March 27 2017 0Comment

Spring Cleaning – Tips from the experts!

With the warmer weather approaching quickly, homeowners are starting to come out of hiding and getting to work on their spring projects including the dreaded “spring cleaning”.

When you, as a home owner, start to tackle your your spring cleaning list, keep in mind there are efforts you can make to reduce the chances of both rodent and insect infestations.

Lets start with the outside surroundings of your home…

Pests are drawn to old, decomposing, and deteriorating wood. It is our advice to do a good check of the perimeter of your home and look for any wood in need of a replacement — especially roof fascia, shingles, and rotting deck boards. Next, go through all windows and screens. Make sure to seal up and open access to your home, and replace any screens that are torn as they are basically an open invite for pesky pests to come right in. Lastly, if you have any large trees or shrubbery near your home, make sure everything is pruned back nicely away from the home so that pests can’t use it as leverage for entry.

Once you’re done outside, let’s move indoors, starting with the basement.

Why do pests love basements? Because basements are generally the darkest and most cluttered area of the home. Spiders and insects love a damp atmosphere with a lot of hiding places, making basements the perfect “man-cave” for any rodent or insect. We suggest that you remove as much clutter as possible. Throw out any old damp papers, or materials that would be enticing to an insect or rodent. Replace any cardboard storage with plastic totes if you are using your basement for storage. Look for any foundation cracks as well as large or small openings that a pest could use as an entry point into the home. Seal everything up air tight and you will significantly reduce the amount of pests that will try to make your home their own.

When you’re done in the basement, move on to the bathrooms of your home… All of them!

Bathrooms are a great place for insects to call “home”. They enjoy the humidity and moisture inside of a bathroom. Make an effort to go through the vanity drawers and medicine cabinets removing any old clutter or unnecessary toiletries from the space. Just the like basement, remove as much clutter as possible, leaving less hiding places for pests. It is important to replace damp towels as often as possible, and to make sure you don’t leave damp towels or clothing on the floor. Take a look around your shower and look for any moisture related inconsistencies such as mold and mildew. Clean and fix up these spaces as soon as you can… This includes cleaning and replacing the shower curtain!

Last but not least, and perhaps the most important space in your home to do a spring “overhaul” on is your kitchen!

Kitchens are an open invite for both insects and rodents because they have a source of food, hiding, moisture, and grime. It’s paradise for pests! An easy start for a pest free kitchen is to go through all cupboards and pantries and clean up any crumbs and debris from a winter of baking and vegging out. If you’re like me, there is still some residue leftover from boredom baking of cookies, and banana loafs… Pests love your baking as much as anyone else. Lets make sure not to feed them as they are an uninvited guest! It is important to pull out your appliances and clean behind them thoroughly! The old saying is “A messy cook is a good cook”, but let’s make sure your messiness doesn’t make itself into a gourmet meal for a critter!

Take a look at your kitchen drains, and pipes under the sink… Make sure you don’t have any leaks or moisture related issues. Tighten and seal up everything to prevent an infestation.

And finally, your pantry! Pantry’s become the “catch-all” for coupon lovers (like me), and tend to become a storage place for drips, sticky liquids, and expired food. Go through your pantry fully… Remove anything your not going to eat… Yes that means the fruitcake grandma made you for your Christmas party! Clean up any spills and freshen up the space.. Clean all drawers and racks with a warm cloth making sure to fully remove all the sticky stuff!

At the end of the day, pests are smart… They know your weaknesses when it comes to your home, and they will stop at nothing to feed, fester, and fulfill their accommodation inside and around your home! Let’s make sure they don’t find your home a comfortable place to call their home!

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