Will Mothballs Repel Mice?

Rats and mice can be a huge pain, especially when they are allowed to romp freely in our hunting and fishing camps, travel trailers, bugout cabins, barns, sheds, and workshops. On top of the nuisance factor, they’re terribly destructive and can quickly destroy a stash of seed and feed or wipe out the wiring harness of your tractor, vehicle, or other power equipment.

Repelling them is our number one goal, but what really works? Ineffective methods that we’ve heard about for years include Irish Spring soap, dryer sheets, predator urine, and even Carolina Reaper hot peppers. Our old mouse-trapping buddy Shawn Woods has put those to the test and in the video below he tries repelling rodents using mothballs.

One thing I can say for sure is that mothballs make a great Russ repellent. I hate the things! When I was battling mice in my hunt camp, I bought a pack of mothballs and spread them around in various out-of-the-way areas of my old travel trailer. Before long, though, I gathered up every one and put them in an airtight container, where they live to this day. They stink!

But do mice feel the same way about the heady aroma of naphthalene or dichlorobenzene? Watch and learn, my friends. Watch and learn.

Spoiler alert: Nothing repels the little suckers.

My best suggestion is to seal all food the best you can and encourage a healthy crop of nonvenomous snakes around all buildings. That usually does the trick… usually.

Enjoy the video.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.