Actionable Strategies For Ramping Up Pest Control In The New Year

The New Year is here, and you will probably have a lot in mind for improving your life at home and work. Keeping your living space in good shape will surely be on top of your home improvement checklist. You may have a plan for a makeover, buying new furniture or appliances, or a DIY project this year. Amid these plans, it is easy to overlook pest control, but it is one of the most crucial aspects of keeping your place clean and healthy.

Pests are a nuisance as they can harm your family’s health and even damage your property if not handled in time. It is vital to stay a step ahead and address them before you encounter a full-blown infestation. Fortunately, quick action and the right measures can go a long way in preventing pest infestations. Here are some actionable strategies you can rely on for ramping up pest control for your living space this New Year.

Start the New Year with a declutter project

The best start that any homeowner can have in the New Year is by investing in a declutter project for the place. Pick one room at a time, assess the stuff around, and clear out everything you no longer use or need. It may be tempting to retain things, but make sure that you don’t do it- after all, that’s what decluttering is all about. You can start early in the holiday season and give away the things that are still in good shape.

While you take the holiday decorations back to the storage, you can sort through storage areas as well. Keep your eyes open for signs of pests, even if you will probably not see insects and rodents around at this time of the year unless you are celebrating a summer Christmas in Australia. Look for indications like droppings, wings, and scratch marks. Also, pack the stuff carefully in sealed boxes and containers so that pests don’t get a hiding place inside them.

Identify your enemy

Once you invest time in a declutter project, you will know if you have unwanted intruders in your living space. The next step will be to identify your enemy so that you can take the right measures to drive them away. When it comes to effective pest control, everything boils down to the insect or rodent you are dealing with. You cannot expect to clear out rats and mice with the same technique that you use for dealing with a bed bug or spider infestation.
The common pests and bugs that Australian homeowners encounter include cockroaches, ants, termites, spiders, fleas, wasps, flies, mosquitoes, and rodents. While this list is quite similar to one that homeowners across the globe struggle with, there can be specific pests you may encounter depending on the location you live in. It is best to prepare a list of bugs and rodents you suspect to be around so that you can prepare a plan to deal with the infestation.

Be extra watchful about kitchen and bathroom hygiene

Going the extra mile with your home hygiene should be a part of your New Year resolutions. It becomes all the more vital in the pandemic era when hygiene becomes the best measure to stay safe from diseases. Be extra watchful about the cleanliness of your kitchen and bathrooms. Both make good breeding grounds for pests. The kitchen offers them food, and the moist conditions in bathrooms are great for these enemies to thrive.

Additionally, there are plenty of spaces where they can hide and multiply in these areas. Ensure that you thoroughly clean the kitchen and never leave leftovers around overnight. Keep food items in the refrigerator or tightly sealed boxes. Also, clean the floors, counters and surfaces daily, and have enclosed dustbins to dispose of the waste. Keep the bathrooms dry and clean and use bug sprays to dissuade insects.

Don’t miss outdoor cleaning

While you may be busy looking for bugs and rodents indoors, a colony may be thriving in your garden, backyard, or garage. The exterior of your living space, therefore, deserves as much attention as the interiors. Inspect them regularly and look around closely for outdoor pests and signs that indicate them. Keeping the outdoors clean may sound like a lot of work, but it isn’t something you should cringe at.

If there is debris in your yard, insects and pests have a great place to hide and grow beneath them. Sooner or later, they will make their way inside your living space and make things hard to control. The best measure is to nip the issue in the bud before it aggravates and leads to a bigger problem. This New Year, make it a practice to head out every weekend and clean the garden, garage, and backyard thoroughly.

Invest in regular professional inspections

A professional pest inspection is the best investment that you can make for your living space this year. Look for a reliable provider in your area and get experts to look around for pests and rodents. Experts in Pest Control Sydney recommend that homeowners should take a proactive approach because it can help you save a fortune. Call experts at the smallest signs of the presence of pests. You may even just take preventive checks and measures to ensure that they never enter your living space.

Conversely, these professionals will give you a complete pest control service if they detect the presence of any lurking enemies in nooks and crevasses, under the carpets, in the mattresses, and outside in the garden. A regular pest control service can be valuable because it can prevent health issues and save your property from extensive damage. It is a small price to pay, considering the serious implications of having pests around.

Look for potential entry points

While investing in professional pest control is a smart move to clear them out, you need to make sure that they do not find their way back inside. Looking around for potential entry points, such as gaps beneath the doors and around the windows, cracks in concrete, and breaches around the structure, is the best place to start. Similarly, you may bring in bed bugs from hotel rooms if you travel a lot. Even the smallest entry points can increase the risk of pest infestation.

Investing in a home improvement project for structural repair this year is a good idea if you want to keep your place pest-free in the future. It may cost you a bit, but you will end up saving a fortune and prevent discomfort to your family in the long run. For frequent travelers, steering clear of bed bugs is easy if you choose clean accommodations and check your luggage carefully before packing it while returning home. Just a little caution goes a long way in protecting your home from these unwanted guests.

Check your trash cans

You may do everything to prevent pests in your home, but they somehow end up finding their way back. The problem may lie in your trash because you may not be handling it properly. The New Year is an attractive time for bugs and rodents as they can find a lot to feast on inside the trash cans. Make sure that you dispose of the stuff properly during the parties and later as well.

Choose your trash cans wisely because you will need the ones with airtight lids. Choose well for those outside the house apart from the ones you use in the kitchen. Dustbins that are closed tightly will not give the opportunity to insects and rodents to find food and leftovers. Paying attention to this seemingly insignificant detail can save you from a lot of trouble in the long run.

Keep your house pest-free throughout the year

The New Year is the best time to ramp up your pest control efforts, but it shouldn’t be a one-time initiative. Stay vigilant throughout the year so that your place is safe and healthy. Make periodic decluttering a routine because pests have an uncanny ability to survive under furniture and boxes that are never moved. Go the extra mile with cleaning and ensure that you move things around often. Scheduling professional inspection after every few months is a good idea. Only pest control experts can find invisible enemies at the least probable places. Timely detection and resolution of the problem can prevent the damage from getting worse. Collaborate with a reliable provider you can trust to keep your living space clean and pest-free throughout the year.

A pest-free New Year is like a dream come true for any homeowner, but it isn’t something you can achieve without work. It requires a watchful eye and a proactive approach so that you can detect the lurking enemies at the earliest and get rid of them before the damage is done. Seeking help from pest control professionals is worthwhile, even if you have to spend on their services. You should not cringe at the expense and make it a part of your regular home maintenance routine.