going to try.

I would not recommend using all of the substances above at the same time. I don't even want to guess what the RV will smell like when you first open it up after being stored for six months.I am sure that some or all of these suggestions will help keep your RV insect-free during storage.

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Alan Wiener and his family have over 35 years of RVing experience under their belts. They share their knowledge and passion for RVing at www.everything-about-rving.com.  If you have questions about RVs, RVing or the RVing Lifestyle, go to their  FREE Ask An RV Question page for answers.  You can also subscribe to their RVing Blog here.

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