How to Keep Your Home Safe from the Most Common Types of Pests

Tips To Keep Pests Away from Your Home

Just like people, pets need water, food, and shelter. When the conditions allow, pests can come into your house and make it their new home. Not only are they annoying, but they can also make your home unsanitary and risky for your family's health. Some of the most common pests you might have to deal with as a homeowner include rodents, bugs, fleas, ants, mosquitoes, and wasps. Luckily, there are a few methods that you can use to keep your home free of pests in Suffolk county, including:

Seal the doors

Most pests get into your house through the door. Closing the door is not enough to keep all the pests outside, as they can still get through via the cracks and small gaps around and under the door. Install a strong aluminum or steel threshold under your door to prevent even the smallest pests from getting in the house. For better protection, add a door sweep under the doors. Door sweeps are affordable devices that you can find in many hardware stores, and they are perfect for helping seal the gap between the bottom of the door and the threshold. When choosing, the best door sweeps are nylon instead of vinyl or neoprene because they have better protection against bugs. To seal the sides and the top of your door, add door-seal kits or weather-stripping. Finally, use clear caulk on the gap where the door frame meets your wall and along the bottom of the door’s frame, where it meets the ground. To ensure that the door always remains closed, install a hydraulic door closer. It automatically closes the door in case you have forgetful kids. You can adjust the closing power and speed to avoid hurting anyone or void damaging the door. The door closers are cheap, and you do not have to call a professional to install them for you.

Maintain your yard

Many pests hide and thrive in the clutter you live in your backyard. Never leave anything lying around, including branches, wood, debris, or even your hose. Rodents love the warmth that the cutter provides, and within no time, you will have an army of rodents and other pests in your compound. If you have a fireplace and have firewood outside, do not place them on grass or near the house to keep terminates away. Instead, build a good and dry shed for the wood. You should also always maw the lawn, clear bushes, and trim your plants to avoid giving any shade and cover to the pests. Other pests like mosquitoes love stagnant water. Never let any water in your yard be stagnant, whether clean or not. If you notice a spot with stagnate water, drain it immediately and make clear drainage for it. You could also try aerating your soil to help the water naturally sip into the ground. You should also look for the water source, and if it is a leak within your home pipes, fix them immediately. Finally, regularly clean and maintain drainage channels like drains and gutters. That reduces the chances of water clogging around them. If you have a swimming pool, chlorinate and filter it often when not using it. Also, if you have birdbaths and fountains, you should change their water twice a week to prevent the hatching of mosquito eggs.

Organize your home

Pests can enter your home through your pets, your bags after traveling, or new thing you bring in the house, like furniture. However, if you deny them a conducive environment, they will die or leave. To maintain your home in perfect condition, you should never leave your laundry lying around the house. Always have it in a laundry basket, and never let it pile up too much. That creates the warmth and darkness the pests love, especially bugs and fleas. You should also consider using bright and airy bedding to make it easier for you to spot and kill any fleas and bugs. After every meal, always wash, dry, and put away the dishes. You should also either put away the leftovers in the fridge or throw them away in the trash. For all the food you store in the pantry, always have them in their original packaging or airtight containers.

Repair and seal cracks

Given that most pests are small, all they need is a small space to get into your house. That is why regular inspection of the house exterior is important to identify any cracks and holes in the walls. Some cracks and holes are large enough for small rodents to fit, and once they are in the house, they could multiply. Look for missing or damaged sections of siding, crumbling or lose brick, cracks in the foundation, or rotten wood. To patch up the foundation or masonry walls, use cement or mortar. Remove every damaged brick and replace it with new ones, using mortar to fill the joints. Add a layer of cementations backboard to any areas susceptible to termite damage. You should also look at the roofline, where wasps and bees often build their nests. To repair around the windows and exhaust or air intake grilles, use caulk. It is cheap, easily available, and easy to use. You can also use it to fill in small cracks in the sidings and foundation or joints where the roof or foundation and siding meet. If you have had any utility installations in your home, you probably have holes in the exterior walls, where the professionals used to bring in the pipes and wires. Some professionals add sealants to the inside of the house, but most forget the outside. That leaves gaps between the pipes and walls, which is perfect for pests to get into the house. For small openings, use caulk or pipe sealant. For big openings, use expandable polyurethane foam. Insects can also use other openings like chimneys to get into the house. However, you cannot cover that with caulk or sealant for its functionality. However, you can use wire mesh or hard-wire cloth. You can staple the material over the holes. Alternatively, you can use a pre-fabricated chimney cap that is also effective in keeping pests away from the chimney.

Add screens

Fresh air is key in the house, so there are ventilation gaps around the walls. You might also be tempted to leave your doors and windows open, especially during the hot summer months. However, those months have the worst infestation from fleas, mosquitoes, and other pests. Install screens in your doors and windows to enjoy the fresh air without worrying about pests getting in. To keep all the pests out, use a 20-mesh or finer screen. After some time, always look at the screens to look for holes and use a screwdriver to push any broken wires into place.

Organize your trash

Having trash out of your house is not enough to keep pests away. You should ensure that you put it away properly. Do not have food trash in wastebaskets around the home, but instead, put it through the garbage disposal in your sink. If you do not have waste disposal in Suffolk county, place the waste in a bin with a lid, and empty it every day into the exterior garbage cans. Your exterior garbage can should also have a self-closing lid with tight seals. You should clean and sanitize the interior and exterior trash cans, especially if they have any spills. If you have a compost pit, there should be a secure lid with a hardwire cloth lining and empty them every three to six months.

Have natural predators

Natural predators are safe, cheap, and effective in preventing pests. Or large pests like rodents have a dog in the compound. For smaller pests, keep a bird because small insects like termites make up the largest percentage of birds. If you cannot keep birds as pets, have trees, flowers, and birdbaths in your compound to encourage birds to come into the compound.

Keep foundations clear

Foundations are the parts of the house closest to the ground, which makes them the most common entry point for pests. Keep the foundations dry, and clear any leaves, grass clippings, mulch, and wood from around the foundation. Use chemical termiticides and insecticides to treat the foundations regularly or use natural solutions like diatomaceous earth and boric acid. Inspect foundation and look for any gaps along siding joints and foundation. Most times, the lowest row of trim or siding is not very secure, which creates an opening for pests.

Schedule regular inspections and extermination

An exterminator has the perfect tools and skills for detecting pests in your home and terminating them. A professional exterminator has perfect solutions on how to prevent them from coming back to your home in the future. If you are looking for a professional exterminator in Suffolk County and Nassau County, General Exterminating on Long Island is the best bet. General Exterminating is the best pest exterminator in Suffolk county and Nassau County. They have the best employees who have undergone extensive training on pest extermination. They have been in the business for a long time, which has given them the experience they need to deal with any type and size of pest infestation. For more information, or to book their pest exterminating on Long Island, contact General Exterminating 24/7 on their customer care line, visit their website, or send them an email.