provided by: HandyHouseholdHints.com
Preventing pest problems is always on the minds of home owners due to health concerns and potential structural damage caused by these pesky creatures. There are a number of things that home owners can do to greatly reduce their chances of ever being visited by these pests. Focusing on securing your home against invaders is the easiest solution to the annoyances of infestations. The areas of your home to focus on during this project include your doors, windows, pipes, vents, and your foundation.
Door Protection
The small holes at the bottoms of doors are an excellent entry point for insects and small rodents to gain access to your home. Installing seals on the bottoms of your doors and repairing any unneeded holes or cracks using filling prevents the easiest access point that these pests have.
Pipes
There are any number of pipes leading into your home which includes faucet pipes, gas meters, drying machine vents, and even the hole that were man created for installing various cables. These spaces between the pipes and cables are another popular access point for all types of insects and need to be repaired as soon as possible. Depending on the hole you can use caulking, cement, or even foam to safely seal the hole and protect the interior of your home.
Windows
Windows and Window screens are one of the most obvious access points for insects and smaller rodents like field mice. Cracks in the window frame or the sills below the window result in a draft in the room which makes located the crack needing filling an easy task. Using caulking of these types of cracks is a fast and very effective method of treatment. When you are repairing any cracks found in your windows you need to examine the screens on the windows and ensure they are not any large holes in the screen that would allow access to your home. Repairing small holes in screens can be done using clean nail polish but in order to repair holes that are larger than one inch you will either need to buy a patch or you will need to have the entire screen replaced.
Vents
Most homes have vents running throughout them leading to and from the roof, foundation, attics, and even from room to room. These vents act as a road way for different types of pest and they need to be sealed off using chicken wire or a material of a similar nature. If your home also has a chimney you should seriously consider purchasing a chimney cap as this will prevent rodents and birds from gaining access to your home.