A pack rat got into my 4Runner when I was camping 🐀

I've heard all the warnings about rats getting into your vehicle when camping in the desert, and didn't think it could happen to me -- until it did.
Rodent Deterrent Peppermint Oil Spray
- Pint of water
- 5-10 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 1/2 tsp castille or dish soap
Shake vigorously before & during use.
My Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com...
Products I used:
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ArmorAll FreshFX car vent and duct cleaner amzn.to/3Wwuu0G
Enerzen Ozone Geverator amzn.to/3UORXbV
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Join me on Patreon! / shoestringmartha

[@BONNIE-zt5gy]

Lol, I love your humor and your editing skills!!

[@michellejohnson-ochoa3100]

Your video on that darn mice was very entertaining and educational. Thank you. So much fun watching you tackle problems, and or projects. 💥🙏🏽❤ I look forward to what's coming up next. 🙂

[@ShoestringMartha]

Thank you very much!

[@theicangram]

My favorite kind of humor is the unexpected joke! Your videos ALWAYS crack me up!

[@emilieanne8127]

This was very informative...and hilarious 😅 Stowaway mouse + hot sun = mice krispie treat 🐭

[@ShoestringMartha]

MICE KRISPIE TREAT! 😂

[@carolvillanueva3728]

Your ending is the best. You made me laugh out loud.🤣

[@nomansvan827]

I've just started clicking like when I start the video, they are always good.

[@ShoestringMartha]

Right on -- much appreciated! ❤️

[@trudytwilite]

Love the outtakes!

[@kathyhenehan1093]

I store my mustang with Bounce sheets. Under the hood, inside and in the trunk. Rodents avoid it because of the smell.

[@DebZaragoza]

No more "Mr. Mice-Guy"! Great video - I like your humor, when this could have ended much worse. 😀

[@ShoestringMartha]

LOL!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@lorisposato1662]

Nightmare! That rat packed it up and went on to the other side!

[@ShoestringMartha]

AYOOOO! 😂

[@robertlugo3388]

My favorite video of yours!

[@tg1cent765]

Loved the video and glad the 4runner was saved!

[@skulleigh5867]

That rat packed it in. 😎

[@ShoestringMartha]

YESSS!! 👏👏👏

[@tjfm59]

first a question, you showed checking the cabin air filter, did you check the vehicle air filter??? on to my experiences in the last 4 years up here in minnesota. 1. 3 years ago had a squirrel make a nest for the winter in my trucks engine air filter. went for a oil change, we found around 1/2 lb of squirrel hair in the filter box. 2. alvin(chipmunk) senior, likes to winter over in my garage. normally not a problem. this past winter he chose my boat storage box ( a battery box). it does not have a lid on it. i keep my small boat items in this one. including the light pole for night navigation. he made his nest material out of my oversize plastic bag used as a flag. chewed it all up. then pissed & shit in the nest area. so cleanup insued. at one point he some how got into the house an used my winter around the house boots for food storage. as i found a cup of peanuts, shelled in each boot. my garage door gasket which was brand new a year ago lasted 2 months before i had 3 alvin doors in it. alvin will & can cart away 3 - 16 oz soup cups of shelled peanuts in a day. currently i need to clean out the boat of peanut husks where alvin leaves them. part of that will be checking for peanut storage in the boat. fortunately i have been lucky in one area, no chewed up vehicle wires so far. also on the good side is i have solved my field mouse, issue. my nieghbor too the north moved away. they feed the deer in the area at 50lbs a night. their shield was full of field mice. an moving out, getting into my bird feeder food.

[@patricialukas3991]

A technician at our Toyota dealer recommended turning on the recirculating air before we park our Tacoma.

[@ShoestringMartha]

Thanks for the tip!

[@PrettyGoodLookin]

The CSI was funny/clever. I needed a good laugh ! ty

[@lynnef3297]

CSI Phoenix...🤣🤣🤣‼️

[@SummitBidTech]

Yikes. I keep some camping meals in my 4R. Maybe I should change that practice.

[@esousa486]

You CAN keep "packaged food in your SUV / Van / Camper ... Just invest in some "Sealed Ammo cans" (must have the rubber seal on the lid) ..... 😎👌👍👍 Can get them in different sizes too !

[@ladyd6772]

New subscriber here! My biggest fear is a rodent getting into my rig. Funny vid though!

[@ShoestringMartha]

Welcome aboard! To be fair, I have gone dozens of trips before it finally happened, and I was taking 0 precautions, so I wouldn't fret about it *too* much.

[@viralprimenetwork]

Oh no, pesky little pack rat! Can't wait to watch your camping adventures without any unexpected furry guests. We sent you an email, check it out!

[@thefrog2676]

We are watching you all the way from South Africa. Let me know if we need to talk to your boss for off time so you can go camping 😂

[@ShoestringMartha]

Hellloooo 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼 Thanks for the offer 🤣 Thankfully, they’ve been fairly understanding… so far 😅

[@esousa486]

LOLOL .... 😉

[@cactuscannon]

Omg I felt like I could totally empathize with you😂 One time a package of chicken thighs slid under by back seat. To make a long story short, I went to drive the car a few days later. The smell was so horrible I thought I waa gonna die!😂

[@ShoestringMartha]

Oh no 🤮🤮🤮

[@joyceullom8037]

I think the recipe for Rodent repellent spray has the quantities of ingredients mixed up. It should be 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint essential oil and 5-10 drops of dish soap to one pint of water.

[@ShoestringMartha]

The recipe is correct for the one I used -- though a 1/2 tsp of peppermint oil would make for some pretty powerful repellant 💪

[@joyceullom8037]

I was just spraying soap bubbles. I have made a lot of rodent repellent spray in the past and LIBERALLY add the essential oil, either peppermint or cinnamon.

[@zildian1983]

We installed a mini strobe light under the hood of our truck and no more rodents.

[@mastandstars5869]

Oh dear. Did you get a chance to air the car out after that chemical shit storm 🤣 Geez Louise. Hire a cat. LoL

[@ShoestringMartha]

It’s unfortunate that Douglas is terrified of car rides. He’s a very capable mouser!

[@DannyHustle]

😂😂😂👍👍🫡

[@FrugalRVGal]

Been there done that. I had 3 at one time in my truck camper. I heard one munching on a bag of chips. I always have traps inside in case I hear them in the midle of the night. I do use motion lights under my rig and open my hood most of the time while in the desert.

[@ShoestringMartha]

Not the chips!! The nerve. 😤 I was kind of surprised that considering how many times I camped in the desert, it was a lush riverside environment that got me. Supposedly, there's a riparian species of packrat that dwells in just that sort of landscape, so that was probably my guy.

[@anitasimmons3599]

During the winter we used to have mice move into our garage. We finally go a modulating ultrasonic rodent repellent. It took some time for the original rodents that had not been killed in traps to move on but after about 2 months we noticed the signs of current mice around were gone and once the trails were cleaned we have had no more winter visits. Unfortunately our resident coach wip snake aslo moved on as well. At least you didn't wring the mouse in the blower fan like I did in the Jeep. That was a mess to clean up... Sorry you had to deal with that, but you did get a great video for the experience. Thank you for taking us along on your adventure 😊.

[@tamarap387]

"I was never a fan of Mickey anyway!"

[@ShoestringMartha]

Good one! 😂

[@CindyCaVANas]

The end...........🐁🪤

[@paulas_lens]

That smell, must have been awful. 😮

[@ShoestringMartha]

Very roadkill-esque. 🤢 Unfortunately, I did have to pick up my groceries that day I made the discovery (drove with all the windows down) . The unfortunate employee who loaded them up probably thought I murdered someone. 😅

[@marieguillot8835]

This was great! 😂

[@tracker5849]

I owe an apology...I posted a comment about R.I.P beautiful ASH. It was posted on your video instead of STEVES..FIREBOX VIDEO. ASH was his beautiful dog. Sorry for the mistake. I'm sure you were confused. Lol

[@ShoestringMartha]

LOL ok whew! I thought maybe it was a pet of yours who had passed and I felt like a real jerk! 😂

[@tracker5849]

@@ShoestringMarthaNOPE NEVER A JERK...Instead a wonderful caring human.... thank you for caring. Somehow I wasn't paying attention. I think I cried like she was mine tho after so many years of watching her in his video. Not my pet but FIREBOX Steve's beautiful dog. She had an awesome life!!! Not sure how I commented on your video other than your video started directly after his.

[@Constructiongal827]

Love the CSI reference!

[@paulas_lens]

Ratatootaloo 😂😂😂

[@cyndywaskelisthecrowscall]

It said, "Translate to English," so I clicked on it. Translation? "Ratato story." Ha!

[@zealousoutdoors]

My momma always told me hitchhiking was dangerous! I've had chipmunks take over my engine bay in Forest Lakes. I only found out after starting the truck and hearing one ping off the fan blade. They had made a nest behind the wheel well liner.

[@ShoestringMartha]

LOL that is a mental picture 🤣 PING!

[@zanthornton]

Mich Fest left our RV with 3 visitors we didn't find until months later

[@ShoestringMartha]

Yikes! 😬

[@debbywebby7234]

VERY familiar with your dilemna...there is a product called Repels-All (spray & pellet form). I combine the spray around the engine along with some strategically placed bars of ORIGINAL Irish Spring soap...works well.

[@Northcountrygirl.michigan]

I was cracking up with your bottles and the rodent labels. 😂 🐭

[@ShoestringMartha]

graphic design is my passion 😂

[@Northcountrygirl.michigan]

@@ShoestringMartha just love your sense of humor! The outtakes at the end are priceless.

[@conniehamilton1781]

I wish we could be friends IRL 😂 If ever you come to North Florida…

[@lindahopson5003]

Hilarious ending of the video... interesting adventure for the rat and you.

[@silliesallie302]

💚rat-a-toodle-oo💚

[@cindysegar1426]

Amazon has things you can keep them out with. I have one under my hood. Suppose to keep them away.

[@lisamallard]

lol, you are so funnyt

[@kriskabin]

🤬🪓🔦🐁☠️🎻🎶.....✊️👏👍

[@pursang0904]

🤣

[@paulas_lens]

Your thumbnail. Hahahaha

[@onlyinparadise4613]

Have you seen the stainless steel Firebox Box Pot for $30? It’s so cute. It looks like a cube mess tin. You can fry, bake and boil in it.

[@ShoestringMartha]

That's pretty neato -- but looks like it's intended to use with their stove. 😕 Suppose I'll stick with my mess kit for now!

[@onlyinparadise4613]

@@ShoestringMartha you can buy the box pot for $30 and use it with any fuel stove. You don’t have to buy their stoves. I think it would fit perfectly on your square stove top!

[@wendycamp307]

Love your videos. Sorry about you little visitor making itself comfortable in your vehicle. I heard if you take a bar of Irish spring soap. When your are out camping cut the bar into several 1by 1 inches in size. Put a peace on top of each tire also if possible leave the hoof up they don’t like the scent of the soap and don’t like the hood open due to its to light .

[@ShoestringMartha]

Good tip! Then my 4Runner will probably smell better than I do when I'm camping 😂

[@wendycamp307]

@@ShoestringMartha 😂😂

[@rofireskyte6931]

Excellent content as always!

[@ShoestringMartha]

Thanks for the heads up. I had hit something on the timeline that marked that section as "in and out" or something or other. So it was visible in Premiere, but not after export. Bah!

[@dalebrownlee3843]

Awesome video. I'm actually camping in my Forerunner right now! I'll have to keep ears open for any squeaks! Hey, from Canada!

[@ShoestringMartha]

Lucky!! Yes keep those lil buggers outta there!

[@kerrybernard6865]

What a bummer but luckily small things decompose quickly especially in dry heat. I once had a squirrel die in my attic and the guy I hired to retrieve it couldn’t find it. That was a smelly three months before mr. squirrel to stop his nitrogen cycle. Love your sense of humor, great video.

[@ShoestringMartha]

Kinda weird to think about driving around with rat jerky in my dash, but organic matter is organic matter I guess!

[@Abnormally_Resilient]

Oh no, what a nightmare! Handled like a trooper. 🫡