Look, between us? I hate bugs. I really, really do. And mice? Don’t even get me started. The way they scuttle. It’s the worst.
So when people come to us for storage, the first thing I think is: “How do I make sure their stuff doesn’t get eaten?”
I’m not a robot. I’m the guy you see at the desk, the one who waves when you drive in. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve learned a few things the hard way, so you don’t have to.
Here’s the honest truth about keeping pests out. It’s not about magic spells or expensive gadgets. It’s mostly about not being lazy. (I say this with love, because I can be lazy too.)
First, you have to be ruthless about what goes in
I had a customer once, lovely woman, stored her Christmas decorations. Come November, she opens the box and it’s full of… let’s just say moth confetti. Turns out she packed away a beautiful felt Santa hat that her kid had worn while eating cookies. One tiny, invisible crumb. That’s all it took.
So my rule of thumb? If it ever touched food, don’t store it unless you’ve washed it like you’re prepping for surgery. That cookie tin from grandma? Wash it. The popcorn maker? Scrub it. Be paranoid.
And for the love of all that is holy, do not store food. I don’t care if it’s canned, sealed, or “just for emergencies.” A rat’s teeth are like little chisels. They will get in. They always get in. Think of your storage unit as a food-free zone. It’s like a library. You wouldn’t bring a cheeseburger into a library, right? Same idea.
Second, cardboard is the enemy
I know, I know. Boxes are free. But to a bug, a cardboard box is a gourmet meal. To a mouse, it’s prime nesting material. Spend a few bucks on the solid plastic bins with the yellow lids. You know the ones. They’re ugly, but they’re champions. A mouse will look at that, sigh, and go bother someone else.
If you must use cardboard, tape the living daylights out of it. Not just one strip. Tape every seam. Make it airtight. It’s a pain, but so is finding your old love letters chewed up for bedding.
Third, how you stack stuff matters more than you think
Never, ever just plop things right on the concrete floor. Concrete gets cold, it sweats, and that little bit of dampness is a welcome mat for the creepiest of crawlies. Silverfish love that stuff.
Use pallets. We usually have a stack of spares out back—just ask me. No pallets? Get some cheap wooden slats or even just a layer of plastic sheeting. Create a barrier. Lift your world off the ground.
And don’t shove everything to the walls. Leave a little space, a sort of moat, all the way around. This does two things: it takes away a dark, hidden highway for critters, and it lets you walk around and check for trouble when you visit. Which you should do.
Now for the fun part: the old wives’ tales that actually work
My grandma knew her stuff. She used to put cedar in her closets. She was right. Toss a few cedar blocks into your bins of sweaters or blankets. Moths hate the smell.
Also, peppermint oil. Mice can’t stand it. Soak a few cotton balls and put them in a little jar lid on the floor of your unit. It’ll smell like a candy cane shop in there, and every mouse in a mile radius will think, “Nope, not for me.”
The single best trick I know? Steel wool. See a tiny crack where a pipe goes into the wall? A gap in the corner? Stuff a wad of steel wool in there. It costs pennies. A mouse can chew through wire, plastic, wood… but it will not chew through steel wool. It’s like kryptonite. I keep a bag of it in my office drawer for this exact reason.
This is the most important part: don’t forget about your stuff.
Life happens. You stick something in storage and three years go by. I get it. But you have to check in. Once a season, at least. Roll up the door, take a big sniff. Does it smell… off? Musty? Look at the floor. Use your phone flashlight. Are there little black droppings? Tiny husks or cobwebs?
Catching a problem early is the difference between tossing one box and tossing everything.
Okay, so what do we do on our end?
I can’t just give you advice and then send you into a dirty, hole-ridden building. That would make me a jerk.
At Downtown Mini Storage, this is our home too. We’re out here every day. We’re not just collecting rent. We’re sweeping the driveways, sealing cracks in the siding, making sure the dumpsters are a mile away from the units and sealed tight. We have a guy, Dave, who comes every single month—rain or shine—to spray a protective barrier around the whole property. Not because we have bugs, but because we never, ever want to.
We built this place to be a fortress. Good lights, solid doors, and a clean slate. You’re doing your part by packing smart. We’re doing ours by keeping the grounds so clean and secure that pests don’t even want to visit.
That’s the deal. That’s the human agreement. You trust us with your treasures, and we work our butts off to deserve that trust.
So go pack your unit. Be a little ruthless. Be a little paranoid. Use the steel wool.
And then relax. We’ve got your back.
If you ever have a question, my door is literally right there. Come on in. We’ll figure it out together.
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