Pest Prevention for Your Apartment

 

Pest Prevention for Your Apartment

Pest Control in All Places

We provide pest control services for all types of properties, homes, apartments, condos, commercial properties, etc. While homeowners are often very aware of pest control needs, renters and, in particular, apartment renters sometimes don’t consider pest control unless it becomes an issue. However, pest problems in apartment complexes are exceedingly difficult to deal with as they can typically spread quickly from home to home, and, as such, preventing pests should be a top consideration for apartment renters. Here are some key tips to preventing pests in your apartment.

Careful when Moving

Bed bugs are one of the most prolific pests in existence today. They hitchhike from place to place using various methods including luggage, purses, backpacks, briefcases, and clothing. This can be of particular concern when you are moving as rented moving blankets are notorious for passing bed bugs if not properly inspected. Either utilizing your own blankets or ensuring any blankets you do rent are properly cleaned and inspected can greatly help reduce the risk of pest infestations in your new apartment.

Buying Secondhand Furniture

Bed bugs are one of the most prolific pests in existence today. They hitchhike from place to place and, just like how they are present on moving blankets, they can often hide in all kinds of secondhand furniture. If you are ever considering purchasing used furniture, it is extremely important to inspect the items carefully prior to bringing them into your home. While bed bugs are usually the most common culprits for this behavior, roaches, spiders, earwigs, and other pests have been known to also end up in homes by occupying used furniture.

Checking Deliveries

Most deliveries come from stores and storage centers that are typically clean, but this is not always the case, and even clean facilities can have the occasional pest problem. As such, it is helpful to spend a moment briefly inspecting any packages for signs of unwelcome hitchhikers. This is especially important when receiving packages from other people’s homes and with any furniture.

Neighbors Can be More than Noisy

Unfortunately, living in such close proximity with others means you often influence one another’s space. Most commonly, this happens with noise, but it can also happen with pests. If you have a particularly messy neighbor who leaves food or garbage out, this can attract many different pests to the building including rodents, roaches, ants, and more. If that’s the case, it’s often only a matter of time before the pests make their way into the neighboring apartments, putting you at risk. While you can’t control your neighbors’ actions, you can always raise excessive concerns with management and follow the following tips to help prevent any potential pest problems from becoming your problem as well.

Basic Pest Prevention Tips

Pest prevention in apartments is somewhat similar to house-based pest control with the main differences being a lack of a yard maintenance and that household repairs/renovations are typically the responsibility of the landlord or property management company. As such, the following are some additional basic recommendations on how to keep pests at bay:

• Do not leave out food of uncovered garbage
• Don’t let pet food sit out overnight
• Reduce clutter
• Maintain a clean living space by vacuuming, dusting, disinfecting, etc.
• Ensure sufficient ventilation in areas that can be humid (for example, open your bathroom window if it gets too steamy)
• Try keeping some plants that repel pests around your apartment such as citronella, lavender, basil, etc. (key areas to place such potted plants include: outside your apartment door, window sills, balconies, patios)
• Inform your apartment’s maintenance team if there are any cracks or gaps in your walls (exterior and interior), when door sweeps or weatherstripping is damaged or wearing, if any tree branches are touching your roofing or growing up to your windows/balcony (as these can be used as a means of transportation for pests), and any excessive webbing around your building

Even after implementing some or all of these tips, you may find yourself a victim of a pest infestation. In such cases, it is often the responsibility of the landlord/property management company to address such pest issues by calling in the professionals. At Pointe Pest Control, we specialize in ridding apartment complexes of pests. Call us today to get more information on how we can help you and your apartment neighbors.