How To Pest Proof Your Home Without Dangerous Chemicals

Nobody wants pests infesting there home; whether it be ants, rodents, birds, or bed bugs. Although some may be very beneficial outside your home, once they enter you may be dealing with a serious health problem. Even one stray bug can be enough for people to reach for the chemical spray or call an exterminator, but before you go to post-infestation planning, why not stay one step ahead of invasive pests?  Although there are no full proof methods to keep pests out, there are proactive steps you can take to pest proof your home. The good news is you don’t have to break the bank or use unhealthy chemicals in order to do so. Below is listed some key problem areas that pests use to get into homes, and what you can do to prevent them safely and effectively.

Install Door Sweeps that small crack under your door is like a welcoming mat for bugs.  In order to prevent invasive pests from entering the cracks under your doors, install door sweeps that will create a protective seal around your door. Once installed, check for light or air that comes through the base of your door. If any cracks remain, adjust the door sweep or add additional protection like weather stripping.

Like doors, even small cracks around windows can be enough for pests to enter your home. If your windows are letting in air, they are letting in pests as well.  Cover up these cracks with a good quality acrylic latex or silicone caulk and speak with your local department store about the most effective way to install it.  This will also reduce your energy bill as air will not be able to pass as freely through these open cracks.

Pests may invade your home for many reasons, but the primary one is most likely for food. Make sure all food in your home is stored and sealed to ensure pests aren’t drawn to enter your home.  Also be sure to take out your trash on a regular basis and place it in a covered can outside your home.

Birds and raccoons love to enter a warm attic to nest, and once they are inside they can make a lot of noise and do a lot of damage. One way they enter is through holes in your roof, either already present or created themselves.  Be sure to check your roof for holes that might act as entry points for invasive pests.  If you are concerned you won’t perform a proper detection, contact a local roofing company to check for you and repair any holes.

Flies, gnats, mosquitos, and moths can enter your home through broken or torn screens in windows and doors.  This is especially evident during the warmer months of the year when you leave the doors and windows open in your home. If you notice the screens in your home are beginning to break down, replace them to keep flying pests out.

Ants tend to swarm pet food because the area is usually full of over spilled food that’s easy to access.  In order to reduce these pests from swarming your pet’s food dish, place a rubber mat under the food dish that acts as a natural deterrent to ants. Also keep the area around your pet dish clean by picking up any loose food on a regular basis.

By using natural deterrents, you can help keep unwanted pests out of your home without relying on harmful chemicals. Although each of the aforementioned steps will help reduce the probability of pests entering your home, each home is unique and requires a thorough inspection of problem areas. If you notice unwanted pests in your home, due a thorough evaluation of how they may have entered your home and take the necessary steps to keep them out.

Daniel Mackie, owner of The Bed Bug Tracker, is a Toronto pest control expert well-known as an industry go-to guy, an innovator of safe, effective pest control solutions, and is a regular guest on HGTV. Mackie, along with business partner Sandy Costa, were the first pest control professionals in Canada to use detection dogs for the successful detection of bed bugs. In his free time, he is an avid gardener.

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