The Best Ways to Protect Your Home from Pests
No matter how much care you take, pests can become a problem for the best of us. Whilst you might normally think animals are cute – especially small fluffy ones – you tend to think differently when they’re sniffing around your kitchen, and digging little noses into your trash. Rats, bugs, and even cute mice can carry disease and turn a beautiful home into an unhygienic nightmare. Getting rid of them can be just as traumatic, especially if you don’t want to set traps and then deal with disposing of the bodies. Instead, here are some smart ways to deter pests without resorting to killing methods, and make your home as resistant to invasions as possible – stopping the problem before it even occurs.
Ultrasonic Repellents
A high-tech approach to pest-repellent, these little devices plug straight into your wall sockets and emit a tone far too high-pitched for the human ear to hear, but which scares little pests away with remarkable efficiency. Rather than having to clean up after pests and find ways to dispose of them, this is a brilliant way to deter them in the first place.
Structural Safeguarding
Mice can squeeze through the smallest of gaps, and if you have old flooring or skirting boards, they could be getting into your property through tiny holes you may not even have noticed. One way to help prevent infestations – as well as having a host of other benefits – is to upgrade and replace any damaged or aged areas. Good flooring companies will know the best installation methods and floors to use that will fit snugly into your home and help prevent any unwelcome visitors.
Sprays
Another way to deter pests is by smell. Now, this conjures immediate associations with horrible odors, just as likely to drive you or your guests out of your home as any animal. However, there are now some good options for smells that will act against pests without making your home smell quite so nasty. Peppermint oil has been well-documented as acting against mice; you can DIY your treatments, or buy particularly concentrated sprays for a more intensive treatment.
A Housecat
It’s the oldest trick in the book, but one way to get rid of an animal is to use another. Cats have been utilized since Egyptian times as pest control, and it is how they have spread across the globe; brought to England by the Romans, and then to the Americas by European settlers – all in aid of controlling rat populations on ships, and in new lands. Quite apart from companionship and a heated cushion for when you’re watching TV, cats will instinctively catch any pests that have already entered your property, and act as a great deterrent for those who haven’t.
Food Waste
Finally, and perhaps most obviously, the best way to guard against pests is to take good care of your food waste. Never leave waste open to the air – always keep it covered and sealed in bin bags, and take your trash out regularly to avoid the build-up of enticing odors. If you have a food waste bin, it’s even a smart idea to keep it in the bottom drawer of your freezer, to completely prevent food from decaying until you are ready to throw it all out. This, along with the other solutions, should minimize any risk of pests and help you live in a clean, relaxing environment.