What's Lurking Behind Your Boxes This Halloween Season

Garage Renovation Leader Shares Tips for Pest Intrusion Control in Cluttered Garages This Season

GRAPEVINE, Texas, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- This Halloween, the scariest thing at your home might not be at your front door. As the nights grow colder, and darker, mice, raccoons, spiders, and even snakes creep inside looking for somewhere to spend the winter. A cluttered garage gives them more than enough shadows and corners to haunt.

GarageExperts is heading into Halloween as your personal "pest" buster, aiding you with beneficial steps on how to safely declutter your garage without any unwarranted bites, and how to keep it organized as more critters look for warm spaces.

"Garages are often in the messiest space in a home, and cleaning them only gets harder once the cold sets it," said Mike Mushinski, President of GarageExperts. "As temperatures drop, rodents and pests look for dark, warm hiding spots, and a cluttered garage is the perfect place. An end-of-year clean-out removes those hiding spots before pests move in for the winter."

Steps on how to safely clean your garage and keep it clean:

1. Suit up before you get started: GarageExperts recommends wearing gloves, long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toe shoes to protect yourself against bites from spiders or rodents. If you spot droppings, put on a dust mask and spray the area with disinfectants and wipe it up instead of sweeping them, which can put contaminated dust in the air. Depending on the severity, look into getting a professional exterminator.
2. Move slowly and make noise: Tap containers and lift items carefully, don't reach blindly into dark corners. You want to give the critters a chance to run away to avoid any tension.
3. Sort, toss, and inspect: Pull everything out of your garage and decide what to keep, donate, or throw away. GarageExperts recommend checking boxes for chew marks, droppings, or webs. Anything that has been damaged or has signs of nesting should be thrown out.
4. Seal the floor with our Garage FX^® system coating: A garage floor is often full of cracks that trap dirt, moisture, and food crumbs, all of which attract pests and animals. A high-performance floor coating gives the ground a seamless, moisture-resistant surface that's easy to sweep and mop. Critters will be left with less to feed on.
5. Stay organized with better storage: Overhead racks and custom cabinetry free up space on the floor, making it harder for critters to feel comfortable. Adding a wall-mounted slatwall system to your garage will make it easier to put tools and everyday objects in an area that's well-organized, lessening overall clutter.

"A tidy garage makes everyday life easier, from finding tools faster, to being able to spot your child's favorite Halloween costume," said Mushinski. "Upgrading with storage systems and a strong floor coating takes it a step forward by keep clutter off the ground and leaving pests with nowhere to go. It's truly the easiest way to make sure the only scary things in your garage this fall are your Halloween decorations."

With more than 120 locations across 35 states, GarageExperts has helped homeowners install more than 40 million square feet of floor coatings and countless custom storage systems, all backed by a lifetime warranty. For more information on garage flooring, cabinetry, and organization solutions, visit www.garageexperts.com.

About GarageExperts®
GarageExperts® is the leading garage makeover franchise, transforming garages nationwide into functional, organized, and stylish spaces. As a family-owned, vertically integrated  company, GarageExperts offers entrepreneurs a unique franchise opportunity with direct access to high-performance epoxy and polyaspartic garage floor coating systems, custom cabinetry, and organizational solutions, all backed by a limited-lifetime warranty. With a franchisee-first approach and a relentless focus on profitability and growth, GarageExperts® provides the proven systems, industry-leading products, and ongoing support franchisees need to build a thriving business and create a lasting legacy. From quality home improvements to rewarding franchise ownership, GarageExperts® delivers value to both homeowners and entrepreneurs alike. 

SOURCE GarageExperts