Pests of all kinds thrive in dirty and unkempt spaces. Regularly cleaning your home, including vacuuming carpets and wiping down surfaces eliminates food sources and provides pests with fewer hiding spots.
Making sure that your window and door screens are in good repair is also essential. You should also trim bushes and spruce up your landscaping to keep them from providing pests with a bridge into your house.
1. Seal Off Entry Points
While your home may look like a fortress to you, it can be quite welcoming to pests seeking a cozy place to hide and breed. The easiest way to prevent pest infestation is to block off their entry points.
Cracks, crevices and small holes provide hidden entrances for ants, cockroaches, rodents and other unwelcome guests. Seal these tiny entry points with caulking and other pest-proof products. Inspect your property regularly for areas where pests could enter, such as the gap between doors and windows or worn-out weather stripping. Make sure to replace these items and patch any holes with caulking or steel wool (which is effective for blocking holes that need to be open for wiring since rodents cannot chew through it).
In addition, make sure to clean up crumbs, trash and debris regularly as this will prevent future infestations. Rodents and other pests are attracted to food sources, so keeping your countertops clear and storing all foods in airtight containers is a great way to help deter them.
Water sources are also a big draw for pests, so it’s important to reduce their availability. Eliminate standing water in your yard and inside your house by fixing leaking pipes, especially those under sinks. Also, remove any moisture around the foundation of your home by ensuring proper drainage and removing any vegetation that is too close to the house. This helps to stop moisture buildup that can attract termites and roaches. It can also prevent mosquitos from breeding in damp areas around the property. These simple steps can help to reduce the risk of a pest invasion and keep you, your family and pets safe this winter.
2. Remove Clutter
Pests love to hide and breed in cluttered spaces. This is why it’s important to regularly clean your home and yard of debris, trash and clutter. Make sure to vacuum your floors and sweep your surfaces frequently, and don’t let piles of paper or cardboard build up. Use pest-resistant trash receptacles with lids and wash dishes as soon as you’re done using them. Keeping your kitchen and pantry shelves free of food spills and crumbs is another simple way to keep pests away.
Clutter doesn’t just provide places for pests to hide, it also provides them with easy access into your home. For example, mice can enter through an opening the size of a dime and rats only need a quarter-sized gap. It’s important to inspect and seal all cracks, crevices and openings throughout your home. This should include the foundation, support beams and framing of your home as well as utility penetrations such as pipes. Caulk, urethane expanding foam and mortar can be used to seal these gaps.
You can also reduce pest entry points by removing wood piles and other stacked items that are close to the house. Trimming bushes, shrubs and tree limbs that are touching the house can also cut off pests’ access to your home.
Don’t forget to regularly check and clean out storage areas such as attics and basements. It’s also a good idea to empty out and clean out the broom closet, shed and toolbox. Lastly, be sure to clean out window wells and drain gutters to eliminate moisture sources.
3. Eliminate Food Sources
You may regularly sweep your floors and vacuum your surfaces, but crumbs and spills can be an attractive food source for pests. It’s important to clean up messes as soon as they happen, and to store food in airtight containers. In addition, keeping trash cans and recycling bins tightly sealed is essential for preventing pests from accessing them. If you must bring items into your home, such as boxes of decorations or package deliveries, shake or inspect them for pests before bringing them indoors.
Outdoor cockroaches and carpenter ants can crawl through walls to find food or shelter, but you can prevent them from finding their way into your house by blocking access points. A professional can seal cracks and crevices around the exterior of your home, and you should also have them repair leaks.
Clutter can also provide hiding spots for pests, so try to reduce the amount of items that are stored inside your home. If you must store items, such as stacks of cardboard or newspapers, make sure they’re not touching the floor or walls. Keep wet laundry, such as towels and linens, off the floor to avoid pests laying eggs in them.
Yard debris can also act as a hiding spot for pests, so be sure to clear away leaves, twigs, grass clippings, and other debris from your property. Additionally, be sure to store firewood at least 20 feet from your house, and trim tree branches and shrubs that touch the foundation of your home.
4. Clean Up Debris
Keeping your home clean is an important part of pest proofing. The best way to do this is by making sure that all trash is kept inside airtight receptacles and that clutter is removed regularly. This can help to prevent the accumulation of cobwebs, food crumbs and other sources of attraction for pests like flies, rodents, spiders and mosquitoes.
When it comes to outside debris, it is also important to remove anything that is stacked close to your house. This can provide pests with shelter and hiding spots that they can use to gain entry into your home. Additionally, it is recommended to prune shrubs and bushes so that they are not too close to your home. This can also help to eliminate potential hiding spots for pests and will make it more difficult for them to get to your home.
Another essential part of exterior pest-proofing is to ensure that all vents are covered with either wire mesh or vent covers designed to keep pests out. This will prevent mice and other pests from entering through these openings.
For those with larger openings such as chimney or roof vents, they can be filled with a long-lasting liquid pesticide. This can be purchased at many hardware/lawn and garden stores and will effectively fill the opening with a pesticide barrier to prevent squirrels, raccoons, rodents, fleas and ticks from entering.
Caulking is an effective pest-proofing technique that can be easily applied by the homeowner. Before applying the sealant, however, it is important to remove any dirt and debris that may be present on the surface of the area being treated. This will ensure that the caulk adheres properly and provides a solid barrier against pests.
5. Clean Up Water Sources
Clutter around the home is attractive to pests that seek out food, shelter and water. Make sure that shrubs and tree limbs don’t touch the house and keep piles of firewood away from the house’s foundation. Keep the garden beds weeded and free of debris.
Standing water in and around the home is a problem for pests as it provides them with drinking water as well as places to lay eggs. Eliminate any unnecessary water sources that might be found in bird baths, fountains, clogged drains and gutters.
Many pests, including outdoor cockroaches and carpenter ants, can invade a home and take up residence in the walls. This is a huge problem and the best way to deter these pests is by blocking access points into your home. Have a professional seal cracks and crevices in the exterior walls as well as where utility pipes enter into the home.
Inside the home, regularly clean up crumbs, spills and garbage. Make sure that all trash cans have tight-fitting lids and that the receptacles are emptied on a regular basis to avoid attracting pests. Store foods, including pet food, in airtight containers. Make sure that the kitchen counters are free of crumbs and keep pantry items in sealed containers as well.
It’s important to have your property inspected for signs of infestation on a regular basis. If you do spot unwelcome guests, call a pest control company right away for preventative measures that will help rid your home of these unwanted visitors. Prevention is an essential part of pest management and by taking proactive steps to stop pests from invading, you can save yourself a lot of stress and money.
