Winter holidays are always the busiest time of the year, with countless family get-togethers, parties, trips, attending to children on winter break, and so much more. In such a busy season, the last thing you want on your plate is to deal with a pest infestation in your beloved home.
It can be quite frustrating to deal with mice and creepy crawlies overtaking your place and ruining your holiday plans. If you want to avoid this scenario, you will need to learn how to keep your home pest-free during winter. Let’s explore what you need to do for a pest-free home during the icy season!
How to Keep Your Home Pest-Free During Winter
Here are 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 messy places that provide them with lots of safe hiding spots that give them the ability to move about easily. They also find warmth in the mess 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 the storage that pests might easily burrow into and hide.
Remove All Accessible Food
Pests such as mice, roaches, rats, etc., 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, biscuits, and pet food, in sealed containers to keep rodents and roaches away.
Store the Firewood Away from Your Home
Pests, such as rodents and bugs, love to make their homes in piles of wood. Damp wood is especially a food source for pests such as termites. It’s why it’s never a great idea to put firewood against the outside of your home during winters. 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 Points
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 parts, and replace missing shingles to keep rats 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
This tip is for people who live in places where it snows and rains during the winter months. You need to make sure that the surfaces in your home are free of moisture because it attracts pests. If your basement, attic, garage, washroom, or kitchen are moist, 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 spotless and check the objects that you plan on bringing into your home as thoroughly as possible in the garage or shed before you take them inside. It 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 Clean
If the outside of your home is cluttered and unclean, it will attract pests toward 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.
Call the Professionals If Needed
Use the tips mentioned above to keep pests out of your home during winter, but if everything fails and you have a pest infestation to deal with, it’s best to call a pest control company right away. Ants Plus Pest Control can help you eliminate the pests inside your home and keep your property safe from further infestations. Call us today!