While there are many ways to get rid of any pest that comes in your home, prevention is usually a better and more natural route. If you can successfully pest-proof your home, you wouldn’t have to change your plans and spend some days eliminating pests that threaten your home and peace of mind.
Steps for pest-roofing usually include dealing with garden pets as well, since most pests that are found indoors have entered from outside. These creatures might come inside in search of food, shelter, or a safe place to build a nest. Whatever their reasons, homeowners are certainly not going to stand for this invasion. Here are some useful tips for blocking off the entry of most pests within your vicinity:
Get Window Screens
Opening your windows might be necessary during the summer when you welcome the fresh air into your home. However, this also opens up your living space to all sorts of pests such as ants, mosquitoes, ants, etc. Keeping the windows closed all the time, though, is hardly a healthy habit.
One great compromise here is getting some tightly-fitting window screens. There are now some very convenient options for adjustable window screens online, so get them as soon as you can.
Before you get a window screen of any sort, though, make sure it’s 20 mesh or even smaller. This is what it takes to keep most kinds of pests away from the indoors.
If you find a tear or break in your window screens, clear nail polish can usually work to repair the thinner versions. That may not be enough for the thicker wires; in such cases, cover up the hope by tapping some paper or fabric over it. That should be enough to hold it until you get a replacement.
Maintain The Outdoors
As we mentioned in the beginning, pest control in the garden or yard is also very important. Most of your household pets probably came from outdoors. Look around and see what you can do to maintain your outdoor area, as an overabundance of pests there will also put your home at risk.
For example, check for any standing or pooled water in the garden. This might be clean or dirty; both kinds can attract mosquitoes. Fill in these areas and make them as dry as possible.
Next, it’s also crucial to check the drainage routes and make sure there are no obstacles making the water leak out. These obstacles are usually sticks and leaves, so doing away with them will also reduce the harborage chances for any pests.
Finally, make sure to mow the grass regularly and do away with any excess greenery/vegetation. This will rescue the environment’s suitability for inhabit pests. If the pests don’t settle there, they won’t reproduce or need anything from a nearby interior space.
Repair Any Cracks
We may not realize it, but the exterior of our home may have some tiny cracks and holes. If you live in an old building, the chances of such openings are higher. To be on the safe side, go out and check for any tiny spaces where mice, flies, ants, or other kinds of pests could make their way in. Your foundation and siding might be especially vulnerable, so look carefully.
If you do find such spots, seal them up as best as you can. In some cases, you may even have to put in new bricks and fill the spaces with cement or mortar.
The same goes for any rotting places in the trim or siding of the building. If these are neglected, it could result in some severe damage from termites or carpenter ants (or both).
Install A Door Sweep
Installing a door sweep at the bottom of all the exterior doors can be a good first step towards pest-proofing your home.
When you’re done installing one, lie on the floor and make sure that there’s no light filtering out from beneath the sweep. Even if there’s a gap measuring a sixteenth of an inch, many spiders and insects will be able to get through. A quarter-inch gap will allow mice to get in, while a half-inch will be enough for a rat. Give special attention to the corners at the bottom and make sure they aren’t frayed or curved.
Sealing Other Gaps
Put caulk along the outside edges and sides of all your door thresholds. This will help to make sure that small insects such as ants stay away. If you have a garage door, fit its bottom with a rubber seal, not a vinyl one. Vinyl wouldn’t work so well during really cold weather, so you’d do best to avoid it altogether. If there are any sliding glass doors in your home, seal the gaps under them with some foam weatherstripping.
Don’t forget the chimney either; this could be a massive opening for all sorts of pests to get inside. Cover the opening with a mesh frame as well. If you don’t use the chimney that often, consider a more permanent and solid covering for most of the year.
Conclusion
The steps above might also help to conserve energy and thus reduce your monthly costs. The change will also hopefully make your home more comfortable, even in extreme temperatures. The equipment is easy to purchase; all you have to do is visit your nearest hardware store or a home improvement store. If you don’t want to venture outside again and again, online platforms such as Amazon also have a large stock of pest-proofing instruments.
The guidelines above are all about prevention, so they’d go down well with people who don’t want to use pesticides. If you find any of these precautions too hard, you can always call in a professional to pest-proof your home. While this might cost more than the DIY method, it’s probably much cheaper than calling in a professional exterminator multiple times a year.