When you think about pests, the next thing you think about is pest control. Pests can be defined as insects or animals that adversely affect human activities. They also endanger human health. There is nothing as disturbing as seeing a pest infestation in your house.
Pest control is the answer to all this. It is defined as the control or management of insects and animals that are considered as pests. For residents of Matthews, pest control is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle.
When people talk about pest control, what usually comes to mind is the use of chemical pesticides that you spray around the house. Fortunately, chemical pesticides are not the only options available. Chemicals, after all, present some dangers especially if you have kids and pets.
Those who have used chemicals are worried though since they do know that there could be adverse effects in using them. Should they clean after pest control? In this article, Go-Forth Home Services, the all in one pest control in Matthews, NC, is going to share some insights regarding pest control, and whether cleaning up is necessary after one.
Do Not Clean Immediately After Pest Control
Even though you might be tempted to do so, it is not advisable to clean up after pest control, especially if it is done by a professional. Besides, real pest control professionals know how to clean up after their work is done. Therefore, there is no need to sweep, mop, or vacuum the floors and other surfaces. Doing so may even wipe off any treated surfaces like baseboards, thus reducing the effectiveness of the treatment.
Pest control professionals normally do treatments that are specific to your requirements. You will be informed when you can start cleaning. They will also point out to you which areas you can clean and which areas you should not. You may not be able to do some deep cleaning for around a week.
Things You Should Do After The Pest Control Activity
After acquiring the services of a pest control professional, and after their procedure, the first best thing to do is wait until you get the go signal to go back inside your home.
After you have gone back, and you have discovered that you accidentally left food unprotected, throw it away immediately. It may not be safe for consumption anymore, even if the pest control company used organic pesticides.
Inspect around the house for any cracks, crevices, holes, or other openings. Now that you are pest-free, you would not want another round of pest infestation. You now have a new lease in life. Repair leaky pipes and faucets too as the water leaking out of them will attract pests.
When handling treated surfaces, protect yourself with gloves. Do not touch surfaces with your bare hands.
Remove clutter. Mice, spiders, and roaches like to hide under papers, boxes, and cardboards. Do not store old newspapers and magazines.
Always check around the house for pests, even dead pests. Dead pests will attract new pests.
Health Effects On Humans
Keep in mind that all pesticides, regardless of whether these are organic or not, are poisonous to humans. With that said, poisonous does not mean death. We are talking about the number of pesticides used during a pest control treatment.
Go-Forth Home Services would like to put things in the proper perspective here.
If you have allergies or are sensitive to fumes and chemicals, it is better to stay away from your house while the pest control process is underway. Usually, the vapor would clear after a few hours, and it would be safe for you to go back in.
Using organic chemicals would be nice, however, there are instances wherein organic does not necessarily mean it is the best. It would depend on the scale of infestation.
However, if you or a family member are allergic to chemicals, then it would not matter if the pesticide is organic or not.
If indeed you are allergic or are sensitive to chemicals, you might experience these symptoms: dizziness, watery eyes, breathing problems, itchy eyes, throat irritation, rashes on the skin, and itchiness.
Things To Do To Keep Pests Away After The Pest Control
Now, isn’t it a relief to get all those pests away? Now you are pest-free, and from now on you intend to keep it that way. The sight of this creepy crawlies is too much to bear for anyone.
Here are some tips on how to keep the pests away after a pest control treatment:
- Keep your house dry. Dying pests tend to run to wet areas. Water also attracts new pests. Areas that usually have wet areas are the kitchen and the bathroom.
- Throw away garbage regularly and properly. This is a source of food, especially for roaches and mice.
- Store food in sealed containers. This keeps your food away from pests.
Is there another way to control pests without using chemicals? Fortunately, there is. It is called good housekeeping. It is more preventative rather than reactive.
Practice good hygiene so you would not attract roaches, flies, rats, mice, moths, and other yucky pests. Here are a few tips.
- Create a regular cleaning schedule. Stick to this schedule and make sure that you clean all parts of the house, even those parts that are hard to reach.
- Place a tight lid on your trash cans.
- Regularly sweep and mop the floors and vacuum carpets and furniture.
- If you have pets, pick up their poop and clean their food bowl so as not to attract flies and roaches.
- Install screens on your doors and windows, if needed. This is to keep away flies and mosquitoes.
- Remove items that can hold water for a long time, like old cans, old tires, old gutters, and water containers. Mosquitoes love to breed in standing water.
- Remove piles of leaves, cut grass, weeds, papers, wood, and other similar materials outside the house. These are the perfect hiding places for rats, squirrels, poisonous spiders, and snakes.
Good housekeeping is the most basic pest control method that everyone can practice. Without this, the benefits of pest control treatments by professionals would all be for naught because pests would still be enticed to return soon after.
Natural Methods Versus Pests
Another way to wage war against pests is to use natural methods. Sprinkling diatomaceous earth is one. Diatomaceous earth is made of fossilized remains of diatoms and appears like microscopic shards of broken glass. When insects crawl on it, it would inflict cuts on their bodies, causing them to bleed to death.
You can also use natural predators to control the insect population. Gardeners use ladybugs to beat aphids and other insects. For mosquitoes, you can try to attract dragonflies to feed on them. For mice problems, you can keep a cat around your house.
Unfortunately, this is not 100% foolproof and can backfire. One example is the cane toad in Australia which was introduced to control cane beetles. However, they were not able to control the beetles, and instead, the toads increased in numbers, in the process becoming pests themselves.
When To Call For Pest Control?
Pest control starts from being clean at home. Pests are attracted to homes because there are certain benefits to them that they cannot resist, like food and water. If we cut them off from these sources, then there would be no reason for them to invade our homes.
However, if one of these pests gives you trouble, you may want to call the professionals.
Mosquitoes
These tiny, fragile-looking insects are the deadliest creatures on the planet because they are capable of transmitting dangerous diseases like malaria, dengue fever, West Nile fever, and yellow fever. They do so by sucking blood from humans and animals. Beware of these insects.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are the filthiest creatures on earth. They eat anything; from rotten food to excrement, decomposing animals. This makes them disease carriers. They transmit diseases by contaminating food and water by their droppings, urine, saliva, and vomit.
Rodents
Rodents, especially mice and rats, can destroy property, shut down entire businesses, and be a source of nasty diseases. Their droppings, urine, and saliva are enough to contaminate our food and water and transmit salmonella and leptospirosis, among others.
Termites
Termites are the “silent terminators” because they can demolish houses without you knowing it. Termite control requires that you call the professionals since no effective DIY methods can get rid of them. If you have these pests, then call the best pest control professionals in Matthews, NC: Go-Forth Home Services.
Having pests in your home is a skin-crawling experience. They are creepy and ugly, they serve no purpose, and do not pay rent. Worse, they damage property and cause illnesses.
Get The Job Done By Experienced Pest Exterminators In NC
Getting rid of pests requires skill that has been honed through years of experience. At Go-Forth Home Services, you can be assured of high-quality service with our highly skilled and well-trained technicians. Call us now for more information.