Nashville, Murfreesboro, Knoxville and Chattanooga TN
If you’ve lived in this area for any length of time, you know that spiders, silverfish, house centipedes, roaches, and other pests remain active indoors during the winter looking for food and water. The time is now to pest proof your home for the upcoming holidays and avoid spotting those creepy-crawly insects about your house. When done right, pest control can reduce the number of pests that you see inside no matter the season. Making an effort to pest proof your home involves attention to both the inside and outside of your home.
Inside The Home
Let’s start with your home’s interior. There are many steps homeowners can take to avoid pests inside their home and a lot of efforts starts on the inside.
- Check and replace weather-stripping as needed. This means inspecting all doors and windows for proper sealing.
- Take the trash out regularly and avoid leaving food scraps in the trash can overnight.
- Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the kitchen sink or lying around on counters or in other rooms.
- Wipe down kitchen counters and sweep or vacuum the floors to remove food crumbs.
- Dust and remove cobwebs regularly to discourage spiders from building webs that attract other pests.
- Keep all packaged food items in the pantry or cabinets stored in tightly sealed containers, instead of rolling bags or closing boxes that do not seal.
- Store pet food properly by keeping it in a sealed container and only put out enough food for your pet to finish in one sitting.
- Ensure that your attic, basement, and/or crawlspace is well ventilated.
- Run a dehumidifier if your home accumulates an abundance of moisture.
- Regularly check under sinks to identify water leaks that could rot cabinetry and attract pests.
- Maintain an overall clean home to reduce hiding spaces for pests and eliminate their food sources.
- Inspect boxes, bags of goods, and packaging prior to bringing them into your home.
Outside The Home
Here are some tips for pest proofing your home from the outside:
- Ensure gutter downspouts divert water away from your home and not back to your home’s foundation or crawlspace.
- Keep gutters clean so that water can flow freely and avoid a backup that could rot wood and attract pests.
- Maintain your landscape by keeping the grass cut and trees and shrubs trimmed so that they do not touch your home, including the windows or roof.
- Remove landscaping debris like fallen, rotten limbs, grass clippings, and leaves as they are known to attract pests.
- Install screens over any pipes leading to the outdoors (like chimney, exhaust pipes, etc).
- Repair any damaged or rotten wood trim on your home.
- Repair any leaks as soon as possible.
- Keep mulched flowerbeds at least 15 inches away from your home’s foundation.
- Ensure that all windows have undamaged screens.
- Store firewood away from your home and off the ground.
- Install door sweeps to seal underneath your doors.
- Seal any cracks or holes on the outside of your home, specifically where electrical and plumbing pipes enter your home.
Pest Control in Nashville, Hermitage, and Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Year-round pest control offers a peace of mind to help reduce the number of pests inside your home. But we also recommend the above measures to help further the effectiveness of your pest control treatments. To learn more or to find out about year-round pest control near you in Nashville, contact Ameri Care Services by calling (615) 893-7111.