Pests are not only unsightly but can also make your home less peaceful and homely as it ought to be. The mere thought of having your rest sabotaged by incessant bugs is enough to frustrate you. In the end, you find yourself liking the property much less than you once did. Thankfully, moving into a new home gives you the opportunity to prevent a pest infestation.
A new home is always pest free. To keep it that way, you just prevent bugs from entering the house by blocking all possible entrance points and keeping whatever will attract them far from the property.
Let’s discuss these things in detail.
7 ways to prevent pests from entering your new home
Seal up tiny openings
Pests can squeeze through any opening, so one way to prevent their entrance is to seal up gaps and cracks. Even when the building is still new, it’s not impossible for there to be tiny openings. A quarter-inch gap is big enough for a mouse or cockroach to squeeze through and in comes the hundred behind them.
Check for loose siding, foundation cracks, gaps around pipes, cable wiring, and other utility lines. Seal them with foam sealant, mesh, or mortar.
Ensure doors and windows close properly
Cracks are not the only entrance points pests can creep through. A gap could also be created by a door or window that doesn’t close properly. So check if there is any warped door or window and fix it.
If possible, use nets or screens behind every window throughout the property. Also, look out for rips in the material, as a tiny one can allow a multitude of flies and mosquitos in.
Trim branches and minimize mulch
Tree branches and shrubs can serve as a bridge between the tree and your home. Trimming them will help to distance the pests on the trees from your home.
Furthermore, it would help to limit how much mulch you use in your garden beds. Mulch can serve as a breeding ground for pests.
One brilliant idea is to use ground cover instead of mulch in areas that touch your foundation as it is less attractive to pests. It may also help to fumigate your surroundings to make them less habitable for pests. You can type “connect with pest control near me” to get in touch with a local pest control service.
This technique works with the fact that the fewer the pests outside your home, the fewer pests there will be inside.
Don’t leave trash open inside and around your home
Refuse attracts pests due to the presence of food substances. Cockroaches, flies, and rodents can sniff out food from a far distance and enter your home in search of it. So it’s best to take out the garbage every evening.
But that’s not all. Open litter and yard waste outside your home can also attract pests. And as you already know, there’s a greater chance for bugs to come into your home when they have a habitat in your surroundings. Ensure your trash cans have tight-fitting lids and that spills are removed from the ground.
Don’t allow water to stand
Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. As soon as they mature outside, they enter your home in swarms.
Standing water can result from depressions in your yard that don’t drain properly, so that’s one issue you want to check. Also, check your drain pipes to ensure there’s no leakage constituting humidity in the area.
Regularly clean drains
Sink and floor drains are critical areas that may not be very visible to you. However, debris can quickly accumulate there, becoming a good breeding site for pests.
It’s advisable to clean and unclog all your drains, including those in your laundry room. Vinegar is an effective homemade cleanser for drains, and it can help out with unclogging as well.
Related Posts
Don’t leave food exposed
Rodents and bugs crave food just like us, so you don’t want to leave your foodstuff exposed. Doing so will attract pests into your home.
Ensure all food items are properly stored in reusable containers or bags if the original packaging can no longer do the job.
Carry out scheduled cleaning of your pantry to avoid spoiled food substances from attracting pests into your new home.
A new home will remain so for years only if you give it the maintenance it deserves. Keeping your home regularly clean inside and out will help keep pests at bay.
That said, keeping your home’s condition as it was when you first moved in requires much conscious effort, which not everyone can offer. And when they slack, the pests find their way in. If that ever happens, call a pest control service near you immediately to avoid a full-blown infestation.