It never fails! No matter how quickly you open and close the door when you go in and out of your RV, bugs get in. They fly or crawl in right under your nose (or over your head). Then you’re left dealing with bugs buzzing around your food, circling your head, and making your life miserable.
Unfortunately, little winged creatures and creepy crawlies are a fact of life. And when you venture into the great outdoors with your RV, you’re encroaching on their turf! Yikes! To ensure that these little guys stay outside your RV (where they belong), let’s look at how to keep your RV spider and insect free so the only thing bugging you on your next RV getaway is that you’re running out of space in your freezer from all the walleye you’re catching!
Those 8 Legs Are Made For Walkin’!
Don’t trust anything that has eight legs! There’s a reason why spiders are often in horror movies! With their beady little eyes and their furry little legs, spiders are creepy! I don’t want them in my house and I definitely don’t want them crawling around and building webs inside my rig! The webs they leave behind (with the remains of their victims stuck in it) just create more work for me when cleaning, and I don’t want to wake up from a nap and find a spider crawling across my chest! Not my idea of a vacation! While most spiders are harmless (minus black widows and brown recluses), I still don’t want them calling my RV home. So here are a few ways that are known to work for keeping spiders out in the cold:
- Regularly dust and vacuum your rig. This will remove the beginnings of any webs that are forming and will deter spiders from venturing in.
- Spray the cracks and crevices of your RV with white vinegar. As if vinegar wasn’t handy enough already, it serves as a spider repellent too! Just fill a small spray bottle with it and spray areas you see where spiders might be tempted to climb in.
- Do the same thing with peppermint oil! While most people like the smell of peppermint, spiders hate it!!! Combine the oil with a little water to dilute it.
- Use the fresh scent of citrus to repel spiders! Spiders hate orange and lemon scents, so spray a citrus air freshener, rub areas in your RV with an orange peel, or use a lemon-scented wood polish when cleaning to keep them away.
- The smell of cedar drives spiders away, so put cedar shavings inside your RV’s closets and on shelves. Or purchase cedar hangars and use them in your RV’s wardrobe.
- Do more with your chestnuts than just roasting them over an open fire. Put them along the baseboards or park a few on a windowsill in your RV to send spiders packing.
- Like bees, spiders are attracted to the smell of propane. Supposedly, placing small pieces of flea collars around the refrigerator and hot water outside access compartments will make these areas less desirable to them. It’s worth a try!
- When your RV is parked, make sure it’s not in contact with a wood pile, leaves, or grass clippings. Spiders love to hang out there and will wander over to your RV if given the opportunity.
Buzz Off!
Let’s face it—bugs are annoying! Whether they fly, crawl, or slink, bugs are not meant to commingle with humans. They’re meant to spend their lives outside in the dirt, on trees and leaves, and under rocks. Really anywhere that’s outside the walls we live in. But they always manage to find their way inside our homes as if they received an invite. And when your home is an RV sandwiched between trees and parked on dirt in a campground, it’s like they have an open invitation to move right in and call our travel trailers or fifth wheels home. No more! Banish pesky bugs with these no-fail tricks:
- First of all, repair any holes or tears in your RV’s screens on windows and doors. If you don’t, it’s like having a big bulls-eye on your RV that flies, mosquitos, and other insects will be aiming for. You can buy screen patch kits that are easy to use, or you can simply put some clear tape over any holes or open areas for a super quick fix.
- Check for small areas on your RV where light filters in and you’ve found entry points for bugs and insects. This includes the perimeter of your RV’s doors and windows and around vents (think stove and A/C unit). To close these up, use rope caulk that’s a cinch to install. Simply press it into place and it will fill the gaps. It’s also easy to remove and doesn’t cause any damage to your RV. It can be found at all major and local hardware stores.
- If you already have a problem with ants and bugs camping out in your RV, hit them hard by tempting them to a tasty meal that ends up being toxic! Place ant killer like Terro underneath your sink, inside exterior storage compartments, or anywhere else they’re hanging out and you won’t have the problem for long. These liquid killers not only kill the ant that ingests it, but the ant spreads it through the colony before it dies and infects all the others. Problem solved! Be overly cautious when using any liquid pesticide if you’re traveling with pets or small children. Make sure to keep it out of reach!
- Combat an ant problem before you even have one by spreading a small amount of borax powder or kitchen cleanser with bleach around your RV’s tires, leveling jacks, or anywhere the RV touches the ground. You can also spread an inch of petroleum jelly around electrical cords, water hoses, and sewer hoses to make climbing up into the RV a slippery obstacle that’s hard to beat.
Do you have any tried and true ways of keeping spiders and insects out of your RV that you’d like to share with our readers? Tell us about it in the comments!
