There is nothing worse than a pest infestation whether it be mice, cockroaches, or some other critter. That icky feeling when you see something go scuttling across the floor or you find dropping in the back of a cupboard can make your home an inhospitable place to live. The best way to keep your home free of pest infestation, the best thing is to stop them from coming into your home in the first place.

Here is our top advice on keeping your house clean and pest-free in 2021.

1. Clean up All Traces of Food

Pests have no interest in you, and the reality is most would much prefer avoiding people altogether. The main reason why pests come into your home is that they are looking for food. There are many people who think that cockroaches and rats are only found in dirty places, but even the smallest traces of food are enough to attract pests and convince them to stay in your home long term. It is so important that you clean up all traces of food regularly. This means taking out your bins at night, not leaving dirty dishes in the sink, and cleaning away all the crumbs and bits of food which often get swept under the refrigerator.

Once pests have identified your home as an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant, it can be very difficult to get rid of them. Keep your kitchen, dining room, and anywhere else you eat food ultra-clean and it will help to prevent an infestation.

2. Keep Your Sheets Clean

One particularly unpleasant pest to have in your home are bed bugs. These nasty little critters can be picked up anywhere from hotels to train seats, and once they make it into your home, they will settle in and start chomping away on you every night. One of the best ways to get rid of bed bugs is to steam your sheets as this is where they live and feed. You can look at online reviews to identify the best bed bug steamers which will help you to rid your home of them once and for all. If you notice any tiny brown critters in your bed or you wake up with unexplained, itchy red spots, these are both signs that you need to get steaming.

3. Block Up Access Points

Blocking up access points is one of the best ways to stop pests from coming into your home looking for food or shelter. Rats and mice will often enter through gaps in brickwork or where pipes and drains come in and out of your home. If you have a rodent problem, look for droppings and see if you can follow the trail back to the entry point in order to block it up. With smaller pests like ants, the best way to see how they are getting in is to just follow the trail of ants. You will then be able to block up this access point or lay a suitable trap there to deal with the problem.

4. Set Traps

Speaking of traps, they can be very effective in preventing an infestation from establishing itself in your home. For ants, you should set traps that have time-release poison. This means that the ants will take it back to their nest before they die which will kill the queen and all of the other ants in their nest. Once the queen has died, that will be the end of your ant problem because all the workers will die and won’t be replenished.

With rats and mice, poison is not a great solution because the rodent could die hidden somewhere in your house which is going to cause a horrible but unidentifiable stench. It is far better to use a humane trap and then release the rodent far away from your home so it can’t find its way back.

5. Call in the Professionals

If it is too late for the above solutions to work because your home is already infested, the best thing to do is to call in a professional pest control company. They will be able to identify the signs, assess the extent of the problem, and implement the right solutions. Many pests are excellent at staying hidden but professionals will know where to look and how to solve your pest issue.

Pests never make great roommates and so making sure your home stays clean and pest-free is very important. Blocking off entrance points, using the right cleaning products, and making sure there are no food traces left out are all vital in preventing so many different pests from coming in. Once a pest infestation has been established, it can be very difficult to get under control, so make sure you follow this simple guide.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.