The winter holidays are mostly behind us, but that doesn’t mean pests won’t keep trying to have gatherings in your home. No one wants an infestation. There are ways you can keep mice and bugs out of your home. Let’s explore what you need to do for a pest-free home during the icy season. And if that doesn’t work, Modern Pest can help!
Here are some of the best tried and tested tips to keep pests out of your home during winter:
Keep the House Clean
The first step is to remove all the things from your home that can invite pests. Rodents and roaches like cluttered areas that provide them with lots of safe hiding spots. This gives them the ability to move about easily. They also find warmth in the disorder and darkness in basements and attics. It’s why you must keep your home clean and keep the clutter off your basement and attic floor.
Vacuum, mop, and clean every inch of your place thoroughly. Remove all the cobwebs from hidden and out of reach spots. Additionally, try not to clutter your home with needless things and throw away the garbage regularly. It might also help to throw away old, deteriorating cardboard storage boxes or anything damaged in storage that pests might easily burrow into and hide.
Remove All Accessible Food
Pests such as mice, roaches, and rats, will likely invade your home to search for something to eat during the winter months. If you tidy up your home and clean up all food spills and crumbs right away, you will remove their food source. Make sure to store dry food, such as nuts, beans, bread, cookies, and pet food, in sealed containers to keep rodents and roaches away.
Don’t tackle pest control alone, call Modern at 1-800-323-7378 or click here today!
Store Firewood Away from Your HomeÂ
Pests love to make their homes in piles of wood. Damp wood is an especially good food source for pests like termites. That’s why it’s never a good idea to put firewood against the outside of your home during winter. It’s a surefire invitation for termites and other pests to enter your home. Keep your firewood stacked away from your home, maybe in a shed, and make sure to inspect it thoroughly before bringing it into your home to avoid pests.
Seal All Entry PointsÂ
If you want to keep a pest-free home in winter, you will need to seal all entry points for rodents, roaches, and other insects. The first step is to check for any cracks, holes, or fractures in the foundation of your home. You also need to inspect your roof, repair damaged areas, and replace missing shingles to keep rats, squirrels, and mice out.
Make sure to check the outside of your home and look out for openings around windows and doors. You might find rotten windowsills, cracks in the siding, poorly caulked frames, or weather stripping in damaged condition. Seal up any visible gaps and cracks to keep roaches and insects away from your home. Sealing such cracks will also help you eliminate entry points for cold air, keeping your energy bills low.
Keep an eye on your vents and chimneys and cover them with screens to allow air to exit your home but prevent pests from finding their way into your property. A mouse can easily squeeze through a space the size of a pencil, so seal all noticeable cracks to keep critters out of your home. Make sure your porch screen isn’t damaged either.
Keep Moisture at Bay
Since it snows and rains throughout the winter months in New England, make sure that the surfaces in your home are free of the moisture that attracts pests. If your basement, attic, garage, washroom, or kitchen are damp, you might have to deal with pests, especially termites. Additionally, you might also have to face mold growth.
Consider placing a dehumidifier in specific areas of your home if moisture is a significant issue. Keep an eye out for roof and pipe leaks and fix them right away to avoid moisture buildup and the resultant pest infestation. You must also keep all moisture-prone areas, such as the basement, crawl space, and attic, well-ventilated.
Look for Pests Before Bringing Anything Inside Your Home
Do you have an outside storage space, such as a shed or garage? If you do, it’s important to keep it clean and check the objects that you plan on bringing into your home as thoroughly as possible before you take them inside. This includes inspecting old storage items, holiday decorations, canned goods, etc. Inspect all containers and packages and shake them to ensure that they are not carrying any pests.
Trim the Outside Plants & Keep the Gutters CleanÂ
If the outside of your home is cluttered and unclean, it will attract pests to your home, increasing the risk of a pest infestation inside your house. Pests love to hide in unkempt bushes, trees, plants, and fallen leaves. It’s important to keep all trees, plants, and bushes a few feet away from your house’s foundation and not let them touch your home.
Keep the larger trees away from your roof to ensure that pests don’t climb on your roof and into your home. Make sure to remove all debris and fallen leaves from downspouts and gutters to avoid standing water, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Eliminate all yard debris, such as woodpiles, branches, and leaves, so pests cannot hide under it.
The Modern Solution
These are great tips to help keep pests from infesting your home. But if you really want to insure that pests aren’t an issue, call Modern today at 1-800-323-7378 or click here to get a free quote for Modern’s Homecare Green program. This tri-annual service protects against over 55 common household pests, including mice, rats, spiders, cockroaches, and ants. Modern Pest provides the pest control only a professional can provide.