The holidays have come and gone. We are SO DONE with cooking, visiting, hosting. It’s time to take that tree down. Pack your favorite ornaments back up for another year. Reset. The new year is a great time for starting fresh, tidying up, organizing, and making sure things are stored properly. Having these things in check can almost guarantee no bugs in the kitchen and no unwanted house guests (and we aren’t talking about the ones who may have overstayed their welcome a few weeks ago LOL.)
We’ve got some great tips for you. Check it out.
Bugs in the kitchen? Time to deep clean.
Raise your hand if you baked or cooked something during the holidays!!! If you’re anything like me, you make a mess when you cook. That’s just what happens. And no matter how well we think we’ve cleaned up, there are still things we’re missing.
What are your pantry and cabinet shelves looking like these days? Are there a bunch of spices spilled underneath all your spice bottles? When was the last time you pulled out the fridge or stove and vacuumed all the crumbs underneath them? Food debris attracts pests to the home. Seeing one of something can be a fluke. But if you’re seeing bugs in the kitchen of any kind and there are more than a few, it’s time to call a professional. That’s what we’re here for!
Full-blown infestations happen quickly in the bug and rodent world. Don’t ignore it. Regularly dispose of garbage, clean up dirty dishes and wipe down counters. Make sure baking ingredients, such as flour and oats, are stored in airtight containers or at the very least zippered plastic bags.
Store holiday decorations properly.
Take your time. Don’t skimp on how you pack holiday decorations. Most people store seasonal decorations in basements, attics, garages and closets. You know what all of these areas have in common? There’s not a lot of human activity in any of those spaces. And where there are no humans, critters will take up residency.
What kind of critters?! Mice love fabric, paper, and natural items like pine cones for nesting materials. Silverfish will slip into nooks and crannies you can’t even see. Spiders will web up the place and lay eggs in your stuff. GROSS. If you have childhood artwork, handmade decorations, ornaments or dolls, choose durable plastic containers with tight sealing lids to keep these in. Critters won’t breach a good durable plastic lidded container.
Seal up cracks and crevices
If you are able to see light or feel a draft around windows or doors, that’s a possible pest entry point. Mice are like the flexible pancakes of the rodent world. It’s amazing what they can flatten themselves into in order to squeeze through spaces. You can read more about their characteristics here if you’re into that.
The good news is caulk and door sweeps are pretty cheap items you can pick up to patch any crevices or holes that provide entry to your home. Door sweeps and new rubber sealing will eliminate gaps between the floor and the doors in your home. Pay close attention to exterior doors, garage doors and around windows. Most insects and rodents crawl from the ground up. Window wells are often forgotten about. Do a lap around the foundation and make sure things are in tip top shape before white stuff accumulates on the ground.
Store Firewood Away from the Home
Fires are so cozy and are really the perfect ambiance for a night in. Wood dwelling critters easily make their way indoors on logs though. Be aware and just be sure to inspect the wood you’re about to bring inside. Brush off spiders, make sure you’re not bringing egg sacs or mice nests into the house. Bird nests, ant colonies, wood boring beetles…I mean the list goes on and on with what can live in or on logs. Don’t even get me started on fungi.
Pest-Proof Your Yard
Throwing your dried out Christmas tree in the yard to get it out of the house is a great first step to preventing a pest problem. Just don’t leave it there for several days or it will become a home to more creatures than you can imagine. It’s a good practice to remove dead bushes, branches and fallen leaves from your property all year long that could provide nesting or hiding sites for pests. Even though mosquitoes aren’t a concern until temperatures begin to rise, get into the habit of reducing thick brush and pooling water where they can reproduce. Warmer mild wet temperatures will trigger mosquito larvae to hatch.
If you feel like you have taken all of these actions and you’re still finding some pests lingering around, give us a call. We will help.
