How your home rubbish could be attracting pests, and how to avoid it
We all know that dealing with pests in the home can be a big task. Creatures like cockroaches, rodents, ants, houseflies and termites are common household pests that will easily make their way into your home if they’re able to. Not only is it simply unpleasant and invasive to have these pesky bugs your home, but they can also spread germs and bacteria that could potentially contaminate your food and can have harmful health effects too.
The food source that rubbish can provide for these creatures is the main reason that they’ll enter your home if they can. Even dried liquids and leftover crumbs are enough to bring rodents into the home. In addition to this, wet trash is especially enticing to bugs, so having excess moisture in any exposed rubbish could be even more problematic. Common waste materials that pests and bugs are often attracted to include leftover food, green waste including leaves, twigs and lawn clippings, paper and cardboard and pet wastes. Clearly, food and water aren’t the only reasons that pests may lurk in your home or rubbish. Another reason is for basic protection. Your kerbside rubbish, and any other outdoor rubbish piles, will provide good shelter for creatures to protect themselves against potential predators.
Here are some tips on how you can stop pests from entering your house in the first place, so you can save yourself the trouble of getting rid of them afterwards.
Leaving dirty dishes and food around
This one is the most obvious one, and is rather self-explanatory – leaving food scraps and crumbs on the floors or around the kitchen, especially any sweet treats, is one way of getting ants and small insects into the home. This is worse if you have the habit of leaving dirty dishes in the sink for extended period of time or overnight as this can also lure insects such as cockroaches and ants into the house, especially if the food gives off an odour.
Excess moisture in the home
Dirty, wet surfaces are even worse than dry wastes and can definitely serve as breeding grounds for pests. The obvious place to clear is the sink, there any wet, unwashed dishes may remain, but also remember to check other areas in the home that may be damp, dirty or untouched. This can be basements, attics, and even the pipes underneath the sink. Using a humidifier in these areas can be a good way to deal with the excess moisture.
Storing rubbish for too long
Over time, the organic wastes in the rubbish you store in your home, or even your kerbside rubbish bin, will develop stronger odours. Not only that, but the organic wastes provide optimal living conditions for many smaller insects, so this will attract them and have them staying there for much longer. To combat this, try to seal up any liquid wastes, and keep the entire rubbish bin closed whenever it’s not in use.
For more information on how to best manage your waste, contact Solo Resource Recovery at 1300 46 76 56 or contact us via our website, and one of our friendly team members will be happy to help.
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