When a new year comes along, it’s time to dust off all of your plans for your home and put them into action. One of the things that should be at the top of your list is making your home pest-free.
Pests are one of the biggest disruptions to a home, and clearing them all out of your home is completely liberating. Your home becomes yours again. No more worrying about finding a spider every time you pull something out of storage. No more listening to the mice scurrying around in your attic. No more wondering if your family’s well-being is at risk with pests around all the time.
Making your home pest-free takes some work on your part and usually requires the help of professionals as well. So let’s look at what you can do to get rid of pests on your own, and then we’ll also talk about how professional pest control plays an important role in making your home pest-free.
3 Simple Things You Can Do for a Pest-Free Home
1. Deep Clean Your Whole Home
The first thing you should do to make your home pest-free is to get a jump start on your spring cleaning. Keeping your home clean helps you know where you might have pest problems so you can take the necessary steps to get rid of the pests.
But cleaning also helps prevent pests. So even if you don’t have significant pest problems in your home, regular cleaning and deep cleaning will keep pests from building up populations in your home.
Regular cleaning, such as washing dishes, doing laundry, wiping up crumbs in the kitchen, etc. can help keep pests like ants and cockroaches at bay. But deep cleaning is equally important when preventing and getting rid of pests.
See, a lot of pests like to live in hidden corners and dark areas of your home. So storage closets, basements, and attics are major attractors of pests. Going through those areas every couple of months will keep the pests from setting up camp in your home for very long.
There are a few things you’ll want to make sure you’re doing when you deep clean your home:
- Wipe and vacuum baseboards;
- Clean under and behind boxes and bins;
- Remove cobwebs and dust;
- Check food storage for expired or contaminated food;
- Unclog drains in bathrooms so you don’t have standing water;
- Wash all of your bedding (not just the sheets).
This is not, of course, a comprehensive list. There are plenty of other areas to clean when you deep clean your home. But these are a few easily overlooked areas that need to be cleaned regularly to prevent pest problems in your home.
2. Figure Out and Plan Your Home Maintenance for the Year
As you clean your home, keep an eye out for things that need updating or repairs. In particular, notice if there are any problems in your home that could lead to a pest infestation later in the year. Make sure to also check the exterior of your home for maintenance issues as well. Some things you’ll want to watch for are:
- Leaks under sinks or around bathtubs;
- Standing water outside or inside your home;
- Roof damage;
- Cracks in your foundation or other exterior features;
- Holes in walls;
- Damaged chimney caps;
- Gaps around doors or windows.
Holes, cracks, and gaps are particular problems because pests can easily enter your home through these little spots. Even if a gap seems too small to be a concern, still close it off. Many pests are small enough to fit through the most seemingly insignificant spaces. And bigger pests can squeeze through as well. For example, a grown mouse can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. So closing off all of these gaps can make a big difference to the number of pests in your home.
Holes and gaps are not, of course, the only home maintenance that prevents and gets rid of pests in your home. You can find other pest prevention home maintenance tips here. But holes and gaps do tend to be one of the biggest problems, so we recommend putting those repairs at the top of your list.
Make a list of all the problems you find around your home and write up a plan to take care of these problems. Some might take only a few minutes to fix but others might require more work or even outsourcing to fix.
3. Find Ways to Repel Pests in Your Home
Try some DIY pest repellants in your home. These repellants are not strong enough to replace professional pest control, but they can help prevent certain pests. For example, setting up a little indoor herb garden can help prevent spiders in your home. Some repellants are as simple as mixing lavender, vinegar, or citrus with water and soap.
These aren’t strong defenses against pests, but if you just need an extra boost for your pest prevention, then natural repellants can help.
How Professional Pest Control Can Help You Have a Pest-Free Home
Here’s the thing – even when you do a great job cleaning and maintaining your home, and even when you use natural repellants, pests can still show up in your home and even infest it. Doing your part does make this less likely, but not impossible.
So to make sure that your home has the best pest defense possible, contact professional pest control. Professional pest control has the skills and resources to put a strong preventative barrier around your home. And if you find that you already have a pest infestation, the professionals have the training to tackle the infestation and remove it from your home.
Don’t try to make your home pest-free all on your own. As important as your part is in removing and preventing pests in your home, you can’t do it all alone. Professional pest control, combined with your DIY efforts, will make the best home defense possible against pests.
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