Keeping Your Kitchen Pest-Free

of your home, lowering your wintertime energy costs. If you need help handling a pest problem or would like to schedule regular preventive services for your home, visit our website to contact a pest control professional. You can find additional tips for keeping pests out of your home on our blog. The discovery of pests in your kitchen can cause concern over the safety of the food your family eats. Finding pests in an area where you store, prepare, and eat food every day can also be extremely stressful. Taking steps to keep pests out of your kitchen will help you to maintain a healthy and sanitary home. Keep reading to discover some simple tips you can implement to prevent pests in your kitchen or pantry. If you do discover a pest problem in your kitchen, contact a pest control expert immediately to handle the situation quickly and safely.

Throw Away Overripe Fruit

While a ready supply of fresh fruit in your kitchen is an attractive and healthy snack option, overripe fruit can attract many unwanted pests. Fruit flies and gnats are frequently attracted to ripening or fermented fruits and vegetables and once inside your home, they can be difficult to eliminate. Check any fruit you keep in your kitchen daily and throw away overripe items in an outdoor trashcan—throwing them away in kitchen trash bins can still attract pests into your home. If you’d prefer to save overripe fruit for cooking or smoothies, store it in your freezer until you’re ready to use it.

Store Food Properly

Many foods come in paper or cardboard containers that provide little resistance against hungry pests. Store foods such as flour, sugar, cereal, and opened chips or other snacks in airtight plastic containers. These containers will not only keep pests away, they will make your pantry more organized, provide easy identification of items, and also keep foods fresher longer. Adding a bay leaf to dry goods such as flour or rice is an excellent and natural method to deter many insects. If you have a pet, avoid leaving food in his bowl all day long. Put food down when it is mealtime, then clean up and store any uneaten food for later.

Eliminate Pest Entrances

Eliminating the pathways by which pests enter your kitchen can prevent an infestation. The smallest rodents can gain access to your home through a hole no larger than a pencil in diameter, while insects can enter through even smaller openings. Check your kitchen and the exterior of your home for holes, cracks, and other access points where pests might enter; these include poorly-sealed windows or doors and spaces around stove and oven pipes. Seal any openings you do find promptly.

Keeping pests out of your kitchen will ensure a healthier, happier home. You can learn more about home pest prevention or get the answers to your specific questions on our Ask the Expert webpage. If you’d like to schedule pest control services in Delmarva, please visit our website to contact us.

Winterizing your home will keep pests out and improve the sustainability