Pest Control Tips for New Homeowners

If you are a new homeowner, congratulations! There are so many exciting factors in owning a home: placing furniture where you want it, exploring your new neighborhood, creating the perfect backyard space, and having a fresh start. But one of the more grueling parts of owning a home, especially if it is your first time, is pest control. It feels overwhelming to be responsible for keeping a pest-free home and knowing when to call in the experts.

Here are the most efficient ways to do some preventative pest control in a new home!

Initial & Continuous Inspections

Perform your own inspection of the home before all of your belongings are set up to make sure there aren’t any immediate pest concerns. Walk around the house and the yard with a flashlight and look for any signs of a pest or infestation. These signs include:

Droppings or waste on the wall or floors (dark brown spots)
Exoskeletons of insects
Discarded egg cases
Cobwebs
Chewed wires
Holes in the wall or along the baseboards
Bite marks or holes in any plants
The sound of scurrying or clawing inside the home
Dead insects, especially more than one in a small area

If some of these signs are present, it’s time to contact pest control and get ahead of potential pest problems. Take note of the locations so the treatments are targeted toward the problem areas. After the move-in process is complete, it’s helpful to regularly inspect the home, just to make sure there aren’t any pests that have flown (maybe literally) under the radar.

Cracks and Holes

Another issue to look out for during an inspection is any sort of crack or hole around doors, windows, walls, and the foundation. Small pests, like ants and flies, can clearly fit through cracks, but mice are known to fit through spaces about the width of a wooden pencil! Inspecting the seals on windows and doors is also important to be sure that pests cannot easily enter the home through those openings.

If the window is still under warranty and the seal looks faulty, you can contact the manufacturer about a replacement. Otherwise, windows and doors with broken seals can be fixed if you’re in the mood for a little research and a DIY project.

Any small cracks can be easily sealed using sealant that can be purchased at a hardware store. Holes on the outside of the home are basically a welcome wagon for pests, since these are easy access points. Small holes can be sealed by sticking copper mesh in the hole and applying foam sealant around the opening.

Torn Screens

Opening a window or door with a screen is great for getting the fresh air in favorable weather, but the luster fades when a torn screen lets in some unwelcome guests. Small holes and tears can be patched using a piece of the same type of mesh, available at hardware stores. If the gaps are too big for a simple patch job, then it may mean replacing the whole screen with new mesh. There are plenty of tutorials and examples available online if you want to do it yourself.

Leaks

Moisture is another feature that attracts pests looking for a water source, which makes leaks an even larger problem. During your own inspection of your new home, as discussed earlier, keep an eye out for leaking pipes or faucets. Any puddle, large or small, that doesn’t have an obvious source needs to be looked into as well. Leaks can attract pests and lead them to make their home in or near the pipes. They can also cause extensive damage in the framework if left unfixed.

Termites are especially drawn to moist wood, which would mean even more damage to the framework. Be sure to call a plumber if the source of the leak is found and needs to be professionally fixed.

Deep Clean

While it is more fun to unpack belongings and put them in their new spots, it’s important to conduct a big, deep clean before you put things away. This will not only keep everything sanitized and orderly, but it will also give a clean slate for pest control. Pests of all kinds are attracted to mess and food, so eliminating that initial grime on surfaces is a great start to keeping a pest-free home.

Wipe down all counters and flat surfaces with a disinfecting wipe, vacuum the carpet, sweep or mop the hard floors, and clean bathroom features like the toilet and shower. A deep clean may be tedious, but there is nothing better than moving into a freshly cleaned home that doesn’t attract pests.

Food Storage

There are countless ways to store food properly with the rise in attractive, aesthetic food storage containers, thanks to social media. Since there are many products and methods to safely store food, it’s personal preference. One easy way is to clip all open chip and cereal bags closed, then place them inside a zip-top bag for extra protection.

Another is to keep opened bags, grains, breads, and tortillas in the fridge, since the fridge and freezer are more secure than a normal cabinet. They aren’t impenetrable, however, so be sure to enclose all opened food that’s in the fridge and freezer. A more visibly-pleasing way is to use clear acrylic containers with airtight lids. Pour the contents of snack bags containing chips, crackers, cereal, or small treats into the containers, then click the lid closed before putting it away.

Pet food should also be stored properly. Cat or dog food, specifically their dry food, is known for attracting pests to the protein. The easiest way to store it is by keeping all food and treats in a trash can with a locking lid. It may also help to remove the pet’s food bowl and put it in the same can when they are finished eating. If treats are in fancier containers, make sure they have lids with tight seals to prevent anything from stealing food from your furry friends.

Trash Management

Unattended trash is a target for many hungry pests, so it’s important to take the trash out before it piles up. Some homes don’t have room for a trash can with a lid, so it’s important to stay on top of taking out the trash and keeping the area clean. For any kitchen trash can, take the bag out to the outside garbage can when it’s full or especially smelly. Spraying an aerosol disinfectant inside the trashcan before putting a new trash bag in helps with odor and bacteria that attract pests.

Regular Cleaning & Chores

This one may seem like an obvious byproduct of living in any type of home, but it definitely helps prevent pests from making themselves comfortable. Piled-up dirty laundry attracts rodents and cockroaches, while dirty dishes left in the sink for weeks can bring about flies, roaches, and ants. Chores are one of the least fun parts of being an independent adult, but it’s essential for the wellbeing of everyone living there.

It doesn’t have to be as extreme as completing a load of laundry as soon as a shirt is dirty, but it helps to keep the laundry and dish piles low to avoid giving pests easy nesting places. Vacuuming or sweeping the floors also keeps the space clean and prevents buildup of dust and dirt.

Trimmed Landscaping

The yard may be the last part of the home that you’re thinking of when you first move in, but it’s important to keep up with yard maintenance. Pests come from outside, so any landscaping and debris left unchecked provide a path for pests to enter the house.

Keep tree branches and bushes trimmed back from the house, and dispose of any cardboard or old building materials left outside. Cockroaches love cardboard and ants and spiders can use trees to make their way into the house, so it’s important to keep the outside space relatively clean, especially in the warmer months.

Cobwebs & Spiderwebs

This is a small act, but it’s big in its prevention of pests. A cobweb obviously means a spider was there at some point, but it can also mean that other pests are near if they smelled anything interesting caught in the sticky threads. A spiderweb means that a spider is likely still there or recently left, since the web is still “clean.” Use a duster or a broom to easily remove the webs and inspect the area for any stray pests or now-homeless spiders.

Clothing from Storage

If any clothing was kept in storage for a long time, like big winter coats, it’s helpful to wash them before hanging them in a closet. Pests, especially cockroaches and silverfish, can nestle themselves in clothes stored in flimsy containers, like cardboard boxes. They’ll even reproduce if there’s enough food in the area, which would be the most unwelcome surprise when it’s time to get the seasonal clothes out.

If you want to keep the clothes packed, get a plastic container with a locking lid to keep pests out and the clothing nice.

Contact Pest Control for Regular Services

Green Pest Services

If there are, thankfully, no current pests, it might still be a good idea to contact pest control early on and schedule quarterly services. Just because there is not a problem now does not mean it will stay that way forever, unfortunately. It helps immensely to have a technician come out and provide preventative treatments to be sure that everything still looks pest-free, and be prepared in case pests try to invite themselves into your beautiful new home.

Citations

Milbrand, L. (2021, October 1). 13 things in your house that are attracting pests right now. Reader’s Digest. Available at https://www.rd.com/list/things-in-house-attracting-pests/ (Accessed on February 23, 2022).

Pest control for new homeowners: 11 crucial tips. (2022, January 13). Residence Style. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.residencestyle.com/pest-control-for-new-homeowners-11-crucial-tips/

Stanley, J. (2021, August 25). 25 tips for controlling pests in and around your home. Family Handyman. Available at https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/26-tips-for-controlling-pests-in-and-around-your-home/ (Accessed on February 23, 2022).

Pest Control Tips for New Homeowners