Do you have a holiday home that you enjoy visiting with your friends and family during vacation time? One of the beauties of a holiday home is how it offers you a serene retreat to let your hair down and enjoy some relaxation time far away from the grueling tasks of everyday life. The last thing you want to have to deal with when you are on vacation at your holiday home is unwanted guests in the form of cockroaches, bedbugs, mice and other unwelcome critters. In today’s article, we look at how you can maintain pest control all year round in your holiday home. Looking to ensure a pest-free environment for your friends and family? Read on to find out more!
Enlist The Help Of Professionals
The first and most obvious thing you can do to keep your holiday home pest free is to enlist the help of professional pest control services. Since you don’t spend every single day of the year at your holiday home, it is important that you get the experts to perform annual inspections on your home and treat any pest control issues that may arise. Pest control services can detect any type of issues ranging from termites, bedbugs, ants and rodent infestation. Treating your holiday home at least once a year is a great preventative method to ensure that your holiday home never has to deal with infestation.
Get Rid Of All Food Items
Chances are you’ve stocked the fridge and pantry up at your family holiday home throughout the entire period of your vacation. Whilst enjoying a beachside feast with the family is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures, you should always remember to empty the pantry and fridge of any food items when it is time to pack up and head back home. Even if your boxes of cereal, crackers, granola bars or any other dry food items may be brand new, it is always best to either dispose of them or take them home with you. This is because food that is left out is a surefire way of attracting unwanted pests such as ants, rats and cockroaches. Another thing to note is ato always remember to empty the bins of any food scraps and rinse it out before you head back home.
Watch Out For The Mozzies
One pest that people often don’t pay too much attention to are mosquitoes. Many breeds of mosquitoes carry potential fatal diseases such as Malaria, Dengue and Zika. This is why it is so important to defend your holiday home from mosquito infestations. You can do this by getting rid of any stagnant water that pools in your home or outside the home. This means emptying out ponds, pools and water fountains when you are not using your holiday home. Another thing to look out for is that you don’t leave any strongly scented perfumes or toiletries in the bathroom as sweet smells and fragrances often tend to attract mosquitoes.
Essential Oils To The Rescue
Did you know that essential oils have properties that often detract pests from your home? A great way to ensure that your holiday home remains pest free all year long is to mix 2 ½ teaspoons of essential oil with 1 cup of grain alcohol such as Vodka in a spray bottle. You can then use this mist throughout the home before you leave. Citronella, Lemon Eucalyptus and Geranium are popular options for keeping mosquitoes away, whilst Lavender, Lemongrass, Rosemary and Peppermint keep critters such as spiders, ticks, fleas and ants away. Using essential oils is a safe and cost effective way of keeping your home safe from critters!
Eliminate Entry Points
Last but not least, one of the best ways of keeping pests out of your holiday home is to eliminate entry points. If there are no entry points into your home, chances are pests won’t be able to find a way inside. You can do this by fixing any holes and cracks that may exist in your holiday home. Always check for gaps in your windows and doors and make sure your screens fit well so that bugs can’t get in. If you find that some of your doors have damaged trim or big gaps underneath them, consider installing a door sweep between the bottom of your doors and the threshold. You can also use weather stripping or a door seal kit around the frames of your doors for extra protection.
Upkeeping your holiday home to ensure that it is well safeguarded from pests is one of the best things you can do to ease your mind and ensure that unwanted guests don’t move into your home. We hope that this article has given you some insight into how you can maintain pest control in your holiday home. Good luck!
You made a good point about food items making rooms susceptible to pests. My kids often sneak snacks in their bedrooms. I’ll keep in mind to be more strict with where they eat their food.