Tips To Repel Mice From Your Self Storage Unit
Self storage units are great places to store all of your home items while you prepare for a big move. While the vast majority of self storage spaces are sealed in a way that moisture and pests cannot get in, certain pests may be highly motivated to get into self storage spaces. This is true of mice who are drawn to dark and quiet spaces where food remnants can be detected. While you may know that rodent infestations mean that it is wise to clean things like ovens and refrigerators thoroughly before storing them to keep the pests away, this does not mean that your self storage neighbors do the same. This means that you will need to take further precautions to keep mice away.
Add Motion Lights
Mice are nocturnal creatures that move around during the evening and look for shadows and dark corners so they can scamper around unnoticed. Outdoor lights are often used by many individuals to keep beach mice and other rodents away. This means that you can add bright lights to your storage space and rodents will likely not feel safe inside.
To keep rodents away, purchase several battery-powered motion lights for your storage space. Look for LED varieties, because these lights will produce the brightest lights and also use less power so your batteries will last longer. Since some mice can get used to solid lights over time if they are motivated to explore an area and other dangers are not present, purchase rodent repelling strobe or flashing LED lights. The flickering creates movement to help scare the mice away.
Place the lights high on the walls. Two lights that are across from one another and angled down will work well. Attach the lights and test them to make sure they work. Roll a small ball across the floor to make sure they turn on. Also, when the lights activate, look for any shadows that appear around your belongings. Move boxes as close to one another as possible. Also, stuff small amounts of steel wool in shadowed areas where mice can run and hide.
Once you set up the lights, make sure to test them every several months so you know when batteries need to be changed. Purchase a battery tester device that provides you with the percentage of battery power left in the batteries so you know about when batteries should be changed. Exchange batteries when only about 15% or 10% of a charge remains.
Add Fragrant Oils
Many people know that moth balls and predator urine both repel rodents like mice from homes and storage spaces. Unfortunately, these types of smells are also unpleasant to humans, and the odors can infiltrate belongings that are placed in storage units. Thankfully, there are a wide variety of strong smells that will repel mice, and some of them are pleasant. Mint and peppermint are two of these scents that mice do not like. To add the smell of mint to your storage space, purchase some peppermint essential oil from your local home store. You will want this oil to slowly diffuse into the air, so also buy some wood chips or wood mulch. You will also need four loose cotton or cheesecloth bags.
Place about four cups of the wood chips in a large metal bowl and sprinkle the entire contents of the peppermint oil bottle over the wood. Allow the oil to soak in and place about one cup of the wood chips in each bag. Secure each bag on one wall of the storage space. Place them a foot or two off the floor so the smell radiates across the bottom of the storage space where mice are most likely to gather. Add about 10 to 20 drops to each bag every few months as the peppermint smell starts to dissipate.
For more information, contact a company like National Self Storage - Denver.
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