How Spring Clean Can and Cannot Help Protect Your Home from Pests

How Spring Clean Can and Cannot Help Protect Your Home from Pests

With spring right around the corner, every homeowner is fretting about the often-loathed practice of spring cleaning. Every year spring cleaning can feel like an overwhelming chore with no end in sight, but it can actually do a lot more to help your home than you may think. 

An effective spring cleaning not only leaves your home looking fresh and clean but is a powerful preventative measure to avoid many common pest infestations that plague homes. However, many people believe that a clean home must be bug-proof. Sadly, that is not always the case. 

Even clean homes can be ransacked by bugs. This article will discuss spring cleaning with regard to pest removal and avoidance. We will explore the ways cleaning can protect your home and how a clean home can still be crawling with critters. Grab your broom, and let’s get started!

How Spring Clean Can and Cannot Help Protect Your Home From Pests

Why Cleaning Matters:

  1. A thorough spring cleaning is a great way to stop would-be pests from seeking refuge in your home. One of the many things pests are attracted to homes is the abundant availability of food and shelter. Your home will provide a warm, dry environment that is ideal for pests to thrive in. This is why cleaning is key. 
    • During your spring cleaning, make sure to take a long stop at your pantry or wherever you store food to make sure it is safe from bugs. Pests are attracted to crumbs left on the floor and food that is not sealed and stored away properly. Do not let them turn your holiday cookies into their winter rations. 
    • Bugs can also stow away inside grocery bags and food packaging, regardless of how clean your home may be. When bringing groceries from the store, or anything from the outside world into your home, inspect it for bugs, droppings, eggs, or other natural materials. 
  2. Homes are often an easy target for pests due to the lack of preventive measures. Many homes lack proper insulation, which can make them vulnerable to pest infestation. Additionally, most homes do not have pest control measures in place, such as screens on windows and doors or sealing off entry points, which can make them more vulnerable to infestation. 
  3. Pests can enter homes through tiny cracks and crevices. Homes often have small holes and cracks in their foundations, walls, and windows that can provide an easy entry point for pests. Additionally, many homes have air vents and other openings that can be used as entry points for pests.

How Pests Attack Clean Homes:

While a clean home may feel impervious to pests, it is not. Bugs are still able to gain entry and survive in clean homes. One of the main ways a clean house is rocked by bugs is due to foundational cracks and insulation damage. 

Creepy crawlers can enter your home through cracks in windows, doors, and parts of foundations. Cracks can be caused by shifts in the foundation of your home, weathering of the exterior walls, or even poor construction. Even the smallest cracks can be enough for a bug to squeeze through.

Pests also use the power of plumbing to gain entry into homes. Bugs have the ability to use your plumbing system or even your air conditioning lines that have not been sealed properly to make their way into your sacred living space. 

Once inside, bugs will start to explore their new environment. They can hide in crevices, behind furniture, and in other dark places. Some bugs will even make their way into your bedding and clothing, making it difficult to get rid of them. This is why spring cleaning is still important. 

Besides cracks, plumbing, and air conditioning, exposed insulation is the last way a clean home can fall victim to bugs. Make sure to take a close look at the exterior of your home to find any exposed insulation that could be inviting bugs. 

To further prevent pests from getting into your home, it is important to inspect your windows and doors for any cracks. Be sure to seal any cracks or gaps around your foundation and repair any faulty plumbing or air conditioning lines. Additionally, you can reduce the chance of bugs entering your home by keeping your windows and doors closed and screened.

Say No to Pests

Now you know exactly how bugs plan to make their way into your home, and as you can see, cleaning is not the be-all end-all solution people have been claiming will end bug problems. While cleaning up crumbs and storing food away properly are great ways to avoid bugs, even clean homes face infestations. 

Using unsealed cracks and damaged insulation, bugs will always find their way indoors. Once inside, bugs can wreak havoc. From causing various illnesses and engaging in property damage to attracting other pests, bugs can be a big problem. 

So as you prepare yourself for spring cleaning, have pests at the front of your mind and remember that cleaning alone is not enough to rid your home of bugs. If you want to learn more about where bugs may be hiding and how to remove them from your home, this article features many helpful tips regarding where pests may have set up shop in your home.

Until then, good luck with your spring cleaning, and say goodbye to all the bugs for us!