5 Home Maintenance Steps that Will Protect Your Home from Pests

Regular home maintenance is a basic tenet of caring for what is likely your greatest asset; one of the many benefits of keeping your home in tip-top shape is keeping your property pest-free. Pest infestations can cause extensive damage to the structure and pose serious health risks to those living inside. Check out these five home maintenance steps to protect your home from pests:

Although it’s important to keep your porch lights on for security reasons, it’s exhausting to have a flurry of flying insects invade your home each time you open the front door…save yourself some swatting and replace the existing exterior lighting with halogen, yellow compact fluorescent, or high-pressure sodium vapor bulbs. This simple change will drastically reduce the number of bugs congregating on your porch in the evenings.

This one is pretty obvious, but it’s a task that can easily be overlooked when making necessary repairs. Holes in screens are an easy entry point for flying and crawling insects alike. Once they pass the barrier of the screen, they’re perfectly positioned to weasel their way inside through gaps in caulking or an open window. Once the weather is temperate enough to enjoy a nice breeze, do a full check of every screen in the house so you can open those windows and give the HVAC system a well-deserved break.

Keeping your home caulked and sealed will block points of entry for pests attempting to invade the interior of your property, preventing infestations as well as structural damage. Make sure windows are properly caulked and sealed. Carefully inspect the exterior and fill holes, crevices, and cracks in the structure. Check weatherstripping around exterior doors and ensure that the door closes properly and maintains a strong seal all the way around. Sealing points of entry is one of the best ways to ensure that pests don’t slip through and multiply into a full-fledged infestation.

4. Maintain Proper Drainage Systems

Standing water can become a breeding ground for pests and can lead to infestations that wreak havoc on the exterior as well as interior of your property. If you have gutters, make sure they are regularly cleaned and covered to prevent nesting and debris buildup that may cause standing water. If water pools significantly in the lawn or on pavement, correct the grading so water runs off instead of standing near the home.

Most critters must pass through your lawn or landscaping on their way to invade the interior of your home. Keeping your lawn and landscaping properly maintained year-round creates an environment that is unattractive to and unfavorable for rodents and other pests. Tall grass is a great hiding place for mice and other pests, so mow the lawn regularly to the appropriate height based on the species of grass you have. Keep tree branches and shrubs trimmed, ensuring they don’t brush up against the home – limbs make a great bridge for many types of pests to easily access the structure. A properly maintained yard is a great first defense against pests trying to approach your home.

Regular attention to these five home maintenance tasks will go far in the fight to protect not only the structure of your home, but the health of those living inside. If you’ve taken all the right steps to properly care for your home in the San Joaquin Valley and are still struggling with a pest infestation, it may be time to call a professional to handle the situation. Give San Joaquin Pest Control a call to discuss a treatment and prevention plan to protect your property and keep it pest-free for years to come.