Every November, a lot of Treasure Valley households head up to the attic or out to the garage, pull down the holiday bins and find more than ornaments inside. Chewed cardboard, shredded tissue paper, cobwebs in the wreath, droppings in the bottom of a box. Decorations sit untouched for ten or eleven months in the quietest corners of the house, and that’s exactly the kind of place pests settle into.
The good news is that a little care when you pack things away (and when you bring them back out) keeps most of those surprises from happening. Here’s how to pest-proof holiday decorations for an Idaho winter.
Why Stored Decorations Attract Pests
Holiday décor usually ends up in attics, basements, crawl space storage, garages and sheds. Those spaces are dark, rarely disturbed and often a few degrees warmer than outside. Add cardboard, fabric, paper and natural materials like pinecones, dried wreaths and straw, and you have shelter and nesting material all in one place.
Timing matters too. Here in the valley, mice start moving toward structures as fields are harvested and nights drop below freezing in October and November, right around the time decorations come down from storage or go back up after New Year’s.
Pests Most Likely to Show Up in Holiday Storage
- Mice and rats. They chew through cardboard, shred tree skirts and tissue for nests and gnaw on light strands and extension cords.
- Spiders. Black widows and hobo spiders like undisturbed boxes in garages and basements. Check our spider identification guide if you find one and aren’t sure what it is.
- Silverfish. They feed on paper, glue and cardboard, especially in damp basements.
- Overwintering insects. Boxelder bugs and other fall invaders tuck into folded fabric and wreaths in garages and attics.
How to Pack Decorations So Pests Stay Out
Switch from cardboard to sealed plastic bins
Cardboard absorbs moisture, holds odors and is easy for a mouse to chew through. Hard plastic bins with tight-fitting lids are the single biggest improvement you can make. Tote lids that latch are better than ones that just rest on top.
Don’t store anything edible
Popcorn garlands, candy canes, gingerbread ornaments and cinnamon-scented pinecones all draw rodents and insects. Toss edible décor at the end of the season and take a photo if it’s a family favorite.
Clean before you pack
Shake out wreaths and garland outdoors. Wipe ornaments and figurines to remove dust and food residue. Wash stockings, tree skirts and table linens before they go into storage, since crumbs and skin oils attract insects.
Bag the artificial tree
An artificial tree stored in its original cardboard box is an open invitation to mice. Use a zippered tree bag or a hard-sided storage container, and store it off the floor if you can.
Label every bin and look before you open it
Labels mean you open fewer boxes looking for one thing. When you bring bins out, look them over first for chewed corners, droppings, webbing or egg sacs.
Where to Store Decorations
The best storage spots are dry, off the floor and easy to check. Put bins on metal or plastic shelving rather than directly on a concrete garage floor, and leave a few inches between the shelves and the wall so you can see behind them.
Before the bins go back, take ten minutes to look over the storage area itself. Common gaps include the corners of the garage door seal, holes where pipes and wires come through, vents without screens and gaps around attic access panels. Mice can get through openings about the size of a dime, so seal gaps with steel wool and caulk, a door sweep or weatherstripping as needed. Our article on why mice move indoors in winter covers the most common entry points in Treasure Valley homes.
Outdoor Displays
Outdoor décor brings its own small risks. Keep inflatables, light-up figures and piles of extension cord a little away from the foundation so they don’t become sheltered spots along the house, and pick up cords and stakes promptly once the season ends. Check outdoor lights for chewed insulation before plugging them in, both for pest damage and electrical safety.
Signs Your Decorations Had Visitors
- Chewed box corners, ribbon or wiring
- Droppings or a musty, urine-like smell inside bins
- Shredded paper, fabric or insulation bunched into a nest
- Webbing, egg sacs or shed insect skins
- Dark smudge marks along shelves or walls where rodents travel
If you find droppings or nesting material, don’t sweep or vacuum them dry. The CDC recommends ventilating the area, wearing gloves and wetting droppings with a disinfectant before cleaning them up. See the CDC’s guidance on cleaning up after rodents. Throw out decorations that are heavily soiled, and clean and dry the rest before repacking.
When to Call for Help
One spider in a box isn’t a big deal. Signs of mice across several bins, droppings in the attic or garage, or chewed wiring are worth a professional look, because they usually mean rodents are living in the house, not just visiting the boxes. Our rodent identification guide can help you tell mice and rats apart.
Spiders, ants, wasps, mice and rats are all core pests in our residential pest control, and we offer quarterly, bi-annual and one-time service. Rodent service is included at no extra cost with quarterly service plans; traps and materials are billed separately. Quarterly service plan customers also get free return visits.
Talk to a Local Team
ProGuard is based in Eagle and serves homes and businesses in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, Middleton, Emmett and Garden City. If you’d like your storage spaces checked before the holiday bins come out, call us at (208) 352-2062 or send us a message.