When you own a home, you will no longer have a landlord who is responsible for pest control, so you must learn how to prevent or get rid of pests on your own. If you want to save money, then you will perform your own pest control, but there are times that calling a professional exterminator is necessary. Here are some tips for controlling or eliminating a variety of household pests.
Keeping Your Home Clean
If you have a home with bags of trash or baskets of dirty laundry, then you are more likely to have pest infestations. Rodents and insects are attracted to the odors from grimy fabrics and old food containers. When you can’t take the trash outside right away, make sure to keep it in a container with a tight lid, and also, keep your laundry inside sealable plastic totes. Make sure to dust, mop and vacuum once a week to keep your home cleaner.
Seal Crevices and Holes
Walk around outside your home to check for any holes or crevices in the building’s foundation or siding. You must seal these spaces with insulation or caulking to keep mice and cockroaches from entering. In addition, climb on a ladder to inspect a home’s eaves, gutters and rooftop to find holes where mammals, birds or insects can invade. You may need to call a roofing technician to fix these problems.
Store Food Properly
Avoid leaving food in open containers in your home because the odor can attract ants and rats. Buy metal or glass containers with lids to store rice, pasta and sugar. Some insects such as cockroaches can enter a refrigerator, so make sure to keep leftover meals in plastic containers with tight lids. If you have a problem with insects or rodents in the cupboards in a kitchen, then store boxes of food in sealable plastic bags inside a refrigerator instead.
Clean Outside Your Home
In addition to preventing infestations from insects and rodents, you won’t want to have wildlife mammals or poisonous spiders inside your home. If you keep piles of lumber or firewood outside your home, then these items are where spiders and wild animals can lurk. To avoid having numerous mosquitoes, you should also remove any items outside your home where water can collect. These things can include children’s toys, gardening supplies or rotting tree stumps.
Use Caution When You Buy Used Items
There are insects that infest furniture such as mattresses and upholstered furniture, so you will want to use caution when you buy used items for your home. Inspect anything that you buy carefully, and also, make sure to clean it thoroughly to remove live insects or eggs before placing it inside your home. In addition, remember that the truck that you rent for transporting items can also have infestations from vermin.
Find Natural Pest Control Methods
You can plant flowers or herbs outside your home that will repel insects or other vermin. It is possible to plant these herbs or flowers directly into the soil, or alternatively, you may prefer using flowerpots for the items. Some of these plants will also survive inside your home to repel spiders and insects.
Calling an Exterminator
When you can’t get rid of a pest infestation on your own, you must contact a professional exterminator. If you wait too long to seek help, then vermin such as termites or carpenter ants can damage your home severely, leading to an expensive repair.