PESTS. Insects. Bugs. Mice. Spiders. Just thinking about them makes you shudder. You take all the steps to make sure you don’t have them in your house, but what do you do when you move your belongings to a storage unit and pest control isn’t up to you anymore? 1 1 1
1 Ditch the Cardboard
There actually are a few ways you can help protect your own items. Mice can squeeze through a hole as small as a dime. And they love to chew on cardboard. Roaches are another pest that just love cardboard. According to Dr. Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist and vice president of technical and regulatory affairs for the National Pest Management Association, these pests carry over 30 diseases and bacteria. If you are using cardboard boxes that will sit outside of your main living area before moving to storage, the best protection is to use plastic storage bins with lids instead.
2 Check for Hitchhikers
A second way you can help prevent pests is to check all of your bins and furniture just before moving it into your storage unit. Often boxes, bins, and furniture are moved to a garage or shed as they are packed. Creepy crawlies like to attach themselves in and between boxes, under ledges, or in small spaces. Give them a once over to look for holes, feces, and any other sign. Then wipe them with a cloth making sure you get the undersides before loading them. Once things go into storage they often sit undisturbed for long periods of time, giving pests plenty of time to proliferate and destroy.
3 Forget the Food
The third thing to consider is what you are storing. It would seem obvious to avoid storing food items. But surprisingly, many people do. Items in bags like muffin mix, or cardboard containers like pasta and oatmeal, are easy targets for pests. Perhaps you packed your kitchen expecting to only need storage for a month or two until your closing date. Or maybe there is leftover Easter or Halloween candy your kids tossed into a box when packing their rooms. While you may not be able to detect it, rodents and insects can, so avoid food in your storage unit.
Storage Facility Pest Control Policy
Now that you’ve done your part, what about the storage facility? You know that not everyone will take the same care as you did. So what can be done about the critters that ride in on other people’s boxes? Quite a bit, actually, if you choose your storage facility wisely.
At Sixty5 Self Storage, we hire only professional pest control companies that offer both routine maintenance and on-call services. On each routine call, vacant units, window display areas, interior hallways, public areas, restrooms, and the building exterior are sprayed. In addition to spraying, bait traps are placed around the outside of the building stopping as much as possible from getting in. Daily sweeps of the area to look for signs of pests are guaranteed. And, in cases where “hitchhikers” are suspected, we also use sticky tape around any unit exits points keeping pests from escaping while it is swiftly being handled. As a final measure, we also “high dust” regularly to prevent spiders.
At Sixty5 Self Storage we take pest control and protecting your stored possessions very seriously. Our number one priority is keeping your family, and the contents of your storage unit safe. For more information visit our FAQ page, or call or drop by during business hours. We would love to give you a tour.