You finally got the keys to your beautiful new home! The house is everything you have ever dreamed of: beautiful wood floors, plush carpet, shiny countertops, overall just everything you could possibly want in a home.
But buying the house was the easy part. The hard part now is maintaining it. You will continuously have to undergo efforts to make sure your home looks as good as it did on the first day you moved in. Routine house maintenance also goes hand-in-hand with pest control. In order to keep your home pest free for years to come, here are some tips you should follow the instant you move into your new home:
- Seal any cracks you see in the home’s foundation and siding joints with caulk or other sealants. Pests such as ants or termites can easily make their way into your home through these cracks and cause an infestation. Furthermore, over time, the cracks can gradually grow larger which can allow for rodents to go through as well.
- Keep your garden and yard areas clean by regularly clearing away debris that can accumulate in these areas. Debris buildup provides pests with a warm place to hide and live. Getting rid of the debris when you see it can decrease the chances of your home becoming a nesting ground for little critters.
- Make sure you trim any tree limbs or shrubs that touch your house. They provide pests a direct and easy access into your home.
- Make sure your vent openings are covered with wire mesh. The wire mesh will still allow air to circulate in your home while keeping out pests.
- Set up traps around your home. If pests do try to come in, the traps will be able to take care of them before they can do any damage to your home.
- Give your home a deep clean upon moving in. Pests are attracted to homes with a lot of clutter, dirt, and debris so clearing out these elements once you move in is a crucial step to take when it comes to keeping pests away. Whether you’re moving into a used home or a new home, it’s important that you get hands-on with cleaning the home yourself. It’s possible that the previous homeowner or builder may have missed some spots when they were doing their cleaning routines such as scrubbing the corners or cleaning out the vents and cabinets. Cleaning the home yourself is a great way to make sure that you pick up the slack.
- Keep mulch away from the foundation of your home. Many pests tend to hide out and make their home in the mulch. If you want to do some landscaping for your home, consider using stones instead.
- Adjust your downspouts away from your home’s foundation. That way when it rains, the water is not going to your foundation and making it moist. Many pests hide out in the foundation because it can be a warm and moist place to live. By making sure that water does not reach the foundation, you are ensuring that it stays dry and pest free.
Along with following these tips, make sure you invest in regular inspections from your pest control provider. A professional can keep an eye out for possible problems that you may not be aware of and can regularly treat your home with chemicals that keep pests away.
A new home should provide you a place to relax and be safe. Pest infestations can greatly interfere with that peaceful image. Following these tips is a great first step to take in order to make sure pests do not cause a problem in your new home.