Do’s and Don’ts of Pest Control Methods

It takes a stubborn person with a lot of fortitude to tolerate an invasion by pests. The term “pests” does not refer to the cold-callers selling their goods or the kids who keep kicking their toys into your yard. It refers to the little critters that come uninvited into your home and proceed to drive you and your family crazy. It refers to ants, cockroaches, mosquitos, termites, mice, rats, raccoons, and like nuisances.

When invaded by such creatures, your first instinct will be to do whatever is necessary to restore order to the home. The problem is that in your haste for pest relief, you might do something you will later regret.

As experts in the world of keeping the home clean and safe from critters, we would like to offer these pest control “Do’s and Don’ts.”

Pest Control Do’s

There are a number of things you can do both proactively and after the fact to fight off unwanted pests. It is worth noting that the choice or choices you might make should be made based on factors like

• The extent of your pest problem
• The types of pest or pests with which you are dealing
• Environmental concerns (public and private)
• Your budget

Keeping these factors in mind, here are a few do’s that are worthy of your consideration.

Take preventative measures

Like most issues in life, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Indeed, there are a lot of things you can be doing in your day-to-day life to make homesteading in your home very undesirable for pests. Remember, pests want and need the same thing you want and need from a shelter. They too need safety from the elements, food, and water. Your job is to deny them that kind of comfort.

Here are some suggestions of things that you can do to keep pests from coming around for a long visit:

• Make sure your home is properly sealed, denying access to pests (best rodent control option)
• Clean your home on a regular basis
• Don’t leave food and water sitting around for pests to access
• Fix leaky plumbing fixtures and maintain appliances like your HVAC system
• Periodically hire a clutter removal company to remove all unwanted untreasures
• Have periodic pest inspections
• Have your home periodically treated with preventative pesticides (active pest control)
• Inspect bags and boxes before bringing them into your home

Go on the offense with do it yourself pest control

The best pest defense is a good pest removal offense. You should always be wary of pests roaming your house and don’t be fooled. If you see one cockroach or termite, there is an excellent chance all of their “brothers and sisters and cousins” are in close proximity. The presence of just one pest is your permission to go on offense and start putting up your pest defense.

If you want to take the do it yourself pest control, that’s okay. However, you need to be smart about the choices you make. Before you choose any pesticide products, you need to gain an understanding of the products themselves. Your concerns should center on things like

• The safety of the product for your family and the environment
• The health risks associated with using a product
• The types of pests a particular product will affect
• How to properly use the product
• How to properly store the product

Hire a professional pest control service

If by chance you don’t feel comfortable with the do it yourself pest control approach, stop! There is no point in taking undue risks when a professional pest control service can help you with the issue. The reality is they would likely be several times more effective and efficient as participants in your battle against pests.

Sure, it might be marginally more expensive to hire a professional pest control service. With that said, you are pretty much guaranteed the results you want and need. Nothing wrong with getting things done right the first time.

Pest Control Don’ts

In no way is the above information intended to make it seem easy to get rid of pests. They are pests. Their whole purpose in life is to enter your home and pester you and your family to the brink of insanity.

It’s important for you to understand that “haste makes waste” when dealing with pests. If something goes wrong, your pest population could explode. An even worse outcome could be harm getting done to a person or your property.

Before you proceed and make things worse when attempting things like termite control, here are some don’ts you should avoid.

Don’t use the wrong products in the wrong way

If you decide to fight the battle yourself with store-bought pesticides, you have to be very careful. Every pesticide has limitations and come with risks when being used.

One of the most common mistakes people make is using outdoor pesticides indoors. Don’t do this. Why? Outdoor pesticides ate more toxic/potent than indoor pesticides. This is due to the higher level of chemicals that are used in outdoor products. The assumption manufacturers make is that outdoor products will release into the atmosphere and not be easily inhaled.

Note: Outdoor pesticides are typically used to combat rodents and for termite control. Indoor products are typically used to combat insects like ants, roaches, and mosquitos.

Don’t forget to read the directions

There are some kinds of products that aren’t very complicated related to the way they need to be used. The way you use them is very evident, and such products don’t typically cause problems if misused. Chemical pesticides do not fall into these categories.

With pesticides, you must read the instructions and follow them as closely as possible. Great example! Oftentimes, we think more is better. If using X amount will deliver good results, then using double X amount will deliver even better results. Don’t do things like this with pesticides. Using double would mean double exposure to dangerous toxins and chemicals. Please follow the instructions to a T.

Don’t leave pesticides sitting around

After employing the use of a pesticide, there are several things you need to avoid. First, don’t leave pesticide containers laying around in easy-to-reach locations. You don’t want kids and pets to get a hold of anything as dangerous as a pesticide.

Second, don’t transfer pesticides into other containers for storage. You will need the original container so that you can easily identify the item and don’t lose access to the instructions.

Summary: Whether you decide to fight the pest battle yourself or go with a professional pest control service, you want to always be cautious. After all, you want to get rid of your pests without having to deal with other collateral issues. Of all the choices you have at your disposal, preventative measures like hiring a clutter/trash removal service will almost always be the best way to protect your home from pests.

About Jennifer Hanzlick

Clutter Trucker is a Denver-based hoarding clean-out company founded by Jennifer Hanzlick. Jennifer leveraged 15 years of corporate experience in to start the company in 2008. Her mission is to help and educate individuals and their loved ones who have hoarding disorder. A featured speaker at Ted X Boulder, Jennifer works directly with community and non-profit organizations to boost public awareness about the condition. To that end, she founded the Colorado Hoarding Task Force in 2015.