Spring Cleaning Tips to Keep Household Pests Away
As the weather becomes warmer, many New York homeowners will take the next few weeks to tackle some spring cleaning tasks. While spring cleaning is often thought of as a way to get a fresh, clean start to the season, it can also aid in pest prevention.
Pests are not only a nuisance, but can spread disease, and damage food, clothing, furniture and other property. Pests can also harm you, your family, and your pets by transmitting diseases like Lyme disease and malaria.
Fortunately, there are a few simple spring cleaning tasks that will help keep common household pests away from some of their main hotspots in your home.
Deep Clean Your Kitchen
The kitchen provides pests with easy access to to food and water sources, making it a popular places for food and water-hungry ants, roaches, and rodents to infest. Although you may make the effort to clean your kitchen on a daily basis, things can go unnoticed over time, like residue from liquid spills and over ripe fruit sitting on the kitchen counter.
Kitchen Spring Cleaning Checklist
- Remove all items from your cabinets and pantry. Throw away anything that has expired. This includes spices and baking ingredients like flour.
- Wipe down the inside of all cabinets and replace shelf liners with a new sheet.
- Pull out all appliances and vacuum behind them.
- Give the countertops and floor a good scrubbing.
Give Your Bathroom a Scrub
The bathroom is one of the most important rooms in your home. It’s where we take care of our hygiene and cleanliness, but it’s also where we store many personal belongings and spend time getting ready.
Common bathroom pests like cockroaches and silverfish are attracted to moisture. To prevent pests from entering your bathroom, ensure that it’s as dry as possible to minimize activity.
Bathroom Spring Cleaning Checklist
- Wash the shower curtain and the liner.
- Remove all items from the medicine cabinet and wipe it down.
- Do a thorough scrubbing of the tub and the floors, keeping an eye out for moisture issues from leaky pipes or faucets.
Declutter Your Basement
The basement is often a forgotten room, but it can be one of the most important areas of your home. It’s an area that is often used for storage and other purposes, so rodents, crickets, and spiders may easily find their way into your basement. If you’re worried about pest control in the basement, then you should follow these tips to help prevent pests from getting into your house!
Basement Spring Cleaning Checklist
- Use a dehumidifier to keep moisture levels down.
- If you haven’t seen or used the item in 1 year, toss it. Go through those old boxes collecting dust and discard of any items that fit that criteria.
- Replace any cardboard boxes with plastic bins.
- Seal any cracks with caulk. Mice can fit through an opening as small as a dime!
Don’t Forget About Your Yard
Once you’ve mastered the inside, evaluate the outside of your home for potential damage that occurred over the winter.
Yard Spring Cleaning Checklist
- Clean out any clogged gutters and downspouts.
- Replace any ripped screens or damage windows that may be a point of entry for pests.
- Keep bushes and tree limbs trimmed and as far away from the home as possible.
Knock Out Spring Pests—Call Knockout Pest Control!
A new season brings new pest problems, and a year-round pest control plan is the best way to ensure your home doesn’t end up with a sudden infestation come spring. Knock out spring pests now—call (800) 244-PEST to discuss our annual pest control services.
