In most households, the kitchen serves as the social hub. However, there are a few visitors in the kitchen that homeowners would prefer not to have there. Pests are these unwanted guests. You wouldn’t want bugs in the areas where you prepare, consume, and keep your food, right? If that is the case, keep reading to learn how to keep pests out of your kitchen. Cockroaches, rodents, and other pests can easily access your kitchen, where they can contaminate your food and spread bacteria. The good news is that getting rid of bugs in your kitchen is simple and natural. But first, let’s quickly go over the most prevalent pests before learning how to keep the kitchen pest-free.
Cockroaches
A cockroach fleeing into a wall or behind the refrigerator as you reach the kitchen might be the grossest thing ever. Thirty-three species of bacteria, including salmonella and E Coli, six parasitic worms, and more than seven various human illnesses, are all transferred by cockroaches. Additionally, they exude allergen proteins in their saliva, feces, and decaying bodies that can cause allergies and aggravate asthma symptoms.
Rodents
These disease-carrying, sharp-toothed pests regularly penetrate 21 million homes each winter in the United States, carrying a host of threats. Mice and rats can transport various pathogen-carrying problems, including ticks, fleas, and lice, as well as the salmonella bacteria and the hantavirus. Additionally, rats can gnaw through electrical lines and timber, raising the danger of house fires. However, with rodents, prevention is key because once they arrive, they swiftly settle in – a female rat can give birth to as many as 12 young every three weeks!
Flying fruit
Contrary to common perception, these flies are not naturally “produced” from rotting fruit or the inside of the overripe fruit. Instead, they can detect the yeast that fruit fermentation produces even at large distances. As a result of their small size, they can easily enter a house through tiny cracks and crevices, making it easy for them to reach their targeted target once they have found it. Additionally, even window screens won’t stop them.
Kitchen pests
The food frequently kept in refrigerators and cabinets, like flour, dry cereals, seasonings, candies, and chocolate, attracts these insects. Several different kinds of bugs, Indian meal moths and ants, are typical pantry pests.
Kitchen Pest Control Tips
Tip1. For pantry essentials, use airtight containers.
Wherever it is practical, food should be kept in the fridge or freezer, including pantry basics. Keeping food in the refrigerator not only keeps your food fresher but also keeps pests away from it. Sugar, coffee beans, and oats are examples of goods that shouldn’t be kept in a chilly area and should instead be put into an airtight container or plastic canisters to keep pests from reaching your food.
Tip2. Sealed food should be kept in plain sight and within easy access.
You can prevent the expiration date and pests from getting to unopened items by keeping them visible and within reach. Instead of scattering things throughout the kitchen and eventually forgetting about them, it’s a good idea to gather everything in one location where you can see it all at once. Foods belonging to the same category should be stored together rather than hidden away in a dark place.
Tip3. The use of a chalkboard wall facilitates organization.
A blackboard wall is a useful tool to organize your shopping supplies and improve your kitchen’s appearance. Continually assessing what you already have and adhering to the “first in, first out” guideline will help you establish a clean, organized kitchen where bugs won’t feel at ease spending a lot of time. Additionally, this lessens food waste.
Tip4. Keep your shelves and surfaces clear of clutter.
Because it creates a comfortable, rarely disturbed, and dark environment for bugs to live in, clutter is frequently a pest magnet. After using your products and tools, remove them from your shelves and countertops and put them back in their place to avoid this.
Tip5. Utilize cabinet organizers.
You should also maintain organization inside your cabinets; they shouldn’t serve as a catch-all for your cooking utensils, gadgets, and tools. Keeping everything divided into separate areas is one method to keep everything organized. Use plate stackers to arrange your china, flatware trays to arrange utensils, and mesh or wire organizers to hold culinary implements. Bonus advice: Before putting your goods in your cabinets, ensure they are dry. Pests are drawn to dampness and prosper in wet environments.
Tip6. Following regular appliance cleaning
Regularly cleaning your kitchen appliances is crucial for pest management. If you don’t clean up after using appliances like the microwave, coffee pot, air fryer, blender, and hood, bugs may use them as hiding places. When storing away appliances, you don’t frequently use, keep them well sealed in a sizable transparent plastic bag. This makes it simpler for you to locate them when you need to.
Tip7. Do the dishes every meal.
Cleaning up all of our dishes immediately after a meal can be inconvenient. The problem is that food crumbs on dirty dishes practically lure pests to them. You can avert a major insect problem by quickly washing all of those dishes.
Dishes can sometimes be left to rest in the sink. Sadly, standing water still adds another factor that attracts pests. The food and water combination is a roach jackpot. Get the dishes into your dishwasher or the drying rack as soon as possible after letting them soak.
Tip8. Get rid of the rubbish as quickly as you can.
Food waste attracts pests. Therefore you should dispose of it as often as possible, especially after tossing away scraps or a meal prep session. In addition to getting rid of the waste, ensure your trash cans and bins are cleaned and wiped down to avoid any residue, which also attracts pests.
Tip9. Restore dents and cracks.
Broken tiles in the kitchen can serve as both an eyesore and a haven for creepy crawlies. If the tile is severely damaged, either replace it or use a tile filler to repair the chips and cracks.
Tip10. Give your kitchen a monthly deep-clean.
We know it can be difficult to frequently deep clean your kitchen because of your hectic lifestyle and never-ending responsibilities. However, it is imperative to take these steps if you want to keep rodents out of your kitchen. You would ultimately save much more time, effort, and money by investing a little time in deep cleaning the kitchen rather than having to treat it once more for a bug elimination treatment.
Tip11. Get rid of easy water and food access in your kitchen.
Rodents and insects seek residences with convenient access to food and drink. Therefore, it would be harder to get rid of them if your kitchen offers them plenty of water sources.
When you treat your kitchen for bugs, the solution tends to dry them, which increases their thirst and demand for water. As a result, getting rid of any water sources is crucial as a post-removal precaution.
Using this approach, you would extend the effectiveness of the treatment and create a home free of bugs.
Tip12. Bring in some sunlight in your kitchen.
The many advantages of sunshine may be incorporated into contemporary architecture, just as they have been used for centuries by traditional societies to build cleaner, healthier dwellings. Kitchens with natural light are far less likely to have bug problems than those with inadequate ventilation. There are several ways to design a healthy kitchen, including big windows, sliding glass doors, and skylights.
Tip13. Assess your pipes and nooks frequently.
The main cause of pests in most kitchens is the area under the sink and the pipe inlets and outlets. For rodents to get through a pipe, there has to be very little space between the wall or floor close to the pipe itself. Additionally, serious infestation issues are easily created by unclean pipes and leaky pipes. Do not in any way disregard them.
