We recommend cleaning up your yard to make it unattractive to rodents. Next, turn your attention to the space around your car. The repellent will make your engine unattractive to rodents and help deter them from returning.

Once you’ve disinfected your engine and removed all nesting materials, spray the engine with a non-flammable rodent repellent like this one or apply a repellent gel (we like this one). Remove the clean gloves and wash your bare hands with hot, soapy water. When you’ve finished disinfecting the area, wash your gloved hands with hot, soapy water.Once the engine is dry, reconnect the battery.Allow the area to dry thoroughly for 60-90 minutes.Once you’ve removed all the nesting materials, clean the rest of the affected area with additional disinfectant.Once you’ve sprayed disinfectant on the affected areas, you can use a shop vac to remove rodent urine, droppings, and nest material.Discard both in the garbage before inserting a clean replacement filter and closing the air intake unit. If nesting materials are present in the air intake system, remove the air filter and the nesting materials. Wearing rubber or plastic gloves, use a paper towel to pick up and remove all nesting materials.Allow the disinfectant to sit for 5 minutes. Spray all affected areas with a CDC-approved disinfectant until they’re thoroughly soaked.Once you’ve pinpointed living or dead rodents, nesting materials, and rodent waste, gather your cleaning supplies to clean and disinfect the engine. Identify and make a note of all nests and areas of rat activity.īe sure to wear rubber or plastic gloves, a respirator, and a long-sleeve shirt as you complete this step. Remove the cables from the battery to avoid shock before inspecting the engine, including all air intakes and filters. As such, the next step is to conduct a thorough inspection of the vehicle’s interior and engine. Inspect the vehicleīefore evicting rats and their nests, you must figure out where they live. This helps clear out dangerous airborne contaminants and reduces your chance of encountering hantavirus. Open the car’s hood, doors, and trunk to let the vehicle air out for about 20 minutes before you begin. Ready to send rats packing? Follow these steps to remove rats from your car engine: 1. How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Car Engine If you want to try a different trap, check out our guide on the best rat traps. We recommend baiting them with peanut butter, Snickers bars, beef jerky, cheese whiz, or bacon for best results. First, they’re easy to set, and second, they have a superior design that allows them to be easily triggered by foraging rats. Zachary Smith, the owner of Pest Dude and a licensed pest removal professional, relies on these T-Rex plastic rat traps for two reasons. Setting rat traps around your yard, garage, and property will reduce rat populations and prevent re-infestation.

The cover sits flush with the ground to create a rodent-resistant barrier that rats can’t penetrate. Create a rodent-proof barrier around your car with a weighted car cover. This outdoor rodent repellent spray is 100% natural and designed to keep rats from re-entering your car engine once you’ve cleaned it out. Wear gloves like these to protect your hands from injury and avoid contact with rat feces, urine, or nesting material during removal. A full-face respirator will protect you from inhaling airborne viruses and other rat-borne irritants. As such, it’s critical to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when getting rid of rats. Rats carry hantavirus, which can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in humans who encounter infected rat feces or urine. What You Need to Get Rid of Rats in a Car Engine If the rodents are living in an area of the engine you can’t see or reach, you may need to contact a professional pest management company for help.

Never use a power washer to remove rodents from your car engine, as the force of the water could spread nest material and contaminate urine and feces everywhere.Rats will seek shelter and warmth in car engines, especially if the car doesn’t get driven much or is parked in a rodent-infested area.To get rid of rats in your car engine, you can clean and sanitize the engine, remove nests and waste, use rodent repellent spray, set traps around your property, and maintain a clean yard to deter them.

Packrat nest