A little effort can go a long ways towards protecting your items while they are in storage. Anything worth paying to store is worth protecting it while it’s stored. For the safety of your items, those in neighboring units and in consideration of the owner/management of the storage facility, it pays to pay attention to pest control. Here are 10 Storage Tips to Keep Bugs, Mice, & Ants Out of Your Unit.

1. Before moving furniture into storage clean it and vacuum thoroughly. Get all the crumbs, debris and stains off sofas and chairs including down in the cracks and crevices. Any “extras” left in here is a calling card for bugs and once started it affects not only your stuff but that in other units too.

2. Thoroughly clean appliances, large and small, for the same reason. Those crumbs in the toaster tray, the food stuck on small appliances or pans invites in problems you don’t want. Clean means nothing to attract bugs or mice and without food and shelter they will not stay.

3. Mothballs work well in boxes of clothing. Be careful though and use cause as they can stain clothes. Putting some in the unit, where they won’t stain the contents, is a good idea however. Cedar scented blocks and sachets can be made or purchased to be tucked into boxes of clothing or household goods like towels, blankets and sheets. A good sachet can last three to four months, enough for short term storage.

4. Don’t be afraid to use contained insecticides – roach and ant baits can be an inexpensive thing to put in the corners as you don’t know what others have stored in their storage sheds.

5. Use mouse and rat baits, or traps with peanut butter instead of cheese. Don’t use the traps if you don’t check it regularly – leaving one sit in the trap doesn’t catch others after the trap is sprung.

6. For additional natural deterrents look to herbs. Catnip is said to repel ants, lavender repels moths, sage repels slugs and mint can be effective against many kinds of pests. Mint and tansy are said to repel mice, although tansy can cause allergic reactions in some people.

7. Stick to canned goods and securely sealed (screw on lids) jars packed to prevent breakage if you absolutely must store food . Because it attracts pests, food is highly discouraged.

8. Buckets from bakeries can be used to store rice or grains. It’s strongly suggested this be for a minimal amount of time in a storage unit. There are so many factors that are beyond our control that it pays to use caution. Boxed foods and plastic bags simply offer no resistance to mice and bugs, resulting in an infestation of pests that no one wants.

9. Make sure up around the top there are not holes that birds can get into. Having a bird trapped in a storage unit can be very messy and unpleasant!

10. Avoid storing candles in warm climates and those with liquid like snow globes in cold ones. Some units are not protected from heat and freezing, and not only can the items become damaged but anything under it also. This, in turn, can attract pests due to the oils or dampness. If you must store items like this go for a climate controlled unit, which better protects all of your items.

Paul Darden is owner and CEO of Buckingham Storage, the only Richardson self storage facility with a 24/7 onsite management team. Darden specializes in the brokering, marketing, feasibility studies, and developing of self-storage personally brokering over 130 self-storage facilities throughout the southwest to both national and regional self-storage operators. For more storage tips and information, visit http://www.buckinghamstorage.com

With more people today choosing apartments or smaller homes, the need for a place to store extra belongings that are only needed occasionally is on the rise. People used to store seasonal ornaments and clothing in the attic. With many homes today having nothing more than a crawl space for the attic, people have to find other places to store those items they only use occasionally. This trend of smaller homes-or at least less storage space-has created a boom in the self-storage industry.

For those who are not familiar with self-storage, these are units that you rent on a monthly basis and to which you have access to enter and leave at will within certain specified hours. The gates are often password or keycard activated in such a way that, if you fail to make your monthly payments, you are unable to even enter the gates to your unit. They come in several different sizes with larger units often having entry from both sides to allow easier access to the other end of the storage unit.

Self-storage units are convenient for storing those extras that you do not use frequently, but lack storage space when not in use. This includes such items as Christmas trees and ornaments, seasonal equipment and clothing, and even furniture you are not currently using. As long as you pay your storage fee each month, you are the only one with access to the unit. However, payment default allows management the authority to cut off your lock and replace it with another one. After thirty days, most self-storage facilities will place the contents of your unit up for auction.

With a self-storage unit, you can also purchase insurance through the facility that will cover your belongings each month. Of course, if you have homeowners’ insurance, you may not need this additional protection. Check your policy to see how far your insurance covers your belongings and whether it covers things stored in locations other than your home. If it does, there is no need for you to purchase additional insurance.

One problem that you are up against with a self-storage facility is that there is no actual contract, and as such, they can raise the rent on your unit any time they so choose. This doesn’t mean they WILL do it, but there is nothing legally you can do to stop them. You rent the units on a monthly basis, so therefore, the facility is free to raise the rent on you with little more than thirty days’ notice. For those who live in apartments, there is probably no other alternative, but for homeowners who simply lack space in their homes, it is likely to be more economical to purchase a storage building for their back yard.

Self-storage units are certainly an alternative to getting rid of a great deal of stuff you seldom use, but they are certainly not a sound economic move if other possibilities exist. They are, however, a growing market, and one that is being utilized by people and businesses alike.