The Unexpected Secret Weapon That Banishes Bugs From Your RV

When the urge to hit the road and explore new destinations strikes, there's nothing more exciting than getting behind the wheel of an RV and setting off in the name of adventure. An RV road trip with family and friends comes with an impressive array of parking options to choose from along your preferred route. In fact, according to IBIS World, there are nearly 15,000 RV campgrounds and parks across the U.S. at last count in 2022.

Waking up in a scenic and remote destination in the comfort of your RV can be refreshing. However, it's important to remember that when you're spending time in nature, keeping pests at bay is part of the experience. The good news is that you won't have to invest much time, money, or energy in keeping bugs far from your RV and out in the wild where they belong.

Baby powder is an effective — and unexpected — secret weapon that can help you rid your RV of bugs. It's a gentler alternative to the typical lineup of pesticides sprayed indoors and outdoors that can be particularly harmful to the health of your endocrine and nervous system, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. If you're traveling with a baby onboard, there's a good chance you'll already have a bottle of baby powder packed with you in the RV. If not, it's a budget-friendly product you can purchase at your local convenience store that won't harm pets you might be traveling with either.

The reason baby powder is so effective at keeping an infant's diaper area dry is the same reason it works as a great bug repellent. Most baby powders contain talc, which is a silicon, oxygen, and magnesium-based mineral. In its powdered form, talc is fantastic at absorbing moisture. While this works wonders for keeping skin dry and irritation-free, it's an uncomfortable level of absorption for insects and a texture they tend to avoid.

When it comes to keeping ants out of your RV specifically, baby powder seems to work as a way to break up the scent trail. This is a function used by ants to lead others from their colony to places where they are successfully finding food sources. The baby powder effectively neutralizes the trail, keeping any further interest in your RV off the ant radar.

Once you've parked at your campsite, a good technique to use is to sprinkle baby powder around all RV entry points including doors and windows. Placing a barrier of powder around jacks and tires is also helpful. Insects typically don't love the scent of lavender, so investing in a scented baby powder variety, like Johnson's Lavender Powder, could be the way to go.