How to find hidden cracks and prevent pests?
Pests such as rodents and insects can sometimes sneak up on a homeowner. One day, your home is quiet and clean, and the next, you may suddenly find evidence that pests have invaded. Their leavings alone are disgusting (not to mention health hazardous), and seeing the pests themselves, or even worse, their babies, is downright horrifying.
However, there are some ways that you can keep from waking up to this nightmare. You can always count on West Termite, Pest & Lawn to take care of any pest control problems that you encounter even after you take the following measures to find hidden cracks and prevent pests.
Get on their level
To find hidden cracks so that you can seal them up, the best way to start is to think like the kinds of pests that you are trying to prevent. Inspect the ground level of your home first, and get down on hands and knees if you have to. On a bright, sunny day, you can turn off all the lights inside your home and look for sunlight showing under doors, around windows, and even behind your washer and dryer where the hoses vent to the outside. Weather stripping can help seal up these areas, and door sweeps are a great way to close up the gap that most homeowners can find between the bottom of any exterior leading doors and the ground.
Secure the perimeter
Check all around the foundation of your home. Look for any places, such as at the bottom of siding panels, where you can seal up any openings before pests can make their homes inside your walls. Another smart place to check is the crawlspace. If you can walk into your crawlspace easily, then do so, and don’t forget a flashlight. You may be surprised at all the hidden cracks that lead into your home that you may not have been aware are open to your crawlspace. If your crawlspace is not easy to access, then a trained professional from West Termite, Pest & Lawn may be the best person to check it out for you during a no obligation inspection.
Don’t forget to look up
Once you’ve completed your inspection of the ground level of your home and have sealed any cracks you found down low, then be sure to look up towards your attic. Any fan vents or drop down ladders can be a good place to start, as hidden cracks are especially likely in places like these. Safely enter your attic, if possible, and just like with the crawlspace, don’t forget a flashlight. Shining a bright light around in your attic at night, while the lights are off inside your home, can be a good way for you and a helper to find cracks. The helper should stay downstairs while you venture into the attic, so that they can make note of any places where they see your light shine through. These should be sealed as soon as possible.
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