5 Handy DIY Pest Control Tips to Keep your Home Pest-Free

With wetter weather in May and higher-than-usual dengue cases this year, it may be a smart choice for you to invest more in pest control.

But before you ring up pest control services, there are some steps you can take to keep pests in check. If the infestation is light, you might even be able to stop pests yourself.

Want to keep your home pest-free? Check out this list of verified pest control tips you can quickly put to use.

5 Tips for easy and effective DIY pest control

Tip 1: Weather-strip your doors, windows and basements

Flying insects like houseflies, mosquitoes and even cockroaches can enter your home through slits along the sides and tops of doors and windows. If a door or window is loose, these pests can fly into your home and start an infestation via exposed gaps.

One quick way to stop them is to weather-strip your doors and windows.

Weather-stripping refers to sealing any openings you home may have, such as doors, windows, as well as storage cabinets and trunks placed outdoors.  While the purpose of weather-stripping is to stop rain and water from entering your home, it can also deny pests entry.

As an added benefit, weather-stripping doors and windows also helps with climate control at home. Because any gaps that cold (or hot) air can escape from are now sealed tighter, your air-conditioner won’t need to work as hard to keep your home cool.

Tip 2: Keep wooden furniture and flooring as dry as possible

Powder post beetles (also known as “woodworms”) and termites are drawn to damp wood, and so are nasty microbes like mildew and mould. The best way to keep these pests out is to make sure your wooden furniture and floor is minimally exposed to moisture.

To do so, always:

1. Use coasters when placing cold drinks on wooden furniture.
2. Clean up any spills on wooden floors immediately
3. Squeeze out excess moisture from wet cloth before wiping down wooden furniture or flooring

If you are looking to renovate your home soon, consider water-resistant hardwood flooring. This type of wooden flooring is not 100% waterproof, but it deters pests and lasts longer since it keeps a good amount of moisture out.

 

Tip 3: Store flattened cardboard boxes above ground in dry places

It’s not uncommon these days to use environmentally friendly cardboard boxes to store items or pack groceries into, but a clutter of these in your home provides an easy breeding ground for cockroaches and silverfish.

While there is still an odd chance for pests to nest, flattening out your cardboard boxes and storing them in a dry place above the ground can greatly reduce those odds.

This is because storing them compactly reduces wiggle room for pests, and preventing your boxes from rotting due to moisture also makes sure they do not attract pests.

Flattening out your cardboard boxes also has other benefits. You’ll be happy for more storage space, and the rag-n-bone man you intend to sell those boxes to will also thank you for the effort.

 

Tip 4: Prevent sink blockage by installing a drain strainer

Food waste in the kitchen easily attracts all sorts of pests, and simply lifting the sink lid after washing the dishes may not be enough.

That’s because the holes of some sink lids may not be fine enough to prevent tinier pieces of food waste from flowing through. These bits tend to accumulate and draw pests like cockroaches and rats.

A quick fix to this problem is to simply use a drain strainer or basket strainer. Make sure to get a stainless steel one that does not rust easily, and avoid plastic or silicone ones as they tend to not be very durable.

 

Tip 5: Avoid using bug zappers  

Contrary to popular understanding, bug zappers actually don’t work with pests like mosquitoes, horseflies, and houseflies.

That’s because they are drawn more by carbon dioxide that potential victims exhale instead of ultra-violet (UV) light that bug zappers usually radiate.

Worse, your bug zapper may kill off beneficial insects that are attracted to UV light and deprive birds in your neighborhood of their food source.

Instead of an expensive bug zapper that doesn’t work, start by removing all sources of stagnant water in your home. Weather-strip your doors and windows as mentioned earlier.

Free your home from all pests effortlessly with BUTLER

If you are dealing with a chronic infestation at home or simply don’t have the time to deal with pests daily, BUTLER’s pest control services can help.

Different pests require different solutions. BUTLER’s full suite of pest control services includes standard fumigation and heat solutions to eliminate common pests such as bed bugs, mosquitoes, and cockroaches. For other pests such as borrowing rodents and wood-boring insects, specialized fumigation techniques such as perfume fumigation and phosphine fumigation are also available.

BUTLER”s pest control services start to cover your pest control needs from end to end. Thermal assessment and electrical inspection solutions both prevent pests from invading your home and keep them out for good.

Keep your home pest-free together with BUTLER. Get in touch with us and arrange for a consultation today!

 

References:

http://www.weather.gov.sg/weather-forecast-monsoon-update/

https://www.nea.gov.sg/dengue-zika/dengue/dengue-cases

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/door-weather-stripping/

https://www.rentokil.com.sg/my-pest-control-quick-tips/quick-tips/are-ants-or-beetles-capable-of-damaging-your-furniture/

Bug zappers – one of the most efficient methods for mosquito control