Pest control requires consistent effort, and effort that can seem overwhelming when cleaning is not your strong suit. Most of us work hard to keep off-takers at bay, but life gets busy for everyone. Food crumbs across counters, unwashed dishes in the sink, and cluttered rooms are all ideal hiding spots for ants, roaches, and other uninvited guests.
These pests breed fast, and what starts as a small problem can suddenly escalate into an infestation before you know it. And while the thought of deep cleaning feels overwhelming to you, a few strategic habits can go a long way in nipping pest problems in the bud, all without spending hours scrubbing.
Pest control professionals can treat for invaders when they appear, but a little elbow grease and cleanliness are your best attempts to prevent them in the first place. Right here in this blog post, we have listed all the practical and easy cleaning tips!
6 Tips to Clean Your Home If You Are a Lazy Cleaner
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Strategize Over Storage
Clutter offers pests places to hide. Storing items in plastic bins (with lids) for seasonal items, and behind elevated shelving for anything that can not touch the ground are easy storage solutions. Opt for washable containers, even if just for storage, rather than cardboard boxes, which can hold cockroaches and silverfish.
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Install no-effort pest barriers
Install door sweeps on exterior doors and repair screens on windows — both one-time tasks that will help prevent entry. Apply silicone caulk to cracks around pipes and foundations. These precautions present physical obstacles to pests that avoid the need for continual cleaning.
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Have Them Cleaned Professionally
If motivation is lacking, try hiring professional cleaners to come in each quarter for deep cleaning tasks you repeatedly ignore. This can be expensive, but it is cheaper than dealing with a serious infestation, and you do not have to spend any time stirring up energy or fighting back personal frustration.
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Focus on Food Sources First
Pests are most drawn to the kitchen due to the ease of access to food. These pests can feed on crumbs that the naked eye cannot see. Wipe countertops with a disinfectant wipe every day, even if you do nothing else. Keep all food in airtight containers and do not let dirty dishes sit overnight.
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Implement a “No Food Zone” Policy
Limit eating to specific places, such as the kitchen or dining room. A study found that homes that permitted food in living spaces had 60% more ant problems. This easy edge means more crumbs will end up off the floor and fewer places to pack leftover debris.
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Adopt the “One-Minute Rule”
If a cleaning job takes less than a minute, go ahead and do it at once. Those things would include throwing away your food packaging, wiping spills, or taking out small bags of trash.
Important Things to Remember When Cleaning Home
Consistency, not intensity, is key to stopping pest problems. Its type of cleaning in large and small measures also means that it remains less appealing to pests than another kind of cleaning performed less frequently.
- Concentrate your limited resources on “hot” spots with food and water.
- Do not forget that bugs love water as much as they love food, so tighten up leaky faucets and make sure bathrooms are well-ventilated.
- Use deterrents designed for specific pests, such as diatomaceous earth for crawling insects or certain essential oils for flying pests, as a second line of defense in between cleanings.
Balance Prevention With Practical Solutions
We do not need perfect cleanliness to maintain a perfectly pest-free home, just behaviors that inhibit the leading incitements, the pests’ own preferences and proclivities. With these relatively low-effort cleaning tricks, even the most anti-clean homeowner can fight their pest problems.
For larger, ongoing infestations, consider meeting with a professional pest control service to discuss solutions to your problem without you spending hours trying various considerations. These professionals are capable of finding entrance points and issues you might not otherwise notice and can offer you treatment plans that are personalized to your home’s specific issues as well as your cleaning habits.
