The holiday season is that time of year when many people enjoy spending quality time with their loved ones while playing video games and doing other fun activities around the house. But if there’s one thing that can make your holidays darker and less merry, it’s a pest problem. Having to deal with a pest problem at home is a surefire way to spoil the holiday mood, but pests – of course – don’t see it this way. These little creatures find it impossible to resist all the warmth and different types of food that our homes are packed with. That being said, knowing a few pest control tips is a great way to make the holiday season merrier not only for yourself but for your loved ones as well!
Keeping Your Kitchen Clean
The holidays are times when people like to spend the majority of their time cooking, baking, and having fun with their loved ones. Make sure to always clean your kitchen every time after you are done cooking or baking in it. Some pests like ants can easily smell even the smallest of pieces of food, which is why you should always get rid of any crumbs that might be present on your kitchen counter. You should also properly seal off all of your previously opened food, whether it’s bagged food, canned food, or your delicious leftovers.
It should also be noted that the holidays are times when many homeowners use their kitchen the most, continually cooking or baking for the next family gathering. Keep in mind that ants and roaches can easily smell even the smallest of sticky stains or pieces of food. By making sure that your kitchen is clean and that all of your leftovers have been either tightly sealed or taken out of the house, you’re keeping pests away from your house. It’s also important for you to clean all the hard-to-reach areas as well, including underneath your refrigerator, inside of your cabinets, the gaps between your home appliances, and inside of your oven. You should also try and make washing the dishes immediately after eating one of your top priorities.
Making Sure That There Are No Hitchhikers Inside Your House
Guests that come to your place during the holidays can sometimes be quite difficult to deal with, but there’s no doubt that you always have a good time while hanging out with them. However, there are times when we all need a little bit of a break and everyone wants to have their own bed. And of course, you don’t want any of your beds to have bugs living on them. By keeping your bedsheets clean and using pest control services regularly, you’re keeping bed bugs away from your house.
Pests can be pretty sneaky while trying to gain access to your house. This is especially the case during the holiday season since many people unintentionally give them a free ride through their decorations. garlands, wreaths, Christmas trees, and second-hand decorations are the main culprits. If you decide to put a Christmas tree in your house, be sure to thoroughly inspect it to make sure that there are no pests or insects hiding on it. Shake the tree and comb through it with something before bringing it into your house.
Checking Your Decorations
There’s a good chance that your storeroom is home to cardboard boxes that are packed with things like ornaments, candles, lights, and other festive trinkets that you’re planning on decorating your house with before the holiday season. These cardboard boxes can become home to many things, including pests and other insects. To prevent something like this from happening, inspect your holiday boxes and all the items inside of them before bringing them into your house.
For fabric decorations like stockings, a simple cycle through your washing machine and dryer should be more than enough to stop the spread of pests. And if you want to add an extra layer of protection, you can also wash and dry these decorations before putting them back into your storeroom. Since even the smallest of crumbs can easily attract ants and cockroaches, washing your tablecloths is an extremely important thing to do if you want to keep these little creatures away from your house.
Another important thing that you should do is clean your hard-surfaced decorations either with alcohol wipes or soap and water. And just like fabric decorations, you can clean these ones one more time before putting them back into the storeroom if you want to have that extra layer of protection.
Inspect your Decorations Before and After Using
Inspecting your lights for things like frayed wires and spider webs before putting them up is an important thing to do as well. When it comes to your exterior lights, you should inspect them as well before putting them back into your storeroom. If you don’t see any damage on them before putting them away and then you notice that there’s some damage while taking them out of the storeroom before next year’s holidays, it’s a clear sign that rats are hiding in your house.
But perhaps the most important thing that you can do when it comes to dealing with pests comes when it’s time to put all of your holiday decorations away. Be sure to store your holiday decorations in plastic bins instead of boxes that pests can easily chew through. Also, you should never just throw your holiday decorations under the void deck since the pile could easily attract mosquitoes, mice, and just about any other pest that you could think of.
Using Pest Control Services Regularly
Having your guests come over to your place just to find all sorts of pests hiding inside your house can be an embarrassing experience. And you certainly don’t want your kids to chase roaches or any other pests during the holidays. After all, everyone wants to spend some quality time together with their family and friends during the holiday season.
This kind of joy is hard to have when your house is filled with spiders, cockroaches, or rodents. And while do-it-yourself pest prevention tips can help you take care of your pest problem temporarily, dealing with a full-blown infestation is best left to professionals. With this in mind, you should hire a professional pest control service if you really want to keep your home pest-free during the holidays. Don’t hesitate to contact our team of professionals at Aardwolf Pestkare at any time you see fit!
