How to prevent pests in your home
17 November 2022
The purpose of the following advice is to provide useful tips for our Customers and is not designed to replace professional advice. It does not necessarily deal with every aspect of a topic and if you are in any doubt, you should consult a qualified expert for their help. You should never attempt to carry out any activity which may put you or others at risk or which may cause damage to your or anyone else's property and the activities described must not be attempted by anyone under the age of 18.
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Pests are a nuisance that can disrupt your home’s daily function and cause additional stress to your day. Although the occasional critter is unavoidable, an infestation can hurt your health and pocket. However, with the proper knowledge, you can prevent and remove pests in your home before they become a more significant issue.
Keep it clean
It goes without saying, but many pests are attracted to grime. Ensuring your home is clean and tidy is the first preventive step to stopping critters from making your home theirs. A regularly cleaned dwelling has little appeal to creepy crawlies. Cover your leftovers and keep floors and surfaces clean of crumbs. A handheld vacuum is a fantastic investment, as you suck up those small mounds of debris with minimal fuss.
Ventilation
A dry atmosphere is essential to keeping pests at bay, and the best way to create these conditions is through sufficient ventilation. Opening windows wherever possible and ensuring air brick vents aren’t blocked is vital to keeping a dry environment. If you are worried about pests entering your home through air bricks, cover them with a fine wire mesh. This will keep critters out while still allowing air circulation.
Remove any source of food or water
Much like an unwanted visit from the in-laws, there’s nothing pests love more than free food and drink, and you’d be surprised at how quickly the problem solves when the prospect of nibbles is removed. To avoid an impromptu visit, ensure all leftovers are covered and correctly stored in sealed containers.
Remove rubbish regularly
There’s nothing pests love more than free food, so keeping on top of your rubbish is vital to evict unwanted tenants. Ensure that you remove rubbish from all your bins when full to keep your home tidy and pest-free.
Seal any holes to eliminate outside entry
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Nowhere is this more prevalent than when talking about pests. These crafty blighters will find a way into your home through any nook or cranny – so it’s necessary to close any entries.
But first, you need to identify any openings around your home. Some key places to check include:
- Around windows and doors
- Along the foundation
- The roof
- Attic and crawl space vents
- Around holes used for electric, gas, and plumbing lines
Once you’ve established where your openings are, it’s time to find the right solution for the size of your gap.
For example, small gaps can be filled easily with waterproof silicone caulk. Available in more hardware shops, silicone calk supplies a simple and effective solution to small cracks around doors and windows.
For larger holes, gaps or cracks around pipes, steel wool or copper mesh might be a better choice. These materials will create a base which then can be filled with expandable polyurethane foam. Once the foam has set, you can trim off any excess and paint or stain it to match your home.
In conclusion
Keeping your home pest-free can be a task, but with a few easy-to-follow steps, you can make the process a lot easier. Just remember clean, ventilated, and sealed homes are less likely to experience unwanted visitors.
We hope you’ve found these tips helpful. In the meantime, why not check out some of our other home guides?