With such a variety of creepy pests which love to come and stay uninvited in our homes, it can be a big undertaking to keep them away.
Although many bugs and other pests are relatively harmless, they’re hardly the ideal house guests and so it’s far better to make sure they can’t get access to your home in the first place.
What many people don’t realize is that once they already have a pest infestation, it’s almost too late, and so the only solution at that point is often to call in a professional extermination team.
As with so many things in life, prevention is better than a cure, and so taking the right steps to stop pests from entering your home altogether is your best course of action.
With that in mind, here are some helpful ways to keep pests out of your house.
1. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are one of the least desirable pests to have in your home.
While we usually link them with dirty sheets or cheap hotel rooms, the reality is that bed bugs live wherever there’s blood to suck: your blood.
The problem with a bed bug invasion is that because they’re so small and hard to spot, they can be almost impossible to detect until you wake up all itchy and covered in a rash.
One of the best ways to keep bed bugs out of your house is by using a specially designed steam cleaner which releases bed bug repellent smells that these little vampires just can’t stand.
There are many of these machines available, and especially if you own a hotel or a bed and breakfast where bed bugs can have a serious effect on your guests’ stay and, as a result, your business, they’re well worth investing in.
To stop bed bugs from getting into your home, it’s vital that you take the correct preventative measures.
The majority of bed bugs are brought home in luggage and on clothing after a trip or a stay in a hotel so make sure that you tape up your suitcase and that you vacuum out both your luggage and your traveling outfit as soon as you get home.
2. Cockroaches
If there’s a pest which makes most of us shudder more than any other, then it’s surely the cockroach.
Unlike bed bugs which actually bite you, cockroaches don’t do any actual physical harm.
They’re just very unpleasant housemates.
Perhaps the worst thing about cockroaches is that you often don’t even know they’re living in your home until they’ve already set up a whole city.
This is because they’re very shy and nocturnal so unless you happen to see one at night when you’re on the way to the bathroom then you may be totally unaware of their presence.
It’s a common misconception that cockroaches are only found in places that are very dirty but this isn’t true at all.
Cockroaches are the ultimate scavengers and so they appear anywhere where there are traces of food.
It doesn’t matter whether you have overflowing trash cans or just a single dirty plate in the sink.
It can be enough to attract a cockroach, and once he thinks he’s found a reliable buffet, more are certain to come.
I’d suggest keeping your house clean at all times and if you see more than one within a couple of days, spray the area with a cockroach killing spray.
3. Ants
In comparison to cockroaches and bed bugs, ants are fairly harmless pests but they can still be annoying.
As with cockroaches, once ants have decided that they’re guaranteed to find food in your house, they’ll be regular visitors.
The best way to prevent an ant invasion is to make sure you clear up all traces of food from your kitchen or dining room, down to the tiniest crumb.
As well as this, make sure that you close up any tiny holes which ants can sneak through into your house.
The goal of the ants that you’ll find in your house is to take food back to their colony, so if you’re able to prevent this from happening by killing or blocking these scouts then you’ll have gone a long way to solving the problem.
Pests are a common problem which many homeowners have to face but the solutions can be relatively simple.
The most important thing is that you act quickly to stop the problem from getting worse.
Follow these helpful ways and you’ll be able to keep pests out of your house.