Home Decor Guide: Keeping Your Home Pest-Free

Pests can be a nuisance, mostly when they infest your home. Apart from making their nests in your house and crawling over surfaces, some rodents and pests carry diseases. Ensure you get rid of these unwanted guests before they become a full-blown infestation. Here are handy tips to keep your home pest-free:

Ensure Your Kitchen Is Sparkling

Pests are always searching for food crumbs left on the kitchen sink or droppings on the kitchen floors. Cleaning the kitchen after preparing food will make their food supply scarce and prevent an infestation. Any leftovers should not remain on the kitchen counter overnight. Store them in airtight containers or put them in the fridge so that the smell does not attract mice and ants. You can also keep your kitchen bug-free by emptying the garbage containers frequently. Ensure you cover the trash cans outside your home to keep rodents and bugs away from your house.

Repel Pests With Strong Odors

Various plants and herbs with strong smells can be very effective repellents for pests. You can grow the scented plants in your garden to fight insects. Planting rosemary, lemongrass and mint in your garden will act as the first line of defense against bugs. You can also place potted plants with strong scents in your house. Alternatively, wipe down the windowsills with eucalyptus or clove oil to keep pests at bay.

Keep Your House Dry

Pests like cockroaches love camping in damp and humid areas. Therefore, you should check for leaking pipes or gutters and repair them to ensure there are no water pools in your house. Areas prone to dampness like the bathroom and kitchens should also be well ventilated. Keep your windows open to aerate damp areas and destroy any breeding grounds for bugs.

Seal Cracks and Crevices

Rodents and cockroaches hide in dark crevices during the day and enter the house at night through cracks and gaps in your house. You can prevent them from wandering throughout the house by sealing the gaps around doors, windows and utility pipes. Consider installing vinyl sliding to block critters from entering your house through electrical wires and water pipes running underneath your home. Caulking window frames can also prevent the entry of crawling pests into the house.

Trim the Grass and Bushes in Your Lawn

Pests thrive in overgrown lawn and thick bushes since they form perfect hiding spots for insects and rodents. The pests will then find their way to your house from the yard, searching for food, water or shelter. Trim your grass and ensure you weed your garden regularly. It would help if you also trimmed tree branches that touch your house since the shrubs can act as bridges for pests.

Keep Your Garage and Attic Clean

If your garage has plenty of clutter, it will be a convenient hideaway for ants and rodents. Besides, attics and basements are usually damp and dark, creating a conducive environment for pests. Therefore, if you want to eliminate pests, clear any clutter from the garage and keep it clean and dry. You should also get rid of empty boxes and old clothes or keep them in tightly sealed containers to ensure the crawling pests do not use them as hideaway nests.

Schedule Regular Inspections

Always check for signs of pest infestation to ensure you get rid of them before they multiply. Perform regular inspection around your house, looking for pest droppings or nests. Ensure you check all the possible hideout areas, from the garage, laundry rooms and attics to behind big kitchen appliances and outside your house.

Turn off the Lights

Some insects will crawl towards light sources and find their way into the house. Floodlights and porch lights on your front yard will often attract bugs. Keeping the lights off outside your house will keep them at bay. However, if you must switch on security lights, use automatic lights.

Pests are irritating, but you can protect your house from an infestation if you follow the measures above. However, if you are experiencing an infestation or you want to schedule an inspection, reach out to pest experts like Excel Pest. They have experience dealing with pest infestations and keeping your home pest-free.