A Guide To Becoming Your Home’s Pest Defender
Your home is a sanctuary. So, keeping it pest-free is essential. Rather than waiting to experience a major pest problem to happen before you take action, learn how to be your home’s pest defender to prevent any possible pest infestation issue.
Remember that pests may carry parasites and bacteria through their feet, saliva, droppings, and urine and can cause critical illness. Unfortunately, pest infestation may occur without showing many signs. That is why most homeowners tend to ignore it.
Luckily, there are ways to maintain your home clean and keep pests from invading your sanctuary. To start, consider the following in mind to be the best pest defender in your house:
Practice Proper Trash Disposal
Household garbage can attract pests, including rodents, cockroaches, and ants. However, yard waste may also draw in pests that could see it as a food source or a nest.
Be sure your trash cans have tight-fitting lids, and clean the area and cans where they regularly sit to eliminate spills and debris on which pests may feed. Moreover, keep your decks, patios, garages, and yards free of leaf litter, standing water, and plant clippings. All of these can be an ideal environment for pest infestation.
1. Seal All Holes And Crevices
Bigger holes and crevices can be an entry point for pests. They may even become perfect areas for undisturbed breeding. Even the most minor cracks may create entries for other pests, including ants, bed bugs, rats, and cockroaches, which only require a centimeter to enter any property.
So, if you don’t want to deal with pests, in the long run, seal every crevice and crack you find. To do this, use home-proofing tools under your doors, patch and plaster holes on the walls, and use caulk to seal up the joints.
2. Have A Cleaning Routine
Having a regular cleaning routine can keep your house clean, making it less appealing to pests. When creating a cleaning schedule, assign specific chores to particular days of the week. It’ll help you break down what might seem overwhelming, leaving you with manageable cleaning tasks.
For example, you can clean your kitchen thoroughly every weekend, depending on your daily schedule. Most pests are drawn into the kitchen because of the delicious aromas and food particles. The kitchen often attracts countless insects and other critters, ranging from cockroaches and rodents to ants and flies.
You don’t want such pests to stay in the kitchen because they’re not only disgusting but can also they can be dangerous to your health once they contaminate your food. To clean your kitchen effectively, keep the kitchen counters, drawers, stovetop, and racks neat by wiping them with disinfectant cleaners. While it won’t eliminate pest infestation issues, it’ll reduce the pests in your house.
3. Clean Drains
The floor and sink drain typically accumulate debris and gunk. It may attract pests and can be a perfect breeding site, particularly for small flies. So, inspect and clean your drains regularly, including those in your basement and laundry room.
You can purchase drain cleaning products on the market. But if you’re on a tight budget and prefer do-it-yourself (DIY) pest control, you can use vinegar and baking soda as an excellent drain cleaner, which can help flush out clogs.
4. Consider Professional Help
While there are various things you can do to defend your home from pests, nothing beats the help of pest infestation professionals. Generally, experts provide pest management services, including conducting a home inspection to identify relevant areas and rule out pest infestation risks. Professional pest management also helps keep control of possible infestation, combined with diligent housekeeping and adequate pest proofing.
5. Maintain Your Landscaping
The fewer pests outside your house, the fewer chances they’ll make their way inside your house. Therefore, keep your yard less hospitable for pests to minimize the likelihood of entering your home. For best results, keep the shrubs and branches trimmed so they don’t touch your roof because they can become bridges for pests to enter your house.
Mulch is also good for sheltering unwanted pests. Use less attractive covers, like rocks, and clear out debris from your gutters to avoid standing water. Remember that standing water may cause pest problems that no homeowners want to deal with, particularly when the weather is sunny and nice.
6. Store Food Properly
Several pests, including rodents, are known for their strong sense of smell. If there’s an open food container in your house, chances are they’ll zero in on it. So, keep your food, mainly crackers and cereals, in resealable bags or reusable containers. Then, don’t forget to clean your pantry regularly to eliminate spoiled food and other things you don’t plan to eat. It’ll help you reduce the number of pests around your pantry area.
Conclusion
While it’s not easy to become your home’s pest defender, especially if you have a hectic schedule, the guide above can help you easily deal with pest infestation problems. With little effort, it’s possible to keep your home pest-free. However, if you think you can’t handle it yourself, you can always consider hiring professionals to help you.
