How to Get Rid of Rodents Around Storage Units

This article is a general DIY guide that discusses control methods of rats and mice infestations around storage units. By reading our DIY guide, storage unit owners will learn how to eliminate and prevent rat and mice populations by following the listed steps and professional quality products.

Rats and mice are significant pests that most storage unit owners come across. These pests often invade storage facilities looking for food and places to create their nests to escape the conditions of outside. Typically, rodents are most active in storage units during the fall and winter season as the cooler weather is starting to increase.

Rodents contain a pair of sharp incisors, claws, and elongated tail that helps them to keep their balance or grip onto multiple objects as they climb. Their unique teeth allows rats and mice to chew through insulation, walls, wood, aluminum, cardboard packaging, and fabric. All of these distinguishing features helps rodents live up to the reputation of being persistent pests.

Since rat and mice populations can quickly reproduce, consistent inspection of your unit is strongly recommended. To be effective in controlling the rodent activity in your storage unit you will need to follow the recommended steps and products in this DIY article, while following the guidelines of your storage facility.

Conduct Regular Inspection of Your Facility

From the hallways, parking lot, walls, to the exterior of building foundation these areas provide one of multiple sings of rodent infestation. With not so many people coming in and out of your facility can make it easy to overlook signs of pest activity. Unfortunately, one ignored rodent sighting is all it takes for a larger infestation and damages to tenants goods.

As a storage unit owner, it is best to walk around your property and the exterior of storage units within a weekly basis. Lookout for rub marks along the wall, gnawing activity in the corners of hallways and rooms or on exposed wiring, foul smells from urine, and of course droppings.

If you are not sure what rat and mouse droppings look like then examine the size, texture, and shape. Mouse feces have the shape of a grain of rice measuring to quarter of an inch long with a smooth appearance. Rat waste will also have the shape of a grain of rice with the exception that is larger in length and width.

You may use a glue board such as Solutions Rat and Mouse Glue Tray to observe rodent and insect activity like cockroaches. These easy to use traps are formulated with a peanut butter scent to entice rodents to touch the products glue. Once they do come into contact with Solutions Rat and Mouse Glue Tray rats and mice will be unable to travel far and eventually die from dehydration or stress. With a gloved hand place these traps along the base of outer perimeter unit walls, near unit doors but not in the pathway, and underneath the foundation if unit is lifted.

Repair Damages

Treating damages within your storage property now rather than later can help protect your facility conditions and reputation.

Adult rats and mice can contort themselves into any size opening even holes as small as a dime. Make sure to seal any crevices, cracks, and voids around the units exterior foundation, window and door frame, and if your tenants unit is inside a storage facility then the hallway ceiling as well. You will need to use copper mesh and caulk to deter rodents from chewing and gnawing through treated areas.

Be sure to inspect stripping around building, door frames, air conditioning covers, and pipes. Other areas that often get overlooked is the roof of storage facilities as Norway rats can travel up trees near the structure to invade. Repair these areas when damages such as moisture or voids occur.

Regulary Maintain Trash and Debris

If you are not maintaining consistent trash removal in outdoor dumpsters, trashcans, and parking lots then this creates ideal living conditions for rats, mice, and other pests like raccoons.

A strong control of your trash levels helps to ensure not only the appearance of your business, but also removes an available food source for rodents. Seal all trash receptacles with a tightly closed lid and keep several feet away from storage units.

Sweep parking lot and hallways of inside storage buildings to lessen the the amount of any potential food resides, aromas, and plant debris.

Maintain vegetation around property by mowing when grass reaches a height of 3 feet and prune overgrown tree and shrub branches. Eliminating these conditions lessens the amount of hiding and nesting places for pests and their ability to travel onto roof surfaces.

Once these conditions have been met you can then set out rodent bait inside a tamper proof bait station. We recommend using Eratication Rodent Bait due to its unique formulation to attract rodents to gnaw on the product material leading to immediate death of rodent. Place this product inside Solutions Rat and Mouse Bait Station near dumpsters, along exterior walls, and fence lines. Replace the bait as needed or at least once every 3 days to encourage rodents to revisit traps.

Inform Storage Unit Owner

The best way to keep rats and mice out of storage units is to keep open and direct communication with your storage tenant. There is no doubt that sanitization and repairs make an important impact on rodent populations. However, implementing these measures might become strained if conditions inside storage units are not being met.

Any sightings near a tenants storage area should be recorded and treated immediately. Open communication and share of information from the linked articles will help to eliminate and prevent rodent populations before they can occur. When tenants are storing their belongings, you may suggest the use of plastic sealed ziplock bags stored within tightly sealed plastic containers. If cardboard packaging is used then there is the risk of rodents penetrating its contents more easily than that of a plastic box.

Key Takeaways

What is a Common Storage Pest

• Pests that are notorious for invading storage facilities and units is rats and mice. These rodents will come inside storage units due to the absence of people, food residue on appliances and dishware, and to create nests in personal belongings.

How to Keep Rodents Out of Storage Units

• Seal any crevices, cracks, and voids with caulk and copper mesh to limit entry into building. Repair damages to roof, insulation, and large voids that cannot be treated with copper mesh. Remove existing food sources and place Solutions Rat and Mouse Bait Station layed with Eratication Rodent Bait around the exterior of property.

Proof of Rodent Infestation in Storage Units

• Rats and mice will leave signs of rub marks against wall, scratch marks against furniture, gnawing on carboard or fabric surfaces, and droppings.