There’s nothing as infuriating and alarming as pests invading your home. A couple of ants and even roaches is understandable – even tolerable, but hundreds hiding behind the walls or under the sink? Unbearable.
Not only do pest destroy the home where you live, it also endangers the health of everyone in the family. Here are some of the steps you can apply – and they’re inexpensive as well! What have you to lose? Just the pest. Let’s start.
Keep the kitchen clean. I don’t know about you, but my home (most others as well) started having pests because of a poorly managed kitchen mess. Almost all unwanted pest is attracted to leftover food bits, so maintaining a clean kitchen is crucial to avoid them.
Always keep all leftovers stored in lidded containers and wipe residue off them, especially if they contain sugary stuff, such as peanut butter and jelly. Check for sugar spills near the coffee maker. All fruit and vegetables on display should be kept out of direct sunlight to avoid spoilage and should be checked frequently for signs of spoiling. Sweep or vacuum regularly and rinse containers before putting them back in the recycling bin.
Find and seal openings. Find gaps and cracks in your home starting in the basement, especially where pipes exit through the wall. Start with the basement since this place tends to have a lot of critters. Check outside the house and look for openings around exterior outlets, utility metres, and laundry vents. These areas have invitingly big cracks for bugs.
Examine your weather stripping on windows and doors, and repair holes in screens. Lastly, make an effort to keep your garage door closed. Superfluous but often forgotten.
Clean your pet’s eating space. Just setting and forgetting a pet’s food bowl on the floor is all it takes for bits of food to get knocked out of the dish and into tiny crevices and spaces, which attracts hordes of different pests. To avoid this, give your pets a dining area particularly on a rubber mat. This’ll make spilt foods easier to spot and clean.
Keep your home dry. Insects are attracted to damp environments, so check and eliminate wet spots and moisture. This is harder to do if you live in an old home with a history of such issue. Start by applying caulk to fix leaks around sinks and tubs. In the basement, check for stains on the ground that indicates leaky pipes, and examine above for loose fitting and cracks.
But why do homes get infested in the first place?
Obviously because of the reasons preceding this. In any case, one major contributor to a pest-ridden home is its age. If you live in an old home, then you’re where the most potential infestation can happen. Also, if you’re in an old neighbourhood with decrepit or infested homes, your home is bound to have it as well.
With this in mind, you’ll hard a hard time to address the pest issues. If you’re considering new home ownership, consider Elliot Springs real estate near Townsville, a new development that’s built with modern style and materials in a budding, nature-haven community near the CBD.