10 Effective Ways To Pest Proof Your Home

Mice, crickets, raccoons, bats, pillbugs, millipedes, opossums, roaches, squirrels, crickets, wasps, ants, beetles, and spiders are some of the pests that usually manage to invade homes. Unfortunately, it can be pretty hard to keep all these pests from getting into your home. 

Irrespective of your situation, either wanting to prevent pest invasion from happening or currently battling against one, pest-proofing is important to make your home pest-free. 

As long as your home has conditions that provide an enabling environment like easy food access, pest populations will continually increase. However, you can take specific actions that would enable you to reduce the number of pests in your home.

Properly storing pests attractants like foods, sealing off entry points in your home, and sanitizing your outdoor and indoor space would also help make your home pest-proof.

Below are effective ways that you can take to make your home pest-proof:

1. Make your home water-free 

If you live in a log home, you should equip it with gutters. Gutter helps in preventing pests only when they are clean. Blocked gutters are the best environment for insects such as termites, mosquitoes, and ants. 

Therefore, to make your home pest-free, ensure that you have gutters that can help channel water and clean.  

Also Read: 6 Ways To Protect Your Home From Damage

2. Clean air ducts vents regularly

Allergens, dead skins, dirt, bacteria, and dust usually build up in air duct systems. Like bugs, a favorite nest of pests is vented, and they feed off the above. Therefore, when you regularly clean your air ducts vents, you will provide a pest-proof environment.

3. Store things properly

Sometimes you might forget about things or foods that you have stored away. However, pests like mice and roaches don’t usually forget. Therefore, cupboards and other areas should be regularly inspected and organized. This is a major step in your battle against rodents.

You should properly store pet foods, birdseed, dry foods in plastic containers, glass, or metal. You should avoid using cardboard; rodents and roaches easily access them. If the invasion gets out of hand, it is time to call roach pest control.

4. Maintain your home environment 

Pests such as insects and rodents love moist and shaded environments. So though your shrubs, trees, and plants might appeal to you, they also appeal to numerous pests. 

To pest-proof your home, you don’t need to cut them off or get rid of them. Instead, you can try trimming them away from your walls or foundations. Also, regularly sweep off debris such as dry leaves off the ground. 

After trimming the trees or plants, try to reduce weeds growths. You can also make use of ground covers. Try to use covers that hold moisture. 

Rodents and bugs are not attracted to dry environments. Using pebbles or crushed stones might be a good option. Though more expensive than organic mulch, it is permanent.

5. Use natural predators 

A simple method of pest-proofing your home is to rely on pests’ natural predators. Large numbers of bats and birds usually prey on small insects since they see them as a source of food. Swallows and Warblers are mainly prey to mosquitoes.

Additionally, bats eat a lot of pests and bugs such as spiders, mosquitoes, flies, and wasps. Therefore, you can encourage natural predators like bats to pest-proof your home by having bushes and trees where they can establish nests.  

Irrespective of bats’ ability to control insect popularity, some people are hesitant to use bats to pest-proof their homes. However, bats sleep during the day and fly only at night. Therefore, you might not even notice them. 

While you are sleeping, they will keep working on ridding your home of bugs and insects that could get into your home.

6. Clean your home and floors 

Regularly cleaning your home can potentially make your home pest-proof since vacuuming is capable of removing insects and their food source, such as dust. Also, ensure that you regularly clean your kitchen. 

Vacuuming also helps remove spiders that usually hide between basement joints, sill plates, corners. Also, ensure that you check the underside and legs of your furniture for pests when vacuuming. 

Pests are capable of easily finding their way to and from your carpet. Though vacuuming can remove flea eggs, it does not make your home pest-proof. Therefore, in addition to cleansing your home, add stronger measures.

7. Repair tears and gaps in walls, door screens and windows 

When you repair tears or gaps in your home, you would be reducing the entry of pests like mosquitoes, flies, gnats, lady beetles, cluster flies, and other summer and winter pests. 

Pests such as hackberry psyllids and leafhoppers are quite small and are capable of fitting through some standard mesh window screen. So you can only deny entry to these pests by keeping your windows closed.

Also Read: Home Inspection: 4 Things To Get Checked

8. Apply exterior barriers treated with insecticides 

Sealing is a more permanent way of excluding pests that usually originate outdoors. However, it is quite labor-intensive to comprehensively pest-proof your home through this method. 

If you require an alternative to sealing, you can pest-proof your home by applying insecticides to exterior barriers. Additionally, you can apply long-lasting liquid formulations containing synthetic pyrethroids, which can be found in garden and lawn/hardware shops.

9. Properly store trash

Your trash cans at home can be home or gourmet to pests like cockroaches. However, you can make your home pest-proof by embarking on proper handling and storage of your trash. 

You should always empty trash cans at night. In addition, your trash cans should have lids and seals that keep insects and rodents out. Also, you should regularly clean and sanitize your recycling bins and trash receptacles, mainly when spills occur. 

If you own a compost bin, it should be lined with hardware cloths or a secured lid that prevents bugs from feasting. Also, ensure that fully composted materials are removed regularly.

10. Hire pest control service

To keep your home pest-proof, you should also regularly seek the aid of a professional pest control service. Hiring a pest control service is your best defense against pests invasion at home and the key to keeping your home pest-proof.

Final Words 

Pest proofing your home usually reduces pest incidents. However, it does not fully create an environment completely free from pests. But, it’s always best that you try to pest-proof your home so that you reduce the invasion of these animals.