When left to roam, some insects can destroy the structure of your home, laying eggs in crevices and leaving behind a food source for other insects to find. As a homeowner, an infestation can make you feel powerless, as the spread of pests creates risks for disease, as well as the spread of bacteria. If you know a Denver exterminator, you still must prevent a serious infestation. This week, start cleaning your home from top to bottom. Here is your guide to cleaning to reduce pests. First, let’s look at the motives behind thorough cleaning.
Why do you need to clean your home to keep pests out?
Insects detect food sources using chemical cues and scents. Either a clean or dirty home can draw ants, but a dirty home with bits of food around is a magnet for pests. Ants, for example, use chemosensing to detect food in their environment. So, they have what amounts to odor detectors near their antennae. When they discover food, they will leave behind pheromones, or, secretions that trigger other ants to react. If you want to keep pests away from your home, the key is to control the insect’s reactions. Pests who have no food sources from which to signal other pests don’t pose nearly as much of a risk to your home as those who do. Fortunately, cleaning your home thoroughly and routinely will reduce the availability of food sources. Your chances of avoiding full-blown infestations are higher than they would be if you relied on an exterminator alone. That said, the way you clean is as important as how often.
How cleaning like a Denver exterminator will help you keep pests out of your home
A Denver exterminator wouldn’t be surprised to see pests in a dirty, trashy home. In contrast, walking into a clean home would fill anyone’s nostrils with a refreshing scent. The surfaces would be disinfected and free of bacteria, the appliances stain-free, and the furniture dusted, possessions tucked neatly away where they belong. If you want an exterminator’s work to be more effective, follow these cleaning suggestions. The rooms in your home must be free of bacteria to keep pests from entering.
Cleaning storage spaces
Your storage options in your home include cabinets and drawers, storage closets, areas of the basement, the attic, the area underneath couches, sofas, tables, on top of kitchen appliances, and underneath your bed. These areas are dark, draw moisture, and can be prime spaces for pests to multiply. Where appropriate, use an All-Purpose cleaner, as well as bleach and water to wipe surfaces, inside cabinets, and drawers. In addition, make sure you completely eliminate crumbs, then wipe away food stains before you call your storage spaces clean.
Cleaning kitchens
Your kitchen is where most of the food remnants in your home get left behind. Therefore, cleaning the kitchen requires the use of disinfectants, the purpose of which is to remove contaminants and bacteria from surfaces. You’ll need to use disinfectant to wipe kitchen countertops, the refrigerator and its door handle, the dishwasher, cabinets, and the outside of your trash can. Because insects often crawl along the floor, sweeping and mopping will be sure to eliminate food particles you can barely see. Remember, insects such as silverfish, spiders, and beetles can survive off of small amounts of food, and for long periods, even without you noticing. Giving them your kitchen to feast on will allow pests ample opportunity to multiply, thus making your infestation more of a challenge to solve.
Cleaning bathrooms
In the bathroom, everything from your toilet to the crevices in your tub walls can provide food sources for insects. Cleaning a bathroom requires both disinfection and friction, as shallow attempts at eliminating soap scum or cleaning grouts won’t be nearly as effective as needed. To keep out spiders and other pests, scrub the walls and surfaces of your tub and bathroom sink. Because moisture collects in the bathroom, pests will find a home in the corners of the ceiling. Worse, you may even find them lurking near your toilet. Routine cleaning, not inconsistent cleaning, will have the most impact on pests in your bathroom. Remember, to make sure your bathroom gets enough ventilation, and never, ever, eat in the bathroom.
A Denver exterminator is the solution you’ll need, but when the time comes, you can do a thorough cleaning of your home. From your kitchen to the bathroom and in and around your storage spaces, bacteria form, putting members of your household at risk. To eliminate the bacteria that attract pests, clean your home as frequently and thoroughly as possible. That way, you’ll clean away the food sources that attract pests to your home. Your family will be safer without insects entering your home.