• 23 May

• Pest-free Home: Effective Housekeeping Tips

Cleaning the house can be a chore for many of us. From vacuuming the floors to taking out the trash regularly. There are so many things to do in ensuring that your house is spick and span and pest-free. Though tiring and effortful, spring cleaning is crucial in preventing a pest infestation from happening. Pests such as rodents, cockroaches, ants are attracted to unclean home environment. A week of not cleaning your house, or following your cleaning routine can create opportunities for pesky creatures to enter and reap the comforts of your home. This article will go through effective housekeeping tips that ensures a pest-free home.

The Main Attractions in Your Home

What are some of the attractions in your house that could lure pests into your home? Pests are mainly drawn to three things: food, water, and shelter. If the environment at home allows pests to thrive because of the presence of these factors, they may stay in your homes in the long haul.

Food – Where there are traces of food, there might be pests. Rodents, for example, have a strong sense of smell that help them to find food, especially when they have not been stored properly and exposed in the open. Ants also scavenge for food that might have dropped on the floor, or sweet drinks spilled onto the dining table. Your rubbish bins, if left unattended, can also attract pests over.

Especially in kitchens, dirty dishes left uncleaned can attract pests like cockroaches over. The accumulated grease and food, mixed with water, can create an unpleasant smell. Cockroaches are drawn to this smell and they consume those residual.

Messy Areas – Places that are messy and cluttered with materials can provide shelter for pests. For example, mosquitoes dislike windy areas. Hence, they enjoy sheltered areas like piles of rubbish, cardboard or papers lying outside your backyard. With areas that can provide shelter inside or outside your home, your house becomes more inviting for mosquitoes to enter.

Thick Foliage – Another place of shelter for pests includes areas with thick foliage. If you have a garden outside your home, the long grasses and shrubs can provide refuge to many different kinds of pests. Ticks, in particular, hide in thick foliage and latch onto hosts that pass through such shrubs.

Water Sources – Stagnant water sources can attracts pests. From your bathroom sinks, to the shower drainage area, to the puddles of water in your potted plants, they can become breeding or harbourage sources for pests.

Tips for a Pest-Free Home

Knowing the kind of environmental conditions that attracts pests to visit your home, it is important to have effective housekeeping practices to ensure that you do not encounter a pest problem. Having a rigorous cleaning routine can help to prevent bigger problems caused by these pesky creatures, such as structural damage to furniture, or serious health issues resulting from contact with disease-carrying pests. Here are some housekeeping tips that you can follow to ensure a pest-free home.

Remove all Food Scraps – It can be easy to miss out bread crumbs dropped onto the floor, or small droplets of sugary drinks unintentionally spilled onto the table. These are potential places that draw pests into your house. It is important to clean areas where food is likely to be present, such as in your kitchen, and around your dining area. Sweeping and mopping these areas help. Remove any exposed food and store them in either zip lock bags or airtight containers.

If you have pets, it is also important to clean up after their meals. Your pets may leave behind food in their bowls or around their feeding place. These can attract pests over too.

De-Cluttering – If there are areas with cluttered things in your home left unattended overtime, pests may be drawn to the shelter it provides and the lack of disturbance around the area. A good idea would be to have an active spring-cleaning routine, perhaps weekly, to organise your belongings and wipe away dusty areas. Cleaning and organising your home also help you to spot for signs of a pest infestation easier and earlier. If there are cluttered items outside of your house, remember to organise them too. A clean and de-cluttered home is also a pest-free one.

Bin Management – If you find that your rubbish bins fill up very quickly, it is crucial to take out the trash regularly. A good practice would be clearing your rubbish bins daily, and replacing the rubbish bags whenever they are filled to the brim. There may also be residual spillage in your bins, so it is ideal to wash your bins regularly too.

Trim Your Plants – Some pests utilise thick foliage for shelter, and to access your home. Cutting off these places of respite for them and bridges to your home ensures a pest-free house. Garden maintenance and trimmed plants hence play an important role in pest prevention.

Remove Stagnant Water – From your pet’s water bowls, to potted plants holding water, it is important to remove water frequently, to prevent these areas from becoming potential breeding spots for pests.

Seal Cracks and Small Openings – Using wire mesh or steel wool to seal up cracks and crevices that could potentially give pests access to your home. Installing door sweeps, insect screens, and using caulk to fill up gaps can also help to block off openings.

DIY Pest Deterrents

Besides following an active regime of effective housekeeping practices, here are some DIY tips to keep pests away:

White Vinegar – Did you know that white vinegar has the ability to deter ants from visiting your homes? Spraying water mixed with vinegar onto surfaces helps with deterring ants from coming to look for food. Ants are deterred by the smell of the vinegar, and will stray away from the sprayed areas. Vinegar is also an effective ingredient used in cleaning due to its ability to break down greasy surfaces.    

Essential Oil – Citronella, eucalyptus, and peppermint essential oils are commonly used ingredients in insect repellents. Different kinds of essential oils have different properties that turn away a diversity of pests. Not only are essential oils natural DIY pest deterrents, they also leave a nice scent in your homes.

Professional Help

Although using DIY pest prevention methods can be convenient in managing your pest problems, they often come with limitations. For more effective pest control measures in dealing with a pest infestation, it would be ideal to find professional help. First Choice Pest Specialist can provide you with advanced pest control services for every kind of pest. From misting, to fogging, to baiting, to residual spraying, First Choice Pest Specialist has a proficient team of pest controllers well-versed in pest management. For more on what we offer, check us out here.