Spring Cleaning Checklist For A Pest Free Home

Spring is on the way! Although we can’t wait for the change in season, we know that with warmer weather also comes bugs. Did you know that regular home cleaning and maintenance can help keep the bugs away? Yep, it’s true! Although spring cleaning might not be everyone’s favorite thing to do it can make a big difference in helping to prevent spring pests from invading your home.

– Go To The Pest Spring Cleaning Checklist

– Print The Pest Cleaning Checklist

Signs Of Spring Pests In Your Home:

As the warmer weather hits and bugs and other pests start to appear again you might be wondering if you are dealing with spring bugs in your house. There are things you can watch for to see if you might be dealing with an infestation of some kind.

Termites

• Mud Tubes/Mud Tunnels –Termites use these cylinder-shaped pathways to travel along exposed areas while foraging for food. These might look like branches of dried mud attached to the side of poles, house foundations, metal fences, and other places.
• Swarmers – Swarmers are winged termites that a well-established colony produces once or twice every year. They can be easily mistaken for winged ants, but if you see swarmers in your home it’s a sure sign a colony is close by.
• Wood Damage – Since termites eat wood from the inside out, the damage is difficult to detect. It might show as bubbling wallpaper or hollow and weakened wood.
• Frass – Frass is termite droppings, which look like tiny wood grains or sawdust. They are sometimes found near a hole in the wood where the termites dump their droppings.

Ants

• Large Mounds in the Yard – They can be bare dirt or sand, or they can be covered in growing, healthy grass.
• Ant Trails – Ants will travel long distances for food. Ant trails may disappear after the food source is gone.
• Piles of ants – in grass, sand, or even cracks in brick or cement

Carpenter Ants

• Sightings – Large ants crawling inside your home or other building, especially if they’re coming out of holes in the walls, ceilings, baseboards, cabinets, or other home features.
• Wood Damage – Piles of fallen wood shavings, especially if they’re near an ant hole inside the building.
• Noise – Scratching or rustling sounds coming from inside the walls.

Spiders

• Webs – Not all spiders make webs, but most of those found inside will make cobwebs in low-traffic areas. Basements, crawl spaces, attic spaces, storage containers, cardboard boxes, window frames and window wells, outdoor light fixtures, and similar areas are excellent candidates for spider activity.
• Sightings – Besides webs, the main sign of spiders is to find one crawling around. The only reason spiders are found inside or near a home is because of their food — insects and other spiders.

Having a pest control cleaning schedule can help you deal with some potential pest problems in your home is the best way to prevent future infestations. And if you think that your bug issues are bigger than spring cleaning can handle then don’t hesitate to contact a Fox Pest Control office near you to set up an in-home consultation. (855) 953-1976

Pest Control Cleaning Checklist

Here at Fox Pest Control, your number one pest control company, we have put together the ultimate Spring Pest Control Cleaning Checklist with indoor and outdoor tasks included. Having a pest control cleaning schedule can help minimize the chances of an infestation in your home and kick off your spring and summer the right way.

Want to print this list to check things off as you go? You can download the checklist for free below.

Indoor Spring Pest Control Cleaning Checklist

Kitchen

When pests come searching for food or shelter, there’s no room more vulnerable than the kitchen. Cleaning the kitchen early in the spring every year will go a long way to protecting your entire home from creeping invaders. It’s important to remove any spoiled and expired food from the cupboards and pantry, and then wash everything down. Keep an eye out for evidence of bugs like cockroaches and ants, including ant trails, fecal spots, and food that bugs have raided. Take everything out of the cabinet under the sink and check for water leaks or other damage, especially if you keep soap or cleaning supplies there.

Kitchen appliances are great places for pests to hide or find fallen food scraps, so don’t forget to clean inside, under, and around all appliances. Pay special attention to the stove, oven, dishwasher, and refrigerator for water leaks, damage, and grime. The sink and dishwasher especially can cause problems with water leaks, so repair any damages you find.

An over-the-counter (OTC) drain cleaner can be used to remove food waste and grime from the kitchen sink and garbage disposal. The waste there could attract flies, ants, cockroaches, and other pest problems if not cleaned regularly.

• Kitchen Pest Cleaning:
  • Organize the pantry (more pantry tips here)
  • Clean out the refrigerator 
  • Deep clean the stove and oven 
  • Wipe down cabinets
  • Fix any pipe leaks
  • Clean the dishwasher 
  • Mop the kitchen floors
  • Wipe down garbage cans

Bathrooms

In the bathroom, water leaks can be a huge concern for both pest management and home repair. Check around the toilet, shower, and tub for any leakages or water damage, and make sure they seal well against the floor. Repair any damage you find to prevent pests from taking advantage of the problem. Just like the kitchen sink, check the cabinet under all bathroom sinks for leakages, damage, and stains, especially if you keep cleaning supplies and soap. Hair, soap scum, and other grime can build up in the sink, shower, or tub, so clean all surfaces and use a drain cleaner to prevent cockroaches or flies from eating and living in it… which both pests can do. Gross!

• Bathroom Pest Cleaning:
  • Deep clean the sink, shower, and tub
  • Wipe down counters 
  • Clean floors and walls 
  • Fix pipe and faucet leaks 
  • Recycle old towels
  • Deep clean toilets
  • Organize shelves

Laundry Room

Similar to the bathroom the laundry room can be another place in your home where water leaks can occur so it’s important to give this room in your home a proper spring cleaning.

• Laundry Room Pest Cleaning:
  • Clean behind the washer and dryer
  • Wipe down the outside of the washer and dryer
  • Organize linen closets
  • Run washer on sanitize cycle

Living and Dining Room

• Living Room Pest Cleaning:
  • Vacuum or mop floors
  • Clean under couch cushions
  • Dust curtain rods and blinds
  • Wipe down furniture

Bedrooms

• Bedroom Pest Cleaning:
  • Wash all bedding
  • Declutter closets and drawers
  • Clean under beds
  • Rotate mattresses
  • Dust off furniture

Storage Room/Closets

• Storage Closet Pest Cleaning:
  • Organize shelves
  • Store items in plastic bins
  • Donate or discard unused items
  • Keep clutter off the floor when possible

Don’t forget to give your basements some cleaning attention as well since it and other storage spaces are like a five-star hotel for spiders and rodents, usually because they’re usually dark and cold year-round. Rodents and spiders thrive in places with clutter, so organize your basement with plastic containers with lids. Using cardboard boxes in storage areas allow rodents to chew through the cardboard or spiders to make nests inside them.

Outdoor Spring Pest Control Cleaning Checklist

When it comes to pest management, the outside of your home is just as important as the inside. A little spring cleaning on your house, lawn, and landscaping can go a long way to protect your family this spring.

Gutters are a great spot for pests to establish a nest. Leaves, dirt, and other debris are the ideal conditions for ants, termites, and beetles. From there, they don’t have to go far before they’re in the house and causing even more problems.

Rake the mulch beds to keep them dry and shallow. Deep spots in mulch can cause problems with ants, termites, and many other pests, especially when it’s damp. Trim the grass two feet away from the home foundation to prevent spiders, fleas, ticks, and other pests from accumulating there. Trim bushes and shrubs at least two feet away from each other and one foot away from the house siding. Tree branches should never hang over the roof and shouldn’t touch the house.

Seal common pest entry points including the gaps around the utility and A/C pipes, cracks around doors and windows, gaps in the siding, and cracks around the foundation and sill plates. Clear your window wells of debris to prevent spiders from causing problems there. If possible, consider placing netting over your window wells if spiders become a problem, but make sure the netting can be easily removed in case of an emergency.

Yard

• Yard Pest Cleaning:
  • Mow the lawn
  • Plant the garden
  • Remove clutter
  • Prune trees and bushes
  • Check for sprinkler leaks

House Exterior 

• Outside House Pest Cleaning:
  • Clean windows
  • Fix weatherstripping
  • Powerwash foundation
  • Clean or pull out patio furniture
  • Clean out gutters

Although it may seem like a lot keeping your home and yard tidy and maintained will go a long way to deter pests and critters from trying to make your home their home. And if you are worried about an infestation reach out to the pest control experts at Fox Pest Control. We would be happy to do an in-home evaluation and help you deal with any pests that are causing issues in your home. (855) 953-1976

Print The Ultimate Pest Control Spring Cleaning Checklist:

Don’t let this long list of tasks overwhelm you. Do a little each day and see how quickly you finish it all. Then let us at Fox Pest Control take care of any pest issues you have from there. Keep spring bugs away with the help of Fox Pest Control.  

To get a free estimate, give us a call at (855) 953-2002 because no bugs is simply better.