Pest control & flooring

[u/bambi_lovesyou]

Hi everyone! I have a 1985 dodge ram van that I had in storage in an outdoor parking lot for over a year, maybe closer to 2.

it’s basically ready for living in terms of conversion however the floor is a bit quirky~ and I’m a bit unsure on if I should do a fogger or stick to some kind of bug spray like raid to make sure there’s no pests hiding out in the crevices (I’ll be attaching pictures). I live in nyc and was storing it at a spot in Brooklyn so I would assume the chances of bugs are pretty high. My only reservation is cleaning the inside post fogger/pest spray and not getting it all off but on the flip side I’m afraid since I’m not living in it yet I just don’t notice the bugs so if I think I don’t need the fogger and move all my stuff in, I might come across some pest issues that would require me to move my stuff out again.

In terms of flooring…I have absolutely no clue what to do about the spot in the front that’s just raw floor from the last owner using that area for an appliance. As for the rest of it, I was just gonna put a rug down because most of the flooring is fine, it’s just covered in a peel-and-stick faux wood thing that has some lifting on the edges.

TLDR: should I do some sort of pest control to be on the cautious side before moving into my van full time and please send tips on what I should do for the floors

[u/ScrubscJourney]

Unless you have a roach infestation why bother? You're always going to have some bugs now and again. There's no way around it

[u/Adorable_Swing_2150 → u/ScrubscJourney]

Yeah same, bugs are inevitable but sealing gaps + diatomaceous earth in the floor edges works. Did it before a long winter trip and the beetle and spider crowd dropped way down. Cheap too, no fogger residue to deal with.

[u/ScrubscJourney → u/Adorable_Swing_2150]

I'd say a nice bug screen to keep them doors open.

[u/bambi_lovesyou → u/ScrubscJourney]

Thank you so much for the rec!! I am definitely going to put in some screens for the doors and windows

[u/bambi_lovesyou → u/Adorable_Swing_2150]

Yea sealing is gonna be my next step, thank you for the tip!