Pest Control Services: 5 Tips to Prevent Pesky Pantry Pests

How can you prevent pests from entering your homes?

• Shop Smart
• Store Foods Properly
• Use Bay Leaves as Pest Repellent
• Check Expiration Dates
• Seal Unwanted Cracks

One of the most annoying forms of life you can ever encounter are pests. They may not directly harm us, but they can ruin our valued food products and other household items. Most households have pest control services regularly in their homes. But most of the time, we call them once an infestation has begun. They say, “Prevention is better than cure.” This is also true for pest control. Here are five tips to prevent these pesky pests from entering our loving homes.

Shop Smart

Some pests that we may encounter in our kitchen and pantry do not originate from our own homes. There is a possibility that we invite these unwanted “guests” into our own homes without realizing it. They slip under the radar through our grocery goods. We aren’t entirely sure about the sanitary principles of grocery warehouses. Most pests are harbored in produce or grocery warehouses. Any place that involves food is a direct incitement for moths, rodents, and other creepy crawlies. Damaged food packaging is an open invitation for pests

Before pests infest your home, make sure that the goods you buy from grocery stores are properly sealed. Avoid bags or cans with even the slightest signs of damage or tampering. Make it a habit to properly wipe and clean canned products before storing them in your cupboard.

Store Foods Properly

It’s important to store your dried food products in air-tight containers. This prevents pests from infiltrating your foods and ruining them. It’s also good to label your containers and jars to keep things organized and tidy. This is even more essential for seasonal foods to prolong shelf life and ultimately keep pests away from your food.

It’s also good to ensure that your containers are in good condition. Containers with broken seals and jars that don’t close properly should be disposed of. Another perk of keeping food products in air-tight containers is that, if ever the stored food is contaminated with pests, it keeps these pests away from spreading or infesting other products in your kitchen.

Bay Leaves as Pest Repellent

Yes, the popular spaghetti ingredient is also effective at keeping roaches, moths, flies, and even mice, away from your kitchen. This natural insect repellent works wonders. People are not sure why pests are deterred by bay leaves but some say that insects and rodents find the smell putrid and stay away from it.

These common herbs can be purchased in any grocery store or local market. It’s a natural pest control alternative compared to commercial insecticides that contain toxins. To use bay leaves as pest control, place a whole leaf on counter tops, under appliances, inside cabinets, and around areas close to the trash. This may keep you from having pest control services visit your home frequently. It may also be good to have a pest control inspection to locate where household pests come from.

Check Expiration Dates

Before you buy any food products, make sure that you always check the expiration date. Don’t buy any product that is close to expiring. That will always be a big no-no. Even if what you’re purchasing is imperishable, don’t get it. These products can still go bad if the expiration date has passed.

Checking the expiration date doesn’t only apply when you take a trip to the grocery store. You should also inspect what you already have. Perished goods have a high probability of attracting pests. Rodents, in particular, are specialists at finding products in any paper, cardboard or plastic container. Expired foods will draw these pesky pets to your kitchen. They can easily bite through cardboard boxes and wrappers, exposing the foods to other pests.

Seal unwanted cracks

Inspect your home for any worn-out seals, holes, and cracks where pests may come from. Common things to inspect are water pipes and stovepipes; a lot of pests may use this as a passageway into your homes.

Dark little nooks and crannies are not only ways for pests to enter your homes, but these tight little spaces can also be their breeding grounds. Make sure to seal them off right away. But before you do so, you might want to call your local pest control services. At least they can guarantee proper extermination and further prevent any pests from infesting your home.

Key Takeaway

The best way to keep pests away from your home is to keep your kitchen clean. That applies to all parts of your house as well. You may want to have regular pest control inspections to ensure a pest-free environment. But as the saying goes, prevention is always the best solution.

Don’t allow any spilled liquids to sit around for long; wipe and clean them up as soon as possible. Bits of food that aren’t properly cleaned out may accumulate in small gaps around your house. You wouldn’t want any of these germs carrying creatures to invade your homes.