‘Tis the season of nonstop gifts, food, treats, and many events that feel never ending at this time of year. Even during what can be a chaotic time, it’s important to still protect your home from unwanted guests – pests! Here are some holiday pest prevention tips that will keep your home pest-free. 

Inspect the Exterior of Home

When all the events and activities are taking place inside your home away from the cold weather, pests that are outside are also looking to move in for the same reason! Make sure to do a thorough look at your home from the outside, which will make a difference, and here are some pointers!

• Seal entry points – When looking at the foundation of your home, taking time to inspect for entry points is crucial during this season. Make sure any gaps or holes leading to the inside are covered with caulk or mesh will prevent rodents like mice from getting in. We do offer this service as part of our mouse control and subscription services. 

• Dispose of trash properly – With the fun of gifts and food also comes a lot of garbage, but it’s still important to make sure it is thrown away properly. Ensure you are using bags that are not easily ripped and putting them in bins with tight-fitting lids so pests won’t be attracted to them. . 

• Inspect firewood and plants – During this time, it’s important to make sure any firewood or plants being brought into the home are thoroughly inspected. Plants like poinsettias, Christmas trees, and other holiday plants can harbor insects in them and will stay anywhere the plant is. With firewood that is being used in a fireplace or even a bonfire, ensure it’s kept away from your home to avoid attracting ants or termites, which is something you do not want in your home. 

Precautions Inside Your Home

While pests are wanting to move their way inside your home, it can be difficult to handle that along with the chaotic holiday season. Here are some easy day-to-day things you can do to keep your home pest-free.

• Maintain a clean home – Continuing to do your regular cleaning routine around your home is crucially important. Do things like sweeping floors especially after a meal, vacuuming carpets, wiping tables and countertops, and keeping areas clutter free. It makes pests unable to find anything to sustain themselves in your home and prevents them from finding spots to harbor in. 
• Having guests – While having friends and family visiting your home, it’s common to have them stay over the holiday season. During this time, it’s important to have them check items that they bring including luggage. It can prevent them from bringing any type of pests in, but especially a big one like bed bed bugs. 

• Properly storing items – During the holiday season, a fun activity is being able to decorate your home. . Especially between the months of October and December, with one holiday after the other, it’s common to want to just throw decorations in a random corner of your home until next year comes along. To avoid pests from harboring in your belongings,, put them into airtight containers to keep them safe and help with organization for the next year!

Preventatives

During the holiday season, we understand the desire to continue holiday traditions. Here are some preventative measures you can do to make sure you enjoy your home pest-free. 

• Scheduling pest inspections and treatments – While the weather is getting colder, a lot of people believe that this is the time that pests just die off and disappear for the season, which is completely false. Pests are now finding their way inside your home, hiding in wall voids, dark spaces, and really anywhere that they will be left alone to be able to reproduce. This is why it is still important to continue with your maintenance pest control treatments and if anything does appear, call our company to get an inspection and treatment done with a technician!

• Inspecting decorations – Decorating your home, including outside, can be enjoyable! However, once the holiday ends, it’s time to bring the decorations inside and inspecting them before storing is crucial. Pests like spiders will use them to hide for warmth, and will stay in them for however long they can. Taking the time to clean them before bringing them in and then storing them properly will avoid harboring pests. 

• At home alternatives – It’s the time to carve pumpkins, bake cookies and gingerbread houses and so much more! Take note of some tips to avoid attracting pests while still enjoying the fun.

• Soaking pumpkins in vinegar: While carving pumpkins, after cleaning them out you can soak them in vinegar. Doing this will avoid pests being attracted to it. 
• Baking treats: While baking, it’s important to store things not in use properly and when the baking is all done, store your treats in containers rather than out in the open. It will keep pests from getting to them and using them as a food source. 
• Christmas trees and greenery: Before bringing in any trees, garlands and wreaths, it’s important to still inspect them. They can harbor small rodents or pests like spiders and mites, so you can either shake them out or spray them with a strong jet of water before bringing them inside your home.

For any questions about our holiday prevention tips, or to learn about our treatments during the holiday season, please contact our office at (844) 572-0628.