Vermin are small animals and insects that can be harmful and are hard to control once they appear in numbers, such as rats, mice, cockroaches and textile pests like clothes moths. Pest control is the work of keeping them out and dealing with them when they get in. In England, local authorities have a legal duty to keep their districts, so far as practicable, free from rats and mice.
At Wigwam
Our terms say you must not store "food or perishable goods unless securely packed so they are protected from and do not attract vermin" (clause 18(a)). The rule is there because food in one unit can draw mice into a building shared with everyone's belongings. On our side, as our guide to how safe self storage is sets out, "we seal off potential entry points, maintain a high level of cleanliness, and carry out regular inspections and preventative pest control measures."
Please don't put down your own poison. Rodent bait is a chemical, and our terms rule out "chemicals … or other potentially hazardous substances" (clause 18(e)). If you see droppings or gnaw marks, tell us straight away (clause 24).
Our Contents Protection (an RSA Self Storage Customers' Goods policy) lists "damage from moths, insects, or vermin originating externally" among the risks it covers. The page doesn't define "originating externally", so ask for the policy wording if you're relying on it.
Why it matters
The British Pest Control Association says mice can squeeze through cracks as small as 5mm, build nests from cloth, wool and paper, and have "a compulsive need to gnaw". So a plastic box helps but isn't a guarantee. Take away the reasons to come: no food, no crumbs in sofas, and soft or paper items in closed containers off the floor.
Clothes moths
Insects are the other half of the problem. Museums Galleries Scotland notes that wool, silk, fur, hair and feathers feed the larvae of clothes moths and carpet beetles, and that pests break out more readily on items that are dirty or dusty. So clean wool, knitwear, rugs and feather bedding before they go in, check them for holes, larvae and droppings, and wrap anything good in cotton. If something is already infested, deal with it at home before it comes to the unit: the same guidance suggests freezing infested material rather than using pesticides. Our guide to stopping clothes going musty covers packing textiles step by step.
Related terms: Moisture absorber · Dust sheet · Contents protection
Related questions: Can mice or insects get into a storage unit, or chew through plastic boxes? · What goods are prohibited from being stored at Wigwam?