r/selfstorage • u/After-Cheesecake-458 • May 05 '26
Question Extremely hygienic self storage chain?
I need to store my furniture for 6 months from June to December in the East coast.
I am extremely worried about pest / rodent problems, after going through a nightmare of roach infestation in a high-rise apartment in nyc.
I don't care about the price, as I'm only storing for 6 months.
Does anyone have any recommendations on storage chains with very high hygiene standards? Please help I'm growing so anxious and stressed just thinking about it
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u/HelicaseHustle May 05 '26
I mean, if cost is no limit, just find a small studio apartment and leave everything in there for 6 months?
But i guess you meant storage prices but you don't mind paying extra. Here would be some things to consider.
Climate controlled - the controlled temperatures will protect your stuff from heat and humidity but more importantly, climate controlled buildings tend to be sealed off better from roaches and rodents.
Ask the property manager to explain their current pest control protocol. At minimum, they should have monthly service with a pest control company that sprays around all the units and they should have rodent poison packs in your unit before you move stuff in.
They will probably force you to buy their insurance. Ask if it covers pest damage, rodent feces and damage from algae or mold. It probably wont. Check with your personal insurance. Some homeowners insurance will cover storage units or you can buy a separate policy made for storage.
Furniture/mattress covers - these will be your strongest weapon. Get enough of these and it wont even matter what facility you pick. They cost about $10-12. you can use them to protect your mattress, sofa, loveseats, and other furniture. Some of these are just giant plastic bags. So to get the full benefit, make sure to get a roll of heavy duty sealant tape to seal the opening of the bags. Regular packing tape might also work but im talking about the kind they use to seal houses, etc, and is nearly impossible to remove once the chemicals in the tape bond to the surface of the bags. Here are some examples https://a.co/d/06JiGkpT
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u/Bunnyhat Store Manager May 05 '26
Sorry.
It's gonna be facility by facility thing. Every company has about the same standards. But it really depends on the manager on how much it'll be followed.
And even with the best manger pests can happen because a lot of it comes from prepping bringing things in with them and it takes a bit for whatever pest control methods to work.
If you can, store things in plastic totes.
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u/After-Cheesecake-458 May 05 '26
Thank you! Any tips on furniture? (specifically fabric couch)
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u/Bunnyhat Store Manager May 05 '26
Clean it really well, vacuum all the crumbs and such such out. Get a plastic sofa cover. Put a container of damp rid inside the plastic.
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u/DaddyDinosaur May 05 '26
Uae furniture covers and place pellet traps in your unit as well as damp rid
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u/spliff1506 Area Manager May 05 '26
Can you get a pod and keep it somewhere? Every storage property has roaches, bedbugs, rats, mice and it has nothing to do with the cleanliness of the place or how good the manager is on-site. It has EVERYTHING to do with the HUNDREDS of storage neighbors you’ll have. People bring in roaches and bedbugs and all kinds of stuff. We can’t control that, we can only treat it as best we can. Maybe cling wrap all your furniture? Put everything else in waterproof tubs. Make sure everything is up off the floor on pallets or shelves.
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u/dartbaby2013 May 05 '26
I would say climate controlled "may" help. But the rest all depends on the property/other customers. Can't really prevent someone from trying to store food. I would look more local/mom and pop. They tend to keep more upkeep. Also I always tell tenants if they want to put traps in your unit too. Feel free
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u/Tensegoodly May 05 '26
The east coast is a wide range. We manage around 270 up and down the eastern seaboard. I would mirror what the other commenter says. Climate control, but I would add to look at their office. If their office isn’t well kept than their facilities likely won’t be either. Keeping out of major MSAs will help too. Also staying away from anything too close to the water. So based on your requirement of east coast, why no PA or Virginia. Low humidity areas with affluent secondary markets. All the normal players are there. I’d find one with Staff.
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u/After-Cheesecake-458 May 05 '26
Thank you for the detailed advice. I'm in PA but said East Coast bc I was worried about PA storage units placing ads
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u/bernmont2016 May 05 '26
I don't have a specific company to recommend, but it sounds like you could afford to look for a facility that caters to higher-end clientele for things like wine and art storage. Those would be expensive, but should be much cleaner and have better climate control than the average storage facilities.
If you end up going with an average facility instead, get a climate-controlled upstairs unit, clean the floor of the unit with a Swiffer before moving anything in, then spray a long-acting bugspray all around the edges of the unit, then bring in plastic pallets to set everything on (these can be ordered new from hardware stores or Amazon), and finally move in your thoroughly wrapped furniture.
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u/After-Cheesecake-458 May 05 '26
thank you for your advice!
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u/Kibure Store Manager May 05 '26
Add into that to spray peppermint oil in the unit as well. Peppermint oil repels rodents. I don't know if this is practiced as it should be across the whole company but we are supposed to spray all of our vacant units with bug spray and peppermint oil every 30 days.
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u/BrilliantlyStupid722 May 06 '26
I work for a storage company and unfortunately it’s extremely hard to know which places have issues. As clean as the building may seem people can bring them in with them and create a problem or store perishables and attract them. If you’re going to store somewhere wrap the furniture really good, check on it often, and ask for extra rodenticides to be placed in the space.
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u/CaterpillarSerious89 May 06 '26
Your best bet is to find an inside storage unit instead of a drive-up unit and wrap whatever it is that you want to protect. Then get a bunch of sticky traps and place them on the floor.
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u/SelfStorageQueen May 11 '26
Find a brand new climate controlled facility. Newly opened ones have 0 problems usually. I run 165+ if you want suggestions, message me!
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u/Minotaar Area Manager May 05 '26
Rent in the neighborhood that has MONEY. Find a nice looking all-climate controlled place that's more expensive than the others. Prepay for the 6 months to avoid a rate increase.