Spring has sprung and with its arrival comes warmer weather, flowers in full bloom and of course, pests. The team at Eagle Pest Services is here to help you understand how to avoid a springtime pest infestation. With these tips in hand, you can prepare your home so that you can relax and enjoy a pest-free springtime.

Indoors: Spring Cleaning

When it comes to spring cleaning to keep pests at bay, it’s best to start in the kitchen. That’s because your kitchen is often the primary source of food for the pests that may invade your home. In general, by keeping your home clean and tidy, you can avoid many of the risk factors of a pest invasion. Because we know that a clean and tidy home is not always a reality, here are our top spring cleaning strategies to help you avoid a pest issue.

The main reason pests enter your home is to seek out food, water, and shelter. Odds are, there is one room in your home that can offer pests all three: your kitchen. In the kitchen, even the smallest trace of food scraps can attract pest. If you are not already, you should regularly wipe down countertops, cabinets, floors, and appliances to make sure there are no crumbs or sticky spots left behind. We also recommend regularly cleaning all garbage receptacles, both inside and outside of the home, to avoid any residue that could attract unwanted guests. Ants, for example, are known to invade homes in the springtime. These pesky creatures are sure to sniff out any and all food particles so make sure you are as thorough as possible in your cleaning regimen.

While most homeowners do regularly clean a kitchen’s surfaces, many do not clean out cabinets nearly as often. For that reason, our team recommends cleaning out all of the cabinets and drawers in your kitchen. By going through your cabinets, you can discard expired or stale foods, grains, and spices that may be attracting pests to your home. While you’re at it, it’s best to also wipe down the inside of all cabinets and drawers to help ensure that any crumbs or sticky spills are wiped away. We recommend vacuuming behind and around kitchen appliances after pulling them out from the wall a few inches.

To help avoid pests that are attracted to moisture like roaches or silverfish, use these same principles in your bathroom as well. Be sure to regularly wipe down all surfaces and discard all trash every few days. Lastly, inspect all faucets and pipes to make sure that there are no leaks occurring underneath the sink or toilet. If moisture is present, address the plumbing issue immediately to help avoid pest issues in the future.

Outdoors: Prepare For Warmer Weather

Once the inside of your home is ready for spring, it’s time to prepare your home’s exterior. Two things you can do to help avoid a pest problem this spring are installing door sweeps on exterior doors and repairing all damaged screens in doors, windows, and porches. This may be one of the most important steps you can take in preventing a pest invasion at any time of the year. It’s important to inspect the doors and windows of your home then seal any potential points of entry and install door sweeps to seal the doors tightly. You’ll also want to check the areas where utilities, pipes, and HVAC systems enter the home and use caulk to make sure these are all well-sealed.

You should also rid your yard of clutter that could potentially serve as a stepping stone for pests on their journey indoors. Insects and rodents can take shelter in clutter around or near the home, especially any that is on the ground. If there is clutter anywhere around your home, whether it’s on a porch or patio or in your driveway or yard, clean it up right away. You’ll also want to make sure that all landscaping in your yard has been trimmed back and is at least a yard or so away from your home’s exterior. By getting rid of this clutter, you can eliminate potential homes for pests, keeping them away from your home.

Springtime is upon us. Take advantage of the time you still have to get a head start on your pest control this year. If a pest issue does arise, Eagle Pest Services has just the team for you. We work tirelessly to ensure that your home or business is pest-free and that you are well-educated so you can avoid another infestation. Call us today to schedule a consultation by dialing 1-888-616-8739.