Upgrade Your Apartment With Inexpensive, Temporary Decor

Posted on: 23 April 2016

When it comes to pest proofing your home, it's important to start outside. Although you're concerned with critters such as mice and insects making their way into your home, you might inadvertently be encouraging them to approach the walls of your home, which can then lead to them making entry. While you should always call a pest control service if you believe that your home has an infestation, the following three steps can reduce your risk of having such a problem.

Keep Your Garbage In Your Garage

Leaving your garbage outside might be convenient on garbage day, but the smell of your food scraps and other household waste will entice a wide range of pests from the neighborhood including raccoons, mice, squirrels and a host of different insects. Not only will you likely have to deal with a mess after the larger pests get into your garbage, but you're also essentially sending a message that your yard is pest-friendly. When these pests have gathered next to your home, the next logical step is that they'll try to enter. By keeping your household garbage properly sealed in a can in your garage, the local pests will likely find elsewhere to visit.

Stack Firewood At The Opposite End Of The Yard

Many homeowners make the mistake of stacking their firewood against the exterior of their home. This location means that the wood is easy to retrieve in the winter, but it's also likely causing pests such as insects, squirrels and even snakes to make the stack their home. If a piece of wood is filled with insects, for example, you might unknowingly carry these pests inside your home when you bring the wood indoors. This simple mistake could then lead to an infestation. It's better to keep your firewood tidily stacked as far away from your home as possible.

Use Natural Deterrents

If you're not in favor of spraying chemicals in your yard to discourage the gathering of pests, you can take a series of natural steps that can be beneficial. Minty plants such as peppermint and spearmint are ideal to plant next to your home because their smell repels mice. If you see ants congregating around your home, sprinkling a potent spice such as cinnamon or cayenne pepper can make them flee. These methods are ideal because in addition to being effective for controlling pests, they won't be harmful if you have young children who play in the yard.

For severe infestations or other intervention tips, contact a company like Ace Walco & Sons Termite & Pest Control.