Home infestations are not uncommon, especially when you least expect them, like during the fall. Each season is popular with particular pests. Fall-loving pests are cockroaches, spiders, fleas, mice, rats, and stink bugs among others.
Fall is here, and it’s the time of the year when pests like mice, rats, and cockroaches will be looking for a place to hide to avoid the dropping temperature outside. To prevent pests from entering your home, follow the following steps.
Tips to Prevent Pest During the Fall
Repair: Insects and rodents are sneaky and have mastered the art of slipping into your home through the tiniest crevices. Repair and seal all entry points in and around your home.
Entrances around utility lines, outdoor water lines, and dryer vents should be blocked using silicone, caulk or copper mesh, or cement to prevent and stop the pest from getting inside the building.
Declutter: Pests are attracted to stuffy and disorganized spaces because they can be there for ages without discovery. So, keep your home, especially the kitchen, free and breathable. Throw out unnecessary items and keep the less frequently used items away from sight.
Take Out the Trash: Trash is a free hotspot that calls out to pests openly. The longer you keep trash around, the more pests you invite to your home. Also, keep the outdoor dumpster away from your home and regularly keep them covered.
Maintain Your Environment: Your environment determines what is likely to come into your home; when you keep a free and tidy environment, you drastically reduce your chances of pest infestation.
Fallen leaves shade, trap moisture, and feed insects that might find their way into your home later, so rake all fallen leaves to decrease pest activities near you.
Trim vegetation as overgrown landscapes can hide pests like rodents. Keep the garden and grass well-groomed to keep pests away.
Install a Chimney Cap: A chimney keeps a home warm, which attracts pests to your home during fall. A chimney without a cap or mesh allows pests to enter your home through the chimney, while a chimney cap removes that access.
General Fall Cleaning Checklist
Pay Attention to Your Kitchen: The kitchen is where pests target the most as they often come into your house to search for food. So, it is essential to keep your kitchen clean. Clean out the oven, refrigerator, dishwashers, and countertops.
Clean Everywhere: The summer period exposes your home to dust. The fall period requires you to clean everywhere, from walls to ceilings. Vacuum clean the carpet and window drape. Flip the bed and mattresses.
Wash the window, and replace the screen with storm windows.
Inspect Your Home: Walk around your home and identify areas that need to be winterized and other needs that your home might require. You can hire a professional inspector to help you with it.
A pest infestation can quickly get out of control even after following all the preventive measures. When such situations arise, let a professional exterminator handle situations like them.
Find out more info about professional exterminators as they will help with damage control and save money and time in the long run.