OUR THREE MOST COMMON TOPICS:

HUMIDITY, INSECTS AND RODENTS

1. Start With a Clean Slate - Units are swept and sprayed between tenants.

Before moving anything in, give your unit a thorough sweep. Remove dust, cobwebs, or crumbs that might attract bugs. Lightly spray the perimeter with safe insect and rodent repellents to create a barrier.

2. Cover Furniture and Fabrics Properly and Store Furniture Upright

Clothing, bedding, and furniture can attract moths and other fabric-damaging insects, rodents and humidity. Use vacuum-sealed bags for clothing and cover furniture with breathable plastic or cotton covers.

Avoid using plastic tarps directly on furniture or fabrics, as they can trap condensation. Instead, use breathable covers like cotton sheets or specialized storage blankets to shield your items while allowing airflow.

If you have large furniture, like a couch or chair, you should store the furniture in its normal upright position. You may want to store a long couch on the side so that it takes up more room vertically than horizontally, but doing so can cause moisture damage. The same can be said of taking the legs off a table and storing the item on its side rather than upright.

Storing furniture upright prevents moisture damage because the furniture legs prevent the item from touching the storage unit floor. Air will still be able to circulate around the entire item instead of being trapped against the side that is directly touching the floor. Storing a couch sideways could reveal moisture damage on the fabric that was resting on the ground, and a sideways table may have damage along the wooden edge of the table that you see every day.

If you do not have the room to store furniture in their proper position, consider putting down a layer of plastic to create a moisture barrier between your items and the concrete floor. You can also use a wooden pallet to allow more air circulation and keep the item off the floor. While not as ideal of putting the furniture upright, it will get the job done.

3. Seal Boxes Tightly

Cardboard boxes invite humidity, insects and rodents. Instead, store your items in sturdy, airtight plastic bins with tight-fitting lids. These not only keep pests out but also protect against humidity and dust. Cardboard absorbs moisture easily, making it more likely to harbor mold and mildew.

4. Elevate Your Items

Keeping your belongings elevated on wooden pallets or shelving reduces direct contact with the floor, which can sometimes absorb and release moisture. This also allows air to circulate better around your items.  Placing items on wooden pallets or shelves not only helps with airflow but also makes it harder for crawling insects and rodents to reach your belongings.

5. Check Your Unit Regularly

Look around your unit for signs of humidity, insects and rodents. Replace dehumidifiers, insect and rodent repellants and replace rodent and insect traps regularly.

HUMIDITY:

1. Use Moisture Absorbers

Desiccators work by absorbing moisture inside a box so that the items inside are not damaged. You can purchase these in bulk and use them in your sealed boxes to prevent moisture damage, DampRid, or dehumidifier tubs can help control moisture inside your unit. Place them strategically around your storage space to catch excess humidity before it harms your belongings.

2. Create a Dehumidifier with Charcoal

All you need to do is place some charcoal briquettes into a bucket so that they can absorb the moisture in the air. Be sure not to use briquettes that have been pre-soaked with lighter fluid, since they will cause a bad odor inside your storage unit.

3. Improve Air Circulation

A self-storage unit is not going to allow for much air circulation when the door is closed and locked. However, you can try some things to improve air circulation inside the storage unit and prevent moisture damage.

Try spacing out the items in your storage unit so air is able to move freely instead of being trapped. Instead of having items stacked on each other and restricting airflow, try using wire shelves so that air can circulate around items you are concerned about.

4. Avoid Storage Bags

It can be very tempting to store your belongings inside plastic bags that are sealed, but these can cause harm to any item inside a bag. The bag will trap moisture inside since moisture cannot get in or out. When combined with the humidity in a storage unit that does not have climate controls, you could find mildew on items that are in sealed plastic bags.

Even if the storage bags are not sealed, those bags will trap air and prevent air circulation.

INSECTS and RODENTS

1. Avoid Storing Food

This one may sound obvious, but it’s important: never store food or perishables in your unit. Even sealed snacks can attract ants and roaches. If you need to store kitchen items, make sure everything is cleaned thoroughly before boxing it up.

2. Use Natural Pest Repellants and Traps

Use peppermint oil. Insects and rodents don’t like the smell of peppermint. It is the most commonly used natural deterrent. To use peppermint oil, simply dab it on a cotton ball and place it near cracks and other areas that bugs can enter. You can also put peppermint oil and water in a spray bottle and spray the unit as you regularly.

There are other natural repellants you can use including: Pepper; Cloves and Cedar blocks.  You can also use a mixture of these things to keep insects and rodents away.

Amazon has a product called “Rodent Repellent” “Inside Rodent Prevention” “24 pack” that one of our clients recommends, repellents also include sprays and granules. Place the repellents in different areas of the storage unit and replace them every few months.

Be careful when storing things that have a scent. These include items like candles, mouthwashes and lotions.

Insect and rodent traps should be placed near potential entry points and replaced regularly