Pests such as cockroaches, spiders, ants, and termites, not only damage your property but also spread infections. The best way to get rid of these pests is to call the pest control service. But before you go ahead and book pest control services, try out these top 10 pest control tips and tricks to ward off pests and keep your house clean and disease free.

Read on.

Top 10 pest control tips and tricks

     1. Keep the kitchen clean

Pests thrive in dirty, damp atmosphere. To avoid pest infestation, keep the kitchen counters, racks, stove-top and drawers clean. Wipe them regularly with a disinfectant cleaner. Also, if there are food particles lying out in the open, they will attract more insects. This pest control tip may not completely eliminate the pest infestation problem, but it surely will reduce the number of pests in your house. Cleaning after pest control is also very important to ensure your house doesn’t get infested soon.

[Also Read: 5 Ingenious DIY Kitchen Cleaning Hacks For You]

     2. Keep the bathroom clean

Most pest control tips for apartments don’t include pest control tips and tricks for bathrooms. But the above rule also applies to bathrooms as well. Keep your bathrooms clean and dry. Using a toilet cleaner, clean the pot every alternate day. Wash the sink at least once a week with a heavy-duty bathroom cleaner. Keep the shower curtain dry and free of moss. Make sure the drain is not clogged with hair and soap particles and is always covered. These small measures will keep the bathroom hygienic and pest free for a longer time.

3. Do not allow water to stand

Pests like mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Clean the area around your house and make sure you get the drains running outside your house cleaned as stagnant dirty water in the drains can cause mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and malaria. Keep the buckets in your bathroom dry when they are not being used. The same goes for kitchen utensils. If you have an air-conditioner that eliminates water, don’t keep a vessel under it to collect water. Look for alternatives such as a pipe to carry the water out as soon as it gets there. Or empty and clean the vessel every day. Do ensure there is absolutely no stagnant water anywhere near or in your house. If you are wondering how to do pest control at home by yourself, you can follow some easy home made remedies to get rid of these pests.

5. Don’t keep fruits and vegetables out for long

Fruits and vegetables, when overripe, attract flies and other insects. Avoid keeping cut and ripe fruits out of the fridge for long. While some pests like fruit flies are harmless, the overripe, rotting fruits can also attract bigger pests like house flies, ants and cockroaches which are difficult to get rid of.

6. Dispose of garbage regularly

We often wonder how to clean kitchen after pest control but it’s fairly simple and garbage disposal is key. Ideally, garbage should be disposed of every single day. An accumulation of garbage can lead to rat, rodents and cockroach infestation. This gets worse when you find rotten food particles all around the house. This can lead to spread of diseases especially if you have pets and small children in the house.

4. Maintain your garden

If you have a lawn or a garden, fill in holes or pits where water can accumulate. If you have a pond or a water fountain in the garden, clean it regularly. Also, prune the plants on a regular basis to avoid wild, bushy growths. Maintain your garden, keep it neat and clean to avoid unwanted pests like mosquitoes, rats and ants.

      7.  Keep items of external use outside

If you have a kitchen garden or a lawn, it’s likely you may have furniture, shoes, buckets and other objects specifically meant for gardening purposes. Keep these objects outdoors and try not to use them for indoor purposes before cleaning them thoroughly.  This is because bringing them in may unknowingly bring in many pests into the house as well. The same applies to toys such as battery-operated cars, bicycles, etc that your kids may use outdoors. Keep them secured in the garage or any other outdoor area and ask your kids not to bring them indoors.

8. Fix nets on windows

Fix nets on your windows to prevent pests such as house flies, mosquitoes, spiders and large cockroaches from coming in. These nets will not only help with ventilation but also prevent pests from entering. This is a pretty effective way to keep pests out of your house. Also, if there are any broken window panes or glasses, repair them at the earliest to prevent insects from entering. Check all the doors of the house too and carry out repairs, if necessary, to make your measures more effective.

     9. Dispose of things you don’t need

An important pest control tip is to declutter your house. If you have unused boxes lying around in the house gathering dust, or toys your children have outgrown – get rid of them. These items only serve as hot spots for insects and germs. Sell or throw away any old item, including old baby strollers, shoes, packaging material, plastic bags, torn luggage, etc. If you are finding it difficult to decide whether to throw something or not, ask yourself this: Will I use this item in the next three months? If the answer is no, then it’s time to throw it out!

10. Contact a professional pest control service

While the above-mentioned measures can help reduce the number of pests in your house, you cannot completely eliminate pests without professional help. Pest control service on Urban Company helps you get rid of these harmful pests. Our professionals are well trained and use verified chemicals and measures to ensure the safety of you and your family.

Benefits of pest control services

Let us take a quick look at the benefits of getting a professional pest control service done from Urban Company:

• Thorough and safe: Our professionals ensure they use safe pesticides, disinfectants and other verified chemicals only. The new age pest control measures are comparatively safer and less harmful if used in recommended quantities. If you are doing pest control on your own, do wear gloves.  So, you don’t have to worry about your family members or pets getting affected.
• Affordable: Urban Company’s pest control services are highly affordable.

Table 1: Cost of pest control services for different apartment sizes

• Customisable: Depending on the area and scale of pest infestation, you can choose from various packages on our website.

Table 2: Types of pest control services and treatment methods used by Urban Company.

• Guaranteed results: Once you get a pest control done, you can rest assured that your home will be free of pests for the next 4-6 months.

Follow the points mentioned above and you will be able to keep insects and pests out of your home.