A Guide to Spring Cleaning Pest Control

As spring approaches and temperatures rise in Central Illinois, expect pests to come out of hibernation as they prepare for the warmer months ahead. Unfortunately, you’ll see more of these unwanted guests in and outside your home since they mostly thrive in temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

While quarterly services are the best way to keep pests at bay year-round, spring cleaning pest control is an effective way to eradicate or prevent an infestation.

What Kinds of Pests Might Be Lurking in Your House?

Warm weather pests are not only a nuisance but their bite or excrement may transmit diseases or trigger allergic reactions in some people. Pests may also damage your home, leading to costly repairs.

Below are some of the pests you might find when spring arrives:

• Ticks and fleas
• Bed bugs
• Termites
• Ants
• Flies
• Cockroaches
• Spiders
• Rodents
• Bees and wasps

Even if you don’t see them in your house, there are usually signs of their presence. Look out for nesting areas, eggs, funky smells, dried excrement, egg sacs, and shell casings as you go about pest control and cleaning your home after winter.

Areas to Focus On

When doing your spring cleaning pest control, concentrate on these spots and mind the following:

Kitchen

Because it is an abundant source of food and water, kitchens are a common breeding ground for ants, flies, cockroaches, and rodents. Moreover, kitchen cabinets and drawers, particularly those rarely accessed or used, provide shelter from the cold and outside dangers.

To avoid attracting pests, clean off surfaces and take out the trash regularly. Empty your pantry and cupboards of stale or expired items, used materials, and empty cartons.

Pantry pests like Indian meal moths, cigarette beetles, and rice weevils hide in grains and flour. Keep them out by storing dry ingredients in tightly sealed containers instead of paper bags or sacks. Do the same for your pet’s food.

Give the cabinet interiors a good wipe, scrub the counters and floors with a soapy mixture, and vacuum every nook and cranny, including behind appliances.

 

Bedroom

Cleaning your bedroom routinely doesn’t mean there won’t be pests inside. You may be sleeping with bed bugs, causing you to wake up with red, itchy welts all over your body. If you’re allergic to their bites, you may have blisters or hives instead of the small, round marks.

Infestations are commonly found on or near areas where you sleep, such as the mattress, beddings, box springs, bed frame, headboard, and storage. Bed bugs may also hide in furniture seams, carpeting, peeling paint, loose wallpaper, or electrical outlets.

Bed bugs don’t care if their environment is filthy or spotless as long as it provides a suitable hiding place. Reduce places where they can lurk by eliminating clutter in your bedroom as part of your spring cleaning pest control. 

These pests may have hitched a ride in your luggage if you’ve returned from a trip. Unload your bags in the hallway, garage, or laundry room upon arriving home. If you discover bed bugs in your luggage or clothing, wash them in hot water to destroy them. Before bringing non-clothing items indoors, vacuum and wipe them clean.

Closets

Besides the ones in your bedroom, storage closets remain undisturbed for long periods. Unfortunately, this makes them ideal environments for moths, beetles, and spiders to thrive and remain undetected, turning into an infestation over time.

Remove all stored items and inspect them for bugs or signs of damage like holes, stains, or tears. Toss away anything beyond repair, and before putting any items back, clean and disinfect them thoroughly. Also, seal openings that pests might use to get in.   

Basement, Attic, and Garage

Over time, you may continue to pile up stuff in your basement, garage, or attic until it becomes a cluttered mess and an ideal place for pests like rodents, roaches, and spiders to breed.

Go through these rooms and eliminate clutter as much as possible. Discard or donate what you don’t need and store items you plan to keep in sealed plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes that are easier for pests like rodents to gnaw through. Do a thorough cleaning of the entire perimeter and eliminate moisture buildup since water sources attract insects and critters.

Check for gaps or holes where pesky pests can enter. Seal such cracks and crevices, particularly around windows, doors, vents, wall joints, and electrical wiring, with caulk or weatherstripping.  

Exteriors

The outside of your home merits as much attention as the inside. So, fix areas where bugs and critters can enter your interiors, such as holes on the roof, damaged soffit or fascia, torn screens, cracks on the walls, or loose mortar around the foundation.

Trim overhanging or nearby branches to prevent pests from easily accessing your home from the outside. Keep rotted stumps, organic mulch, and wood a reasonable distance away to stop termites and other wood-boring insects from moving indoors.

Pest-Proof Your Home with Us

Along with routine spring cleaning pest control, be completely free of pesky houseguests and invaders with help from American Pest Control. Reach out to our team of professionals, and we’ll gladly come to your Central Illinois home.