The best pest control is pest prevention. This is because pests are a lot harder to handle once they have settled into the home. If you can avoid them altogether, you will never have to pay for extermination or struggle to get rid of the pests by yourself.
Here are 10 simple tips to keep your home pest-free. If you are currently facing a pest problem, call Whitby Pest Control Services or another professional near you.
- Keep the house clean
Keeping the house clean may be the easiest and most straightforward way to keep your home pest-free. Keep your floors free of clutter and vacuum them regularly. Do the dishes every day and don’t leave anything out overnight, like pet food. Take out the garbage at the end of each day. Remember that pests love food, no matter what or where it is. You can also get help from pest control North Vancouver.
- Store food in airtight containers
Pests can smell your food from far away. So, store all your pantry foods in sealed jars and containers. Pests won’t be able to smell them, and they won’t be able to get inside of them. Flour, pasta, rice, beans, and everything else you keep in your cupboards should be kept safe.
- Cover wall vents
Plastic wall vents can be chewed by rodents. Cover these with a quarter inch, 16-gauge galvanized steel mesh from the hardware store. Screw the material right into the wall. For bonus protection, hire a professional to cover your roof vents as well.
- Seal gaps and cracks
It takes only a tiny crack in the wall to let in a centipede or a spider. Grab some caulking, mortar, or epoxy and seal every crack you find in the walls outside. Check underneath the deck and don’t forget to look up. Seal any gaps you find between your soffits and the outside wall of the home. You should also fix any gaps you find along the fascia of the roof. Mice often get into attic by climbing the brick wall, then squeezing through the roof.
- Secure the windows and doors
Pests don’t come walking in through the front door, right? Wrong! Mice and insects often get into homes by crawling under doors. Make sure there are no gaps under your doors. If there are, add some weatherstripping to keep pests out. Never leave the door open and unattended unless you have a screen door installed.
The same goes for windows, too. Seal cracks in your window frames with caulking, and make sure that your window screens are in good shape.
- Dehumidify the home
Many insects can only survive in humid environments. Rodents are also drawn to humid homes because it tells them that there is water nearby. Consider getting a dehumidifier if your home is particularly humid. Use fans to help circulate the air. The ideal humidity ranges somewhere between 40 and 50% in the winter, and up to 60% in the summer.
- Maintain the home’s exterior
Most pests come from outside. If you can make your yard less attractive to them, you will be less likely to bring them into the house.
Keep the lawn cut short and move plants and objects away from the walls of the home. Rake the leaves in the fall and clean out your window wells. The neater, the better. Cut tree branches so they don’t hang over the roof.
- Keep garbage out of reach
Wasps, raccoons, ants, and practically every other pest loves garbage. Use lidded garbage cans in and out of the house to reduce the smell. Disinfect them every few weeks and store your bins in a secure location, like a shed or in the garage. Tie them down with bungee cords so raccoons can’t get inside.
- Use deterrents
Research the pests you want to avoid and what is proven to deter them. Rodents, for example, dislike the heat of cayenne pepper, so you can sprinkle this spice into the garden to help keep them out. There are a variety of electronic deterrents available in stores, as well. Place these near doors and windows to deter mice.
- Hire a pest control technician
Call a pest control company at the first sign of a pest problem. A technician can identify the pest and get rid of it immediately. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to get rid of the problem.
If you don’t currently have any pests, but you want to avoid them, a professional can pest-proof for you. They can cover vents and seal a variety of cracks on the side of the home. Lots of companies offer warranties with this service. If pests break through their work, a technician will return to fix the problem for free.