Whether you see them or not, chances are, there are insects throughout your home—guests you absolutely wouldn’t want to be invited into your living space.
Did you know that an average American household has around 100 species of arthropods living in it? These arthropods include almost all insects you can find in your homes, such as spiders, houseflies, fruit flies, cockroaches, mites, and centipedes. Also, these little creatures are believed to make up around 75% of all life on earth—no wonder they’ve learned to adapt to living with humans.
However, these insects may cause not only damage to your property but also various illnesses to you and your family. After all, you have no idea where they come from, be it stagnant water, garbage bins, food wastes, and others. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to get rid of these unwanted guests as soon as possible. But the big question is, how?
In this post, you’ll discover some of the most effective tips and tricks that may help you get rid of unwanted insects throughout your home effectively. Continue reading below to find out more about each one.
Install A Retractable Fly Screen
A retractable fly screen is one of the safest ways to prevent insects from entering your home without causing harm to your family. As its name implies, it retracts (roll-in) and opens up (roll-out) very much like a slide-in door or a blind.
Aside from preventing insects, retractable fly screens also offer tons of benefits you and your family would appreciate. These include:
They help save energy and lower your electric bills. Using retractable fly screens allows natural light to enter your window without letting flies and other insects in. With this, you don’t need to turn on your lights during the day, helping you save on your budget.
They blend well with your doors and windows. Retractable fly screens come with different designs—from rustic and traditional to modern-contemporary—that can naturally match every home’s style and décor.
A retractable fly screen can keep your children safe. This allows your kiddos to play around the house without worrying about their safety, particularly going outside without your supervision.
Retractable fly screens improve indoor air quality. Using them allows fresh air to enter through its perforated mesh structure while blocking flies and other insects from entering your home.
They bolster the privacy of your home. A retractable fly screen prevents other people from keeping tabs on your family’s affairs—thanks to its black perforated mesh structure, making it almost impossible to see through your home.
Keep Your Kitchen Clean
The kitchen is one of the most common areas in your home where pests and insects often thrive. It’s damp and can be dirty sometimes—criteria that encourage the growth of household insects, particularly flies and cockroaches. This is why it’s extremely important to keep your kitchen clean and spotless at all times.
Here are some kitchen cleaning tips that may help:
Wipe surfaces clean regularly. Make sure to wipe your countertops, racks, ranges, range hoods, and other areas in the kitchen after using them. Do this with a disinfectant cleaner, preferably those without harmful chemicals, for a safer kitchen for you and your family.
Dispose of garbage as soon as possible. After cooking your favorite meals, make sure to throw away all the trash you produce including food waste and other particles insects may eat.
These tips may not get rid of all the insects in one go, but they’ll surely reduce the population of these unwanted guests in your home. Just focus on maintaining the cleanliness of your kitchen so as not to attract them further.
Keep Your Bathroom Tidy Too
The bathroom is another area (second to your kitchen) where insects may thrive, as it’s always damp and humid—conditions that support pest growth. Like your kitchen, it’s important to keep your bathrooms clean and dry. Doing so will help prevent common household insects from entering and thriving in your home.
Here are some simple tricks that may help you maintain a clean and dry bathroom:
Stop moisture in its tracks. You may use a squeegee to wipe out all the moisture in your bathroom, particularly in the shower heads, curtains, glass walls, tubs, and shower doors. You can also reduce moisture by opening your bathroom windows and turning on your exhaust fans, especially while showering.
Clean the pot regularly. To do this effectively, you may use a toilet cleaner and brush your toilet bowl every other day. This will help discourage insects from thriving in your bathrooms.
Wash your sink. To clean your sink, use a heavy-duty cleaner and do this at least once or twice a week—once is more preferred by experts, especially when using a strong and hazardous chemical.
Unclog your drains. You want to ensure that your drains are not clogged with hair strands or soap particles, which may store a small amount of moisture crucial for insect growth.
Avoid Having Stagnant Water
Insects, particularly mosquitoes, populate in stagnant water. As you probably know, these insects are capable of carrying deadly diseases, such as dengue and malaria. Therefore, to prevent disease-carrying insects from plaguing your home, ensure that no water will be left standing for hours inside and outside your home.
Check your drains and see if they’re draining properly. If not, call a professional plumber or fix the issue yourself right away. In addition, keep all the buckets of water in your bathroom empty if no one uses them.
Furthermore, if you have an air conditioning unit that constantly eliminates water, avoid placing buckets under it to collect water. You might forget that these buckets exist, allowing mosquitoes and other insects to breed and plague your home.
Keep Items For Outdoor Use Outside Your Home
If you have a small garden in your kitchen or a lawn, you probably have tools meant for outdoor purposes. As much as possible, keep these objects outside and avoid using them inside your home before you clean them. Why? Because they might carry small insects inside your home. This also applies to toys and other objects used and played outdoors, such as bicycles, skateboards, etc. Keep them in your garage instead, and ask your children not to bring those in.
Final Words
Insects can make your comfortable life uncomfortable. They can bring diseases and plagues inside your home and damage your property. This is why getting rid of them as soon as possible is important. All you need to do is keep your home clean and dry at all times. Don’t allow water to stand, and make sure to dispose of all your garbage immediately.
