Your house is yours: you’ve paid for it, decorated, cleaned it and maintained it. You don’t want pests getting in there, setting up shop and claiming your house for their own. Here are the 10 Key tips for keeping a pest free house.
1. Remove Potential Food Sources
The biggest step you can take in preventing pests is to get rid of any potential sources of food for them. Keep your kitchen and dining area free of food scraps or crumbs. Cover your garbage and take out old meat or fruit to the outside dumpster.
2. Cover, Seal or Plug
Go through your house and eliminate any possible entry-points for pests. This means filling any cracks, holes or gaps in your floors, walls or windows.
3. Move the Woodpile
Wood, whether firewood or general debris, provides a fantastic home for a multitude of pests, from termites to rats. Store it away from your house, typically toward the back of your property—the farther away the better. This also applies to piles of rock or brick you might have.
4. Keep your Garbage Cans Covered
For many pests, especially rats and flies (which produce maggots) your garbage can is a veritable buffet of delights. Make sure you keep your garbage covered and never leave out plastic garbage bags on the ground, they will be eaten through. If you have raccoons in your area you might want to find a locking mechanism for your lid as they will find a way to open it.
5. Repair Screens
Similar to number 2, screens are a passageway like anything else and pests will take advantage of any opening they can.
6. Weather Stripping
Your doors and windows are likely the best places for pests to get in; houses shift and that means things that were flush now have gaps in them. Easy to install and fairly cheap, weather stripping will help prevent pests from coming in and will also provide some extra insulation for your home.
7. Keep a Clean Garage
Many garages double as a storage center and mud room, filled with clutter, debris and plenty of nooks and crannies for pests to hide in. At least once a season, go through your garage and do a thorough cleansing. Look for holes or anything a pest could use to get into your house, especially if your garage is attached to your house.
8. Fix the Leak
We’re a water based planet, meaning that every life-form requires it for their existence. Thus, leaks and moisture accumulation provide a well for pests to continue living in. Termites especially are attracted to moisture and the two, combined with mold, will quickly and efficiently devour your wood.
9. Fridge Cleanliness
Just because it’s sealed doesn’t mean it’s impenetrable, especially if there are cracks. Don’t leave any spills, meat, vegetables, fruit or open containers of food lying in your fridge. Everything should be covered to some degree.
10. Check Your Pets
Pets unfortunately are a great mode of transportation for many pests like ticks, lice and fleas, hiding in fur or ears. Make sure you protect your pets and check them regularly, both for their protection as well as your home’s.
With these steps you should be on your way to a clean, pest free house.
