When it comes to pest control, the typical approach to it is often reactionary than precautionary. Rather than wait until those pesky little things form a battalion in your house before you deal with them, you can get on the defensive and prevent them from getting into your home in the first place.

There are several ways to prevent pests from getting into your house. And in this article, we explain up to 9 ways to get the job done.

Here are 9 proven ways to prevent pests in your home:

1. Check and Seal Cracks in Windows and Doors.

Cracks in your doors or windows often provide access for pests to get into your home without hassles.

To prevent pests from coming into your house, check your windows and doors for any cracks and seal them completely or hire an expert to do the sealing for you.

Ensure that you also check and repair broken or warped windows and doors. Meanwhile, if your windows have screen meshes, then ensure that the mesh size is about 200 holes for every square inch. This will prevent tiny insects from getting in through the holes. You can also click here to learn about the benefits of pest control.

2. Check for Gaps and Crevices in the Building

If you thought cracks and gaps happen only around windows and doors, you thought wrong.

Other areas of the building like the walls and floor corners can also have tiny openings that may let critters into your home.

What to do when you spot gaps? Do a thorough inspection of your home to identify such crevices and repair them immediately.

Don’t forget to check for gaps around your water lines, cable wiring, and electrical wiring.

Meanwhile, avoid using expanding caulk to fill gaps in your home because some insects can easily chew through them. You can hire the services of a professional who will recommend and use the right materials.

3. Trim Plants Around Your Home

Even though your goal is to prevent insects that live outside your home from getting into your home, it is also important to note that the fewer critters you have outside your home, the less likely it is for an infestation to occur in your home.

Often, the plants around your house serve as environments where pests thrive. To reduce the chances of pests getting into your home, trim plants around your house especially the ones that touch your house directly.

With that being said, because mulch also serves as a favorable environment for pests, it is advisable to avoid using mulch close to the foundation of your house. Instead, use rocks around the foundation.

4. Dispose Litter and Waste Properly

It is a known fact that garbage cans attract pests and rodents. But you can’t do without a garbage can, can you?

However, what you can do is to avoid leaving your garbage cans open. Keep a lid on your trash can all the time and empty it as often as possible.

Ensure that you also clean the area where you station the can and lift the can to clean any spills from the trash.

5. Avoid Standing Water

Insects like mosquitoes thrive and breed in stagnant water. To avoid breeding insects around your home, check the outdoor drains to ensure that wastewater flows freely and that you don’t have standing water anywhere. Don’t forget to clean the drains too.

If you use buckets in your bathroom, for instance, ensure that you keep them empty and dry when they are not in use.

Do you use an air conditioning unit that expels water? If you do, avoid placing a container under the unit to collect the water. A better alternative will be to connect a pipe to the unit and channel the water into a drain.

However, if you must use a container to collect the water, ensure that you empty and clean the container daily.

6. Use Appropriate Light Bulbs for Your Outdoor Area

Insects tend to gather around doors and windows that are close to certain kinds of outdoor lamps. So, ensure that you choose the right lamps for your outdoor area.

The color of your light bulb plays a role in whether or not insects will gather around your house. For instance, mercury vapor bulbs tend to attract insects a lot. This is why we recommend halogen lamps.

Consider bulbs that have tints of yellow, orange, or pink because they rarely ever attract insects. Visit https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/dos-and-donts-pest-control to learn about the do’s and don’ts of pest control.

7. Clean Your Drains

Drains are usually moist and they tend to collect dirt over time. So, if you have recently noticed an army of bathroom flies, for instance, it means your bathroom drain needs some cleaning.

Check your drains and clean them regularly with a good drain cleaner. You can also use a homemade mixture of baking soda and vinegar to achieve the same results.

8. Clean Your Home Regularly

Cleaning your home regularly takes care of debris and dirt that may serve as a potential breeding ground for pests.

You can also spot issues like cracks, gaps, and tiny openings that can create pathways for insects to get into your home.

So, ensure that you keep up with your mopping and vacuuming routines.

9. Call a Pest Control Company

Prevention, they say, is better than cure. This statement holds for pest control too. But in some cases, you may have done your best to prevent an infestation only to notice one in your home.

If it turns out that that’s the case in your home, then you will need to hire the services of a pest control company. A good company will not only deal with the infestation thoroughly but will also help you identify the causes of the infestation that you may have missed.

You can visit Majestic pest control to learn more about finding the right company.

Conclusion

Getting your home to be pest-free may feel like a herculean task. But with the right information, you will soon discover that it is easier than most people think.

With the 9 tips that we shared in this article, you can finally achieve the goal to have a pest-free home.