What Is the Best Way to Prevent Pest Infestation?

Your home is your safe space and where people tend to feel the most comfortable. Understandably, you don’t want it to be an oasis for pests, too. Whether you want to prevent pests from entering your home or tackle an existing infestation, doing your research can save you time, money, and energy.

The core approach is simple: remove food and water, block entry, reduce clutter, and verify with quick checks. Make your home a no‑pest zone with these effective and easy prevention steps.

Dispose of trash

Your trash is a one-stop shopping and buffet for pests. Take the extra effort to remove it from inside your house at the end of every day to prevent an infestation. Tie liners closed and wipe bin rims to remove residue. And if you have weekly trash service, keep the large trash can outside or in the garage to minimize the chance of pests crossing into your home. Place cans on a level pad, use tight fitting lids, and rinse recycling so sweet residues do not attract ants and rodents.

If you have an open trash container inside your home, it’s worth considering upgrading to containers with lids. In addition, if trash seems to be your biggest problem with pests, you’ll want to wash out your food and drink containers in the sink before putting them in the trash. Keep indoor compost sealed and empty it nightly.

Patch any exterior holes

Pest infestations happen when pests can get into your home. You’ll want to eye any potential entryways to see if they can be modified, from using screens in windows to keeping exterior doors shut at all times. Add door sweeps and weatherstripping so light is not visible under or around doors.

You should also regularly look around the interior and exterior of your home to check for cracks or holes. Be sure to look at the foundation, loose siding, roof, and utility lines. Seal small gaps with caulk, fill larger openings with metal mesh plus sealant, and screen attic and crawlspace vents with tight metal mesh.

Keep food secure in containers

If it seems like pests are attracted to food in your home, it’s because they’re made to track down food sources. For example, ants have around five times as many odor receptors as other insects, which helps them smell items that have sugar in them from quite a distance. Crumbs behind appliances and sticky recycling are common ant magnets.

You can prevent ants from entering your home using smell-blocking, securely sealed food containers. This should also be used for anything in your pantry that is open. Decant flour, cereals, rice, and pet kibble into hard-sided containers with tight lids and wipe shelves with vinegar water.

Keep your home deep cleaned

One of the best ways to prevent pests from entering your home is by deep cleaning it. Wipe, mop, and vacuum every corner of your house to banish something that could tempt pests to come into your home. Focus on kitchen floors, under the fridge, stove edges, and sink cabinets where grease and moisture collect.

Deep cleaning also allows you to discover and eliminate any potential breeding grounds for pests. Reduce cardboard piles that harbor roaches, bag up clutter, and rotate stored items so you can spot droppings or gnawing early.

Consider the exterior of your home

While you don’t want pests inside your home, you don’t want them lurking outside, either. Be sure to regularly walk around your yard to see where pests could be making themselves at home. Look for wood to soil contact, standing water, and gaps where utilities enter.

To avoid outside pests, you should keep woodpiles away from your exterior walls, clean out your gutters regularly, and trim your grass. Maintain two to three feet of vegetation clearance from the foundation and prune tree branches back from the roof to block rodent bridges.

Wildlife And Pest Removal Services You Can Count On

Dealing with raccoons, spiders, or any other pest infestation? Our team can help. At Best Pest & Wildlife Control, we offer a wide range of services, including general household pest control, nuisance wildlife eviction from structures, exclusion to prevent animal re-entry, sanitization services, attic or crawlspace restoration, and attic insulation removal and replacement.

From Colorado to Arizona, we serve clients throughout the Western United States. Our team has eliminated big corporations from the equation to provide more direct, transparent, and fair pricing for our services. We strive to provide old-fashion business ideals while delivering cutting-edge pest control solutions to our clients.

Reach out to us today to find out how to prevent pest infestation.