Pest-Proof Your Storage Unit

Chances are you or someone in your household has a storage space that you rent from a storage space company. You may rent this space for any one of many reasons. But usually the reason people rent these spaces goes something like this: I need a climate controlled space for items that are financially or sentimentally important to me.

Climate controlled storage spaces can range in price. The smaller ones you can get for 50 or 60 bucks a month. They usually keep the temperature and humidity at recommended levels at these spaces so that your items aren’t damaged. And though many of these storage companies make some effort to control pests, they may not do enough to keep away the pests that can destroy your items.

It is with this in mind that we created these tips to help keep your items safe.

1. Do not store any type of perishable. You would be surprised what rodents can get into. They will eat potpourri, old dried pasta, house-plants, scented candles and a myriad of other things. Do not store these type of items because you are basically inviting pests into your space.
2. Cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes are cheap and easy to move, so most of us store items in them. But rodents love gnawing on these boxes and the items inside the boxes can be destroyed as a result. Its best to store your items in plastic bins.
3. Knowing your protection. You can ask the storage place if they have regular pest treatment. The answer should be yes. If it is not, then use another company. The fact is that people in other spaces will invariably store something that attract pests. And this can put your stored items at risk. Find out if the company offers insurance in case anything is damaged or ruined. Find out if your own insurance covers items in storage spaces.

You can do some things to check if pests have access to your space. There are sticky glue traps you can place in there. Check it in a few weeks to see if there is pest activity.  You can add moth-balls to your storage containers to keep insects away. If you use air tight plastic containers you won’t need these however.

We hope this article was helpful. If you currently store or plan to store items at a storage facility, it is well worth your time to discuss with them pest protection.