7 Pest Proofing Moves To Keep Your Home Pest Free

Question: I need some pest proofing ideas to keep the critters, bugs and vermin outta my house and garage.

No one relishes sharing their living space with hairy, annoying or stealthy insects. They belong outside and not sharing your living quarters. It's a good thing there are some simple steps most anyone can take to pest proof their home. Which starts when you take a walk around the perimeter of your residence to spot ways these critters can come inside.

Gaps around doors, windows and in your siding are an open invitation. As are openings made for electric, cable, or phone lines. You want to use a good caulking to seal all these. Same goes for drier vents and faucets.

Porch lights attract flying insects which attract spiders who like to sneak in when you've got the door open paying the pizza delivery guy. Avoid all that by using specially designed yellow bug bulbs. They don't attract the bugs so cut down on opportunists who would love to come in and look around.

See light under exterior doors? It just takes a sixteenth of an inch for bugs or the width of a pencil for mice to crawl through. Door sweeps can prevent any such problems. While you're at it don't forget to check garage doors too. Rubber seals there will hold up better than vinyl when cold weather sets in.

An obvious move that's easily overlooked is to keep shrubs and bushes trimmed back so they don't make contact with the house. As a rule you want to be able to walk between the house the any landscaping plants you've got. If you are unable to, this is like putting the welcome mat out, since you've given pests what amounts to an on ramp to your house.

Repair gaps, holes and tears in window and door screens replacing as needed. Doing so will cut down on gnats and flies who gain entry this way. Other insects seem to like to walk on screens and holes or gaps make it easy for them to just walk into your house.

Chimney caps work to bar access of birds or squirrels and other nuisance wildlife.

Inside, empty the garbage to keep from attracting bugs and vacuum often so as to suck up any roaming the floors or carpet.

When it comes to keeping your home off limits to the uninvited, prevention will run you less than cure. Which is why you don't want until you have a problem to take action. Especially when the steps outline are so simple to do. Why not start today?