Pests & Disease

Top 7 Effective Ways to Bug-Proof Your Home

July 17, 2023

Top 7 Effective Ways to Bug-Proof Your Home

Rats, mosquitoes, cockroaches, fleas, and other rodents and insects are common disease carriers. When these bugs enter your home, the risk of disease increases. Pests and their feces carry allergens, causing allergic reactions. When they shed their skin, your indoor air gets polluted. Insects also cause food contamination.

Other pests like brown recluse spiders and black widows are venomous, and their bites can lead to significant health issues or death. Bug infestation can also result in your home’s structural damage, resulting in costly repairs. However, bug-proofing your home can help avert these problems. Here are seven effective ways to bug-proof your home.

1. Use essential oils

Traditional rodent and insect repellants might not be the ideal bug-proofing solution because they contain toxins harmful to the environment and human health. Essential oils are a natural, chemical-free, and better way to effectively ensure insects and rodents are repelled out of your home. Their potency lies in their powerful scents, deterring pests. Essential oils help prevent harmful toxins exposure while fighting infestations. When looking for an effective natural repellant, check the ingredients to ascertain it has geraniol, eugenol, and citronellal compounds.

Essential oils with the best scents for repelling mosquitoes flies, and ants include lemongrass, eucalyptus, citronella, peppermint, and lavender. Essential oil insect repellents are a better solution than their chemical counterparts because they’re safer for the environment, pets, and humans. Since individual essential oils have distinct insect-repelling features, you can effectively use them on various species. You can blend them to make an all-in-one insect and rodent repellent that effectively safeguards against fleas, ants, mosquitoes, cockroaches, ticks, and more.

2. Maintain your yard

Bugs are likely to begin from your yard before entering your house. As such, bug-proofing your yard can help keep insects and rodents from invading your property. Bugs require moisture, and others flourish in damp areas. Start by eliminating standing water. You can achieve this by inspecting your outdoors for moisture build-up and ensuring the hose works perfectly. Keeping the gutters clean and the downspout functioning optimally can also help keep your garden and home pest-free.

Trash creates a thriving zone for pests. As such, you should keep your backyard garbage-free. Ensure the trash bins are always tightly closed and clean. Backyard vegetation creates a bug-hiding spot. With proper lawn care, you can successfully keep bugs away. Mow the lawn regularly to keep the grass short. Eliminating yard debris, cleaning the grill, and adding bug-repelling plants can also help keep bugs away.

3. Hire a pest control professional

Pest control professionals provide the most effective solutions for keeping bugs out of your property. They have the training, skills, knowledge, and experience to help keep your home pest-free. Pest infestations differ from one property to another. A pest control professional will inspect your home to determine its infestation level and develop a personalized solution suitable for your needs.

These professionals use safe products, guaranteeing your family’s safety. The best pest control experts have the skills to resolve the primary cause of the issue quickly. This keeps you from dealing with it personally, especially when you lack the experience, saving time. A professional pest control service is convenient. It keeps you from having to worry about the problem.

4. Seal your doors and windows

Damaged door and window frames provide easy access for pests seeking shelter and food. Ensure they’re correctly installed and adequately sealed to make it difficult/ impossible for bugs to enter your home. The following steps can help you effectively seal your windows and doors:

Assess your doors and windows: Inspect your doors, windows, and other possible entrances thoroughly to determine if there’s any damage
Identify holes, gaps, and cracks in your foundation: Exterior damage surrounding/ on the door or window frames makes an easy way for pests to enter your home. Get any identified damages repaired immediately to keep bugs away
Caulk the damaged area: Use caulk to seal all the damaged areas so insects don’t enter your house through an easy-to-access point
Do replacements where necessary: Foundational crack sealing may not always be enough. This is because door and window frames go through wear and tear over time, requiring replacement. A professional door and window assessment can help determine if it’s time to upgrade or give you other options

5. Fix leaky faucets

Leaks can occur anywhere in your plumbing system. As such, you should inspect your dishwasher, kitchen sink, laundry room, refrigerator, bathrooms, and other places with plumbing lines. Inspect all fixtures for rust, slow drip leaks, and check for water puddles on floors. It would help if you also looked for black mold stains or brown water spots on ceilings and walls where plumbing lines pass through.

Check the crawl space or basement for standing water or wetness. If you find any leaks or water damage signs, get them repaired promptly. Some leaks can be fixed by replacing tiny pieces, while others require complete fixture or pipe replacement. Clean the gutters and eaves to prevent clogs that may cause standing water.

6. Keep the foundation clear

Your house’s foundation is closest to the ground and a common entry spot for pests. Ants, termites, spiders, and fleas breed and thrive on wet grounds. As such, you should keep moisture away from the foundation, making it hard for the insects to reproduce. Ensure piles of leaves, mulch, grass clippings, or wood are kept from your house’s foundation. Keep firewood away from the buildings in your compound to prevent the risk of termite infestation.

Inspect for gaps in the siding joints and foundation. If there are any spaces in the siding joints, use foam, caulk, or trim to fill the spaces. Use natural pest controls to treat your foundation as they’re non-toxic and won’t harm your loved ones or pets.

7. Keep your home clean

Insects and rodents are attracted to leftover foods. Leaving food scraps and dirty dishes on countertops and in the sink creates a thriving ground for cockroaches, ants, and other pests. Dirty floors and surfaces also attract bugs. A cluttered house also provides sufficient shelter for insects and rodents.

Clean dishes and remove dirty scraps to keep bugs out of your home. Sweep and mop the floors and take food scraps out. Vacuum your carpets, seal your food tightly, and declutter your house. A regular home deep cleaning service can help keep your space clean.