Important Pest-Proofing Projects for the New Year

Pests, whether bugs or of the furry variety, often come to stay during the winter months. They burrow in and make themselves cozy in your lovely warm house, and once spring comes they don’t always move back out! To keep these less than welcome house guests out, there are some pest-proofing projects that you can take on to keep them away! Here are four things you can do to pest-proof your home!

1) TAKE AWAY THEIR DINNER & DRINKS

When you’re dealing with rats or mice, they will usually enter a home where they have access to water, food, shelter, and solitude. While you can’t get rid of all the little hidey holes that they might take up, you can limit their ability to get their dinner. Make sure that you have no leaking pipes and that your sinks and faucets don’t drip. Any leak can be enough to satiate a mouse or rat. Make sure that you also don’t leave food out, but more important store your food smart. If you have a storeroom where you keep extra food make sure that you’re storing everything in plastic bins that are adequately sealed to try to keep the critters out. The same thing applies in the kitchen. Instead of keeping cereal, sugar, and pasta in cardboard boxes, put them in sealed containers. It not only keeps your food fresher, it also keeps critters away.

2) RE-SEAL & WEATHERPROOF

A lot of bugs make their way into your home through worn-out weatherstripping that is around door and window frames. When weatherstripping is starting to fail it actually gives creepy crawlies just enough room to wiggle in and make up home in your house! This is probably the number one way that pests enter into your home, and so taking this one precaution can stop the little invaders from getting far. You can check weatherstripping by using a pencil to try and lift it up gently. If it lifts then you need to replace it, a relatively straightforward process that can be done in an afternoon.

3) FIND DRAFTS!

Any tiny cracks in your house can be an entryway for bugs, and when you feel a draft in your home, it means that there is a crack where cold air is getting in, along with pests. Go around your home, especially on a gusty day, and try to feel out temperature differences. If you find a draft, you can close it up using caulk to keep pests out.

4) SPRING CLEANING

One thing that is true is that pests love mess. This is not because they like dirty surroundings, it is because they like having places to hide. To avoid an infestation, or to help get bugs, mice, and rats out of your home that has moved in, you can do some spring cleaning. Vacuum, mop, declutter, get rid of what you don’t need, make your house sparkle. The less space they have to hide the less chance that they’ll take over.

Doing all these things will hopefully keep you protected from pests, but if you find yourself with a pest problem then give the team at Gilpin’s Pest Control a call. We’ll get the unwelcome guests out of your home!