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Storage Bins - Are these any good?
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Jen27
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Joined: Sep '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 9 2011 9:46:10
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hey everyone... so I've been looking for some storage bins online. I found out yesterday that my infestation isn't too bad, which is good, but I still want to be extra careful.
I have a LOT of clothing and some books. My plan is to keep books in zip lock bags and then put them in the bins. Also, keep most clothing in zip lock bags and sealed in bins. ... And then live off off a little less than half of my clothing (which I will not hang but just put in a bin)
I found these online... they look like the best ones so far.
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/totes?productId=10026213&green=16075600160
[url=http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10024301&N=&Ntt=airtight+
]http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10024301&N=&Ntt=airtight+
[/url]I was thinking of getting a couple of the trunk one and then a bunch of the clear ones (I don't have a whole lot of money so I need to keep that in mind too)
Anyone used either of these so far?
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Jen27
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Joined: Sep '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 9 2011 9:49:31
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I typed in the one link incorrectly ... it should be http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10024301&N=&Ntt=airtight+
(also I meant to say that the books and most clothing will remain in those zip lock bags and bins for 18+ months... I'm going to store them in my closet. There is the very strong possibility I will move in 9-10 months... if that's the case then I will put them in a storage unit for the remaining months)
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jrbtnyc
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 9 2011 17:27:51
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Tell you a secret: in my opinion according to my own informal testing, you can put the items in semi-clear plastic bins *without having to first put them in ziploc-type bags*.
That's because my tests indicated bed bugs absolutely cannot climb vertical or near-vertical walls of the kind of hard smooth semi-clear plastic used to make common inexpensive basins such as this variety from the Container Store (a company with which I have no affiliation):
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/storageBoxes/plastic?productId=10000166 .
[Nobugs, for reader convenience I'm leaving this URL intact since it's for general merchandise not bedbug-oriented merchandise.]
This particular variety is especially good, I think, because it has no black tabs or whatever on top, inside of which bb's could conceivably hide. That may be academic anyway since I think bb's can't climb up there from the floor or table-top in the first place, but anyway, why not choose bins which are *all-semi-clear* plastic, with no colors especially no dark colors, for that reason.
Of course there are lots of similar semi-clear plastic bins from other providers such as Steri-Lite, Rubbermaid, and Bed Bath and Beyond.
It needs to be the hard smooth semi-clear type of plastic, not frosty and not colored such as white because bugs can indeed climb those latter types.
If you don't have to use the ziploc-type bags, only the bins alone, then for everyday purposes there should be much less opening and closing and it should be much easier to see where the items are that you're looking for at any particular time, therefore far less inconvenient overall.
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Jen27
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Joined: Sep '11
Posts: 33offline
Posted 1 year ago
Sun Sep 11 2011 9:53:05
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Thank you! I'd still prefer though to get ones that are specifically airtight/watertight. I saw a bug climb my wall. so I'm sure they could still somehow get on top!
Has anyone used these? I want to order some airtight bins asap.
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jrbtnyc
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun Sep 11 2011 10:40:40
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There's a Container Store near you in Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
http://www.containerstore.com/locations/showStore.htm?store=CHL
...again, I have no affiliation...if you want to consider making one initial trip so you can look at any containers yourself before buying, then in future you can reorder online.
Here are 5 watertight containers they advertise on their website...
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?showDS=true&Nmpt=&Ntt=watertight&submit=GO
...and 87 airtight ones, although mostly smaller food-size ones, and some overlap with the watertight ones...
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?showDS=true&Nmpt=&Ntt=airtight&submit=GO .
As mentioned, containers with black tabs on top aren't my own preference because they could offer refuge/camouflage to bb's, but in any event the bb's won't be entering the contents.
Then while you're there, if you have a look at the other containers pointed to in the earlier post, maybe you'll concur with my perception that although not specifically airtight or watertight, they're plenty tight enough to keep out bugs, who will have no incentive to enter them anyway since they won't be emitting CO2 or pheromones or aromas the bugs use to locate humans; and they're made of plastic which bugs don't consider to be cuddle-friendly; and they're very translucent so they're well-lit whereas bugs tend to prefer harborages to go into that are dark; all that on top of the bugs' inability to climb the sides of the containers anyway, especially when the sides are at an angle that's not only vertical 90 degrees, but actually steeper than vertical around 100 degrees, so gravity affirmatively pulls them off as they try to climb.
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jrbtnyc
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun Sep 11 2011 11:08:36
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And if you're worried about bugs on the ceiling, place smooth single-sided tape on the ceiling over the containers, the non-sticky side outwards (i.e. facing downwards), with an extra margin. Place it on the ceiling itself, not the top of walls adjacent to the ceiling. Bugs can't grip the smooth tape surface when it's horizontal above them and would therefore fall off due to gravity, so this will keep them from being able to frequent that part of the ceiling and will prevent them from being able drop down onto the containers from there. In that connection, here's an interesting YouTube video (regrettably with a brazen pirated musictrack so I suggest you turn off the sound) of bugs unable to negotiate a smooth ceiling:
[+] Embed the video Get the Video Player
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