Storage of Furniture in the Country

Good Morning J., I agree with Sarah. You can always find another one. We live in a small town and had mice really bad. Hubby bought some of those plug ins that are to keep mice and such out with a high pitch sound. They actually work. I have one in the laundry room and one in the storage (junk)room. ;)

You could rent one of those POD containers, that may keep them out also. But if a mouse wants in they can get in just about anywhere.

Good Luck J.
K.

Unfortunately, there just isn't much you can do, I just had to throw our corner piece to the sectional away because of the same reasons, too big for the house, stored in in the barn, mice and rats CHEW thru just about everything, they chewed one little hole and then nested on the insides, it was horrible.....I wish I had given it to someone who could have used it at the time, instead of trying to store it, because it had to be trashed.

My husband and I also bought a sectional and live out in the country. We have had it for three years now. My husband is sick of it because it only fits in the living room in one spot, and he likes changing the living room around once in a while.

We live in a trailor, and unfortunately we always have new mice coming in, no matter how often we catch them and think they are gone. They are always eating their way through the walls of our '72 trailor and getting into everything. Unfortunately, they have RUINED the sectional underneath. They have tore out the stuffing, chewed holes in the wood.... it's awful. This thing was expensive and brand new!!! I wish we had sold it before they did too much damage and bought some cheap furniture until we can move into a house in the city.

Almost every month we have to pull the sectional away from the wall and vaccuum up more stuffing and mice poo... they are using the stuff to build nests in the walls. ...AHH! it's so aggravating. I can't wait to move.

Anyway, I suggest to tell your husband to SELL IT before it gets RUINED by mice! You can buy one later on when you move into a bigger place, but it will probably get ruined. Mice chew through plastic... the moth balls wont keep them away entirely... they will find a way.

I too live in the country and stored a chair, wrapped in plastic, in my garage. Mice will get into ANYTHING. We ended up having to put the chair (which I LOVED and was my favorite) onto the burn pile this last spring. I would suggest either getting a small storage unit that uses a pest company, or sell the furniture and save the money to buy replacement furniture if/when you move into a larger place.

Hi, J.,

I have to agree with the others who responded. I am a country dweller and it would be almost impossible to store anything in an old barn that mice and bugs couldn't get to. My suggestion is to sell the entire sectional couch and use the $$$ to purchase furniture that will fit the rooms that need it. Renting storage space for anything but a defined short period of time is a waste of money. When you are ready to move to a larger home, you can sell anything you don't plan to use and buy more furniture to fill in the extra space. You can find great deals on gently used furniture -- almost every town has at least one store that sells it.

Remember, your family lives in the present so your home should be comfortable for them and guests now. Purchasing large ticket items now for use in the future is not usually a good idea especially if you have nowhere to store the stuff.

Hey J.,
I too agree with the other ladies, get rid of it while you still can. Sell it on Craig's List. That way you aren't shipping it anywhere, whomever buys it will come and pick it up. Moth balls only deter the moths, not the mice. Nothing really deters them, when they set their sites on something give it up. If you try to sell it at least you'll get some money for it and it can go to a good home. I know you don't want to get rid of it, but varmin are pretty persistant. Find Craig's list in your area and take some pictures and get it listed. List it in the paper too. Good Luck and God Bless.

I also agree to selling it right away. I've seen mice chew through tupperware! That moth ball smell doesn't work and will never come out. Mice are soooo nasty. Even having cats in your outbuilding doesn't deter these little sneaks. Unless you can encase the couch in steel wool, I'd have to agree with the girls and let it go. If you absolutely love that couch, take one more look around your house to see if it can work anywhere. Maybe swapping rooms around. Good luck

Hi J.,

I managed a storage facility for 3 years. We had some very well maintained buildings and I was fanatical about pest control. Still ..... I have seen what furniture looks like (and smells like) after being in storage (even good storage) for even a few months. You'll be sadly disappointed.

If you can not even consider selling your extra, or giving it to some one needy, then at least invest in some zip-up plastic covers that will encase the entire piece of furniture. You can check with local storage facilities for these. There is also a product available that you can put in the bags to help keep away moisture, though at the moment the name of it escapes me. Again, check with a reputable storage facility for this. Buy flannel backed plastic table cloths to cover the floor under your furniture, and throw over the tops of the furniture. This helps with condensation from the floor, as well as any condensation that may drip from the ceiling. If the building has a metal roof, condensation will be a problem in the spring and fall because day time and night time temperatures vary so greatly.
There is very little you can do about mice, and other critters in an out building. (I, too, lived in the country and I know this to be fact.) Temperature extremes are going to play a factor in compromising the quality of your furniture, also.

Even with all these precautions, I can still tell you, that you will be very disappointed when you finally pull that furniture out of storage. I'm sorry. It would be so much better to sell or give it to someone who will get some use and enjoyment out of it, and buy new when and if you need it.

I know you hate to hear it, but I have to say either let it go or find a new way to use it. The mice WILL chew their way in and the moth balls will only make it smell funky to you...not the mice...and it won't ever really come out.
My friend stored his mattress in our outbuilding for a month...wrapped tightly in plastic...and ohhhh the things the mice did to it...
Another option would be to find a storage unit to rent with pest control, however, I think this would probably end up costing more than the couch is worth.