Where to get metal storage boxes?

Eliza_2

My local tea rooms gives away plastic boxes of all shapes and sizes in return for a donation to the charity box which is brilliant all round. I get masses, from big ones to little tupperware type containers. However, the mice are coming in for the winter and have now chewed through a couple and the last straw was finding my bars of green houseehold soap with teethmarks all over them which had been stored in a plastic box under the sink.

I was just wondering if anyone knows of any source of metal or similar mouseproof containers? I know you can buy them new but they can add up to quite an expense. All I can think of is biscuit tins, but they're mostly plastic now anyway. Jam jars etc are ok for small items, but I could do with bigger ones too for dog and cat food for example or washing powder boxes and fab conditioner and other stuff that goes in the floor level kitchen units. I'd move them elsewhere if I had elsewhere!!!

What else comes in metal that can be re-used? Do pubs or other places have deliveries in metal containers that they might want to rehome?

Any ideas gratefully received! Thanks

Liz

Butterfly_Brain

I have been using metal file boxes to keep my rice, pasta and flour in.

GreyQueen

Hi there, I think this is a great idea for a thread as I am sure that there will a lot of people with similar problems who would like to have some suggestions.

May I suggest a trip to a army surplus type place? They often have random containers made of metal (ammo boxes?) and various other bits and bobs. Stock is liable to be very varied and comes and goes. If you feel a bit weird going there as a woman, I can say that I have two which I visit and have always found them very friendly and approachable.

One thing which may be an option are those aluminium dustbins. You can get them in various sizes, from proper bin sizes down to small ones which would fit on a counter. I know people with hens and pigs who use them to store feed in outbuildings and they defy mice and rats, apparently. Perhaps you could find them on sale at one of the cheaper homeware places or at a bootsale.

One form of mouse-proof storage which you may not have room to accomodate is a metal filing cabinet. As long as they stand on a level floor, they are apparently mouseproof and strong enough to hold quite a bit of weight. If a full size 4 drawer model would be too big, could a 2 drawer one fit somewhere?

A relative of mine has 2 old fashioned cabinets, all metal but for glass sliding doors, three shelves high, with the shelves deep enough to hold lever-arch type files. They're some kind of old office furniture and I could see them repurposed for domestic storage. Ex-office furniture places aren't uncommon and have some very interesting stuff.

As so many things in tins are now in plastic tubs, like the big sweeties around at the moment, perhaps you could ask on Freecycle to see if someone has some of the tins they no longer want? And old tins turn up cheaply at bootsales. HTH.

vanoonoo

I have often seen those metal file boxes BB mentions at car boot sales and had disregarded them as didnt need them for filing but will now snap them up for mouse free storage needed in the garage

Eliza_2

Wow thanks for the great ideas. What a shame car boots are held at weekends, two full working days for me. Never mind, I'll look out in other places.

I use a strong plastic dustbin with a clip-on lid for chicken food and have never had a problem with that. Tho I suspect rats eat from the chicken feeder when no-one's looking. It's the house mice I want to keep at bay really. They don't come into the house proper but do go in the undersink cupboard, I've tried blocking off any holes with wire wool and all the other options but they munch through everything. By not giving them access to anything chewable hopefully they'll go away. I hear them in the loft and between kitchen ceiling and bedroom floor on a daily basis now but not a lot I can do about that.

Thanks again for the ideas. I'm in the race for metal file boxes and all the other suggestions now, hopefully not many people read this thread!!!

Just wondering where I might find an army surplus place - I'm an army daughter so I have no fear, when I think of all those empty ammo boxes that my dad used to use to store stuff in the shed!!!

vanoonoo

heehee I just thought - do you like chocolate - quality street still do their christmas stuff in tins and I think roses do too - you could look upon it as £4.00 for a great tin with the bonus of free chocolate

Eliza_2

vanoonoo wrote: »

heehee I just thought - do you like chocolate - quality street still do their christmas stuff in tins and I think roses do too - you could look upon it as £4.00 for a great tin with the bonus of free chocolate

My kinda thinking!!!!! :T

missrlr

If you have the space old non working fridges and freezers work well too. The proper animal feed bins are best looked at in the local agricultural merchants but beware these are NOT cheap. One thing we used with great effect when preventing mice attack on feed are the big really sturdy boxes that screws, nails and the like come to commercial building sites .... Used to get loads from Pops but he retired and these are no longer available ....

dizzybee

Hi,
have you tried Free cycle for the ex army tins?i put a request on my local one and manged to get a few.also flea markets and free papers are good.

kitschkitty

Wilkinsons among other places sell (large) metal cake tins, and I once bought cereal tins (silver & said cereal) from one of the supermarkets I think. Also pet shops sometimes sell rectangular metal bins for dog food (often given away as freebies with certain deals but can be bought too).

You could also use ceramic containers - can often pick up the big bread, potato or cookie jars (with lids) very cheap 2nd hand as they're not all that popular. Huge glass jars with lids or old glass bottles with lids could work for you too.

alex21

I have got stuff stored in our outhouse in those 30 litre plastic crates with lids and it never occurred to me that mice would chew through them. It is mostly tins and jars but I'm off now to rescue my store of pasta. Thanks op for alerting me to this. I feel a bit stupid now.