With Chinese New Year just around the corner, it is the best time to carry out spring cleaning activities. As its name suggests, this activity is usually conducted during spring time to remove unwanted items from your home, clean away dust and dirt, and tidy up spaces. Besides signifying a new start for the year and giving your home's interior design a mini makeover, spring cleaning also aids to remove and prevent a pest infestation.
In this article, Bingo Pest shares key knowledge to reduce the chance of a pest harbouring and breeding, as well as how you can prevent them with easy-to-follow and actionable spring cleaning tips.
Table of Contents:
What Are Pests Attracted To?
While some pests feed on the food we eat, some consume mould, plant secretions and even faeces. Mostly, a pest infestation occurs due to delayed repairs or poor home maintenance habits. In this section, we've compiled a list of common things that pests are attracted to inside and outside of the house:
1. Food Debris
Most often than not, food lying around in the kitchen or pantry attracts pests. Cockroaches, flies, rats and ants are huge fans of the food we eat. When these pests come into contact with fresh food, they become contaminated and a potential hazard to your health and safety.
2. Moisture, spillages and stagnant water
Like humans, pests require water to survive. Any signs of moisture from spillages or leaky pipes can encourage pests to harbour. An example includes the deadly mosquitoes. They require water to lay their eggs and can start breeding in stagnant water as little as a 20-cent coin.
3. Wooden furniture, structures and fixtures
Pests such as termites and carpenter ants thrive in places with wood. They can damage these wooden items and cause hefty repair costs.
4. Drains, pipes and floor traps
Cockroaches and flies are examples of pests who are attracted to grime build-up in drains and pipes.
5. Mould and mildew
Booklice and barklice feed on mould found at home. They can be commonly found on walls and ceilings.
6. Clutter
An untidy and messy area boosts pest activities as it provides spaces necessary for their breeding. Examples include rodents and cockroaches who prefer hiding in dark and humid places. Stacks of old newspapers and unused cardboards can add up to the clutter at home.
7. Poor ventilation
Places with poor ventilation often result in humidity. Common household pests including cockroaches, spiders and booklice thrive in humid places.
8. Cracks, crevices and gaps
Some pests such as cockroaches, rodents and ants are either tiny or flexible enough to fit into small spaces. These gaps found on windows, underneath the doors and on walls allow them to enter your home easily. Furthermore, cracks and crevices on the wall also encourage pests such as bed bugs to hide and breed in them.
Key Hot Spots of a Pest Infestation
A pest infestation can happen anywhere in a property as these pests travel around. However, there are certainly key areas where pest breeding activities are commonly found. These are often forgotten places, but where factors leading to a pest infestation - food, water and shelter, are critically present. They include:
Attic and basement
Under the sinks
Behind and under cabinets and shelves
Kitchen and pantry
Store room
Bathroom
Carry out frequent visual checks in these areas and take quick actions to eliminate any pest infestation found. Afterall, getting rid of an early and small pest issue requires less time, money and effort.
Tips to Reduce a Pest Infestation at Home
There are small and easy steps that you can take to prevent a pest infestation. They include:
Use a dehumidifier to absorb moisture and inhibit mould and mildew growth.
Declutter by putting away unused or unwanted items such as recyclables, cartons, old magazines and books. Donating items that are in good condition also a good method to get rid of clutter at home.
Improve food storage habits by keeping food in airtight containers or in the fridge. This denies pests access to the food they need.
Check for stagnant water inside and outside of the house. Particularly, look in pails, vases, water trays for plants, clogged drains and gutters.
Maintain good housekeeping practices such as bringing out the trash regularly and not leaving dirty dishes overnight.
Use a robot vacuum cleaner and program it to clean up the house daily.
Stay aware and conduct regular inspections to check for any signs of pest infestations.
Install window seals, door sweeps and insect screens to ward pests away from your home.
Eliminate Pest Infestation with Expert Help
Engaging a professional pest control company to detect pests in your property is probably the best way to guard your home from a pest infestation. These experts are trained to tackle any pest issues and provide accurate pest detection and identification to provide you peace of mind.
Reliable Pest Control Company in Singapore
Bingo Pest is a local pest control company with skilled and knowledgeable pest specialists. We dedicate and commit ourselves to defending your home against common pest invasions including cockroaches, ants, flies, rats, termites, mosquitoes and more.
Our team adopts the below pest management approach to achieve sustainable success in pest control:
Conducting a visual inspection at your premise to learn more about the pest issue and infestation level before recommending a pest control solution.
An NEA-certified pest specialist executes the treatment to eliminate the root cause of the pest infestation.
Providing housekeeping tips and recommendations to reduce pests or prevent them from reoccurring on your property
Monitoring the progress of your pest control treatment plan and consistently tracking the level of pest activity
In conclusion, it is essential to establish a partnership with the pest specialist for a successful and meaningful pest control process. Speak with an expert from our team to understand more about the pest management and detection programme. Contact us at 6517 9989 or support@bingopest.sg.
