Pests can be unpleasant and unhealthy, and can cause costly damage to your home. Some common household pests include cockroaches, weevils, ants, rats, mice and other rodents. They can chew wires and walls and leave nasty dropping and smells. There are some simple ways to prevent pests from coming into your home and to help rid it of pests that might already be there.
Most pests will come into your home — and particularly your kitchen — for the same reason you do: food. If you can minimise their access to your food and any food scraps, they’ll have no reason to be there.
Some tips:
- Seal up boxes and bags of food. Store any open food in plastic bags, jars or containers. Roaches in particular are very good at getting into cardboard boxes, so it’s probably best to transfer food that comes in a cardboard box into a container.
- Immediately clean up any spills and leftover crumbs. If you leave crumbs and other food spills on the bench or floor, pests will come looking for them!
- Eat your meals sitting at table or bench. If you eat and walk around, you’re much more likely to spill food, and it’s much easier to clean up any spillages at a table or bench.
- Clean dirty dishes right away. Any food scraps left on dishes are a meal for pests.
- Keep a tight lid on the rubbish bin, empty it often, and clean it regularly. Make sure any outdoor bins are as far away from the house as they can be.
- Some pests, like weevils, can sometimes come in egg form in the food as you buy it. The tiny eggs are not harmful if digested, but if given a chance to grow they can ruin your food. Foods like flour or rice are common hiding places for these pests. To kill the pests before they grow up to become something harmful, place these foods in the freezer overnight before taking them out to store in the cupboard. The freezing temperatures will kill off any bugs in the food.
Pests also come into the kitchen looking for water. Again, if you’re able to minimise their access to fluids, you’re much less likely to have a pest problem.
Some tips:
- Always drain sinks. Cockroaches, for example, can swim — a sink full of water will attract not deter them.
- Wipe up any spilled water or liquids immediately.
- Fix any leaky taps, dishwashers and washing machines.
- Empty excess water from pot plants and other containers around the house.
By sealing any cracks and openings along baseboards, behind sinks and around pipes, and by making sure windows are sealed or screened, you can also help prevent pests from entering your home. Keeping your home clutter free will deprive pests of hiding places. If you’re using traps or use baits, make sure they are tamper-resistant, made of plastic, and in a place where children or pets can’t touch them.
Of course, sometimes even taking all these precautions, pests can become a problem. If you’re finding it difficult to keep pests out of your home, or have inherited a pest problem from previous occupants, it’s best to consult a pest management specialist.
See Also:
- 3 Tips from Nurses to Make Your Medical Visit Easier
- What To Look For When Buying a Steam Cleaner
- To Rent or Buy: That is the Question
- Creative Ways to Earn Extra Money over the Weekend
Recommended by Amazon:
- Pest Control
- The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way
- Pest Control Simplified for Everyone: Kill, Repel, or Mitigate Pests With or Without Pesticides
- Ask the Bugman: Environmentally Safe Ways to Control Household Pests
Joel Mayer is an Australian freelance writer and blogger. Â Since 2007 he has been writing about rodents, cockroaches, household pests and articles for http://jdvservices.com.au/
Image courtesy of aopsan / FreeDigitalPhohttp://jdvservices.com.au/tos.net
