Holiday Decorations and Winter Storage: How to Avoid Bringing Pests Into Your Naperville Home

The holiday season is approaching for Naperville homeowners. Families are starting to pull stored decorations out of attics, basements, and garages. While decorating is fun, uncovering boxes that have sat untouched for a year may reveal pests using them to shelter. Mice, spiders, and other pests may settle among stored belongings, hitching a ride inside when decorations are pulled out. Naperville, IL pest control should be considered throughout the year, not just warm months. Mosquito Squad Plus of Chicago can help homeowners understand what to look for when dealing with long-term storage.

Why Pests Like Holiday Storage

Pests are drawn to holiday stored items for a number of reasons. Christmas ornaments and stockings are usually tucked away in boxes and not disturbed for an entire year. This gives spiders and even rodents quiet places to build webs, nests, and seek food.

Packing paper, tree skirts, garland, and even wreaths are all materials easily chewed on and used as nesting materials. Packed items also retain warmth, making them appealing hiding places, particularly during a cold Illinois winter.

Garages and basements with gaps around doors or utility lines are especially accessible. Because mice and rats can squeeze through small openings, even an otherwise orderly storage area can develop activity between holidays.

Inspect Before Decorating

We know that holiday decorating can sometimes carry a lot of pressure or time constraints. Don't skip inspecting items in the name of rushing decorating. If you store decorations in the garage, pull boxes and bins out onto the driveway and wipe down exterior surfaces. Inspect contents before bringing them inside to limit chances of pests being brought directly inside.

Spiders may hide behind ornaments or within artificial branches. Other pests like beetles, cockroaches, and more can tuck themselves into seams of fabric or folded paper.

Signs of Pest Activity

The most obvious signs of pest activity are usually not seeing mice or spiders moving through items. Homeowners should look for:

• Gnaw marks on boxes, shredded wrapping or packing paper, holes in fabrics
• Droppings or various kinds of droppings from rodents, roaches, or others left behind
• Shed insect skins, webbing, or spider egg sacs are other indicators of pest activity.

If you aren't sure, set questionable items aside for closer evaluation. Pay close attention to any items that were used for food the previous season.

Store Decorations Carefully

A little care during January cleanup can make next year's decorating easier. Choose sturdy plastic bins with snug lids instead of cardboard boxes, and make sure ornaments and fabric items are clean and dry before packing. Avoid saving edible garlands or food-based ornaments with reusable decorations. Keep bins raised on shelving, with enough room to inspect behind them. These habits complement broader pest management strategies by limiting the sheltered spaces and food sources that attract unwanted visitors.

Inspect Trees and Wreaths

Both live and artificial greenery can be transported indoors with pests. If you are purchasing live greenery, trees, or wreaths, inspect them before moving them inside. Spiders can build small webs amongst branches or leave egg sacs to hatch. Stored artificial greenery can do the same. Gently shake greenery outdoors when possible to try and dislodge any unwanted guests.

Naperville, IL Pest Control

To get started on pest control for your Naperville, IL home, contact Mosquito Squad Plus of Chicago for guidance on what you've seen or what services are the right fit for your home. Call (630) 556-8315 for a free quote over the phone.