Tips on How to Make Your Home Pest-Free

Whether it’s winter or summer; mice, spiders, ants, and other pests can nest in your home no matter when. Having pests in your home can cause serious health problems to you and your family as they can spread diseases, and they might ruin the food in your pantry as well—not to mention the anxiety they cause on a psychological level. If you see any kind of pest in your house, it means that you have a real problem and that your ways of keeping your home pest-free are no longer working. 

The issue with pests is that by the time you notice their existence, it's probably too late, and it becomes harder to get rid of them. For example, if you see a mouse in your house, it could be an indication that its whole family is living in your home and you just happened to notice one. That's why it is always recommended to prevent the problem before it occurs. Here are some tips to ensure just that. 

Hire a Professional 

Whether you know pests are in your house or not, it is always better to hire someone professional to spray your home at least once a year, especially if you live in a high-risk zone. Yorkshire, for example, recently had a major mosquito problem—if you happen to suffer from that, professional companies in your area can deal with your pest problems with easy and safe solutions for you and your family. For accurate pest control in Leeds, you can go for an accredited company that will provide you with a fast response and free quotation. They can offer long-term solutions that prevent pests from coming back.

Vacuum Regularly

Once bed bugs are in your house, it becomes an almost-impossible mission to remove them completely. They are becoming a massive problem in the UK as they are spreading fast and there is no real way to prevent them. Bed bugs are hitchhikers; they travel from one place to another, and they might get attached to your clothes while you're outside and come home with you. It is hard to see and locate a bed bug, but if you think they are in your house, you can look for drops of blood on your bedsheets. 

To keep your home free of bed bugs, you should regularly vacuum your house, especially in the areas around the beds and furniture, as well as cracks and crevices in the walls or floorings. Be sure to get rid of the vacuum bag immediately, or clean the tank outside.

Clean the Kitchen 

Ants and floor moths are often attracted to food, and the crumbs on the floor or the kitchen counter might be a great invitation for them to invade your place. Keeping your kitchen clean, washing the dishes regularly and storing your pantry staples in airtight containers will help prevent these insects from coming into your home.   

Check Your Pets

Cats, dogs, and birds can pick up fleas, and they can easily get in your home. Fleas can also bite humans, and in some cases, cause health issues. If you have pets at home, you should regularly check whether they have fleas or not. If you find one, you should definitely get a flea treatment along with cleaning the house with specially designed products. However, even if you don’t find fleas on your pet, you should still regularly clean the areas where they spend most of their time and apply flea spray on furniture and carpets. It is also a good idea to use monthly tick and flea prevention products on your pets. 

Block Any Gaps

Cockroaches and similar insects usually hide in gaps between walls and doors during the day so they can easily access your home at night. To prevent these insects from getting into your home, block all the gaps between windows, doors, and if there are any openings in the walls. You should also make sure that there are no gaps below and above the sink. 

Repel Spiders with Strong Scents 

Your house can be the perfect shelter for spiders in fall and winter, as they seek warmth during the cold weather. If you don’t want them to invade your home, you can spray the house with diluted essential oils or tinctures, such as peppermint and lavender. Spiders don't like strong smells, so when you fill the house with these scents, they will avoid getting inside.

Don’t Keep Unwanted Firewood

Firewood can be the perfect shelter for ants and termites, and they might also feed on it. If you always bring wood inside or near the house, it's preferable to get as much as you need, keep them covered and off the ground, and burn the oldest ones first. That way, you will be lowering the chances of ants and termites finding the firewood and taking shelter there.  

Trim the Trees Around Your House

If you have tree branches touching your house or very close to your home, you’re under a higher risk of facing a pest problem. Mice, ants, and other pests can use these tree branches as a bridge to get inside your house. To prevent this from happening, you should always trim those trees and make sure that there is no way for the insects on the trees to get inside your house.

Once you find pests in your house, it becomes a huge problem. Removing them completely can be a daunting task, and most cases require the help of professional pest control services. But with the tips mentioned above, you stand a higher chance of keeping them away. Regular cleaning is a good rule of thumb, but it’s not always a magical solution that will guarantee that your home stays pest-free. Rodents and insects behave in smarter ways than you’d think, and you might end up losing sleep over it. Hiring an expert is the only sure-fire way to remove all these pests from your home. Depending on your specific case, they’ll also be able to tell you about the best methods to prevent pests from returning.