Tips for Protecting Your Home from Pest Invasions

No matter what you do, sooner or later, you can expect to have to deal with insects or
rodents in your home. You might have ants, mice, raccoons, roaches, etc., you never
know who might find their way inside your home. There are some things that you can do,
to make your home less attractive to these unwanted visitors, so that you don’t have to
deal with them, but in some cases, you may have to deal with them no matter what you
do, so be prepared.

The most common household insect or pest is ants. It seems like they can find their way
inside your home no matter what you do, and once they are there, can be extremely
difficult to get rid of. There are many commercial products that you can purchase, which
may prevent ant infestation, but you have to make sure they are safe, especially if you
have indoor pets or small children in the home.

The easiest way to deal with ants is to get rid of their food source. Make certain that you
have food placed in air tight containers, and that you clean up spills or messes
immediately. Ants like cereal, peanut butter, certain liquid medications, suckers, anything
sweet especially. If you don’t store these items properly, then you may have a serious
ant problem on your hands.

Depending on where you live, you may also have to deal with stray dogs and cats, and
even skunks, (yuck!). These animals love to get into your trash cans, looking for a great
meal, but leaving you with a horrendous mess to clean up the next morning. How mad
would you be to go outside for work at 6am and see your trash all over your yard and
drive? One way to prevent this problem is to douse your cans with ammonia or bleach,
as the strong fumes will often deter any midnight food raids. You may also want to soak
the area around the cans, and this will also work around your porch or vehicles as well.
Stray cats love to sit on cars, scratching paint and leaving footprints, which can be very
annoying as well.

If you have pets, you will probably have to deal with fleas at some point. You should ask
your vet to recommend a flea collar or spray that you can use, which will be safe for your
pets, and effective against fleas. Your vet might also give you a prescription cream, that
you can apply onto your pet’s skin, which will not only keep fleas off of your pet, but will
keep them from coming into your home as well.

Flies can also be a very annoying pest to have in the home, and we all have them,
especially during hot weather. No one wants to have flies buzzing around when they are
trying to cook or eat, and especially not when you are trying to sleep at night. Make
certain that no food gets left out, which is what flies are looking for. Like with ants, if you
take away their food, they will leave. If nothing else, you can get commercial sprays and
traps to use, but again, make certain you read the labels for safety precautions.

Exterminators can go along way towards keeping your home pest free, but they can be
expensive. If used to prevent pests from coming into your home, it isn’t too bad, but
frequent visits to try to rid you of pest invasions, can be quite expensive, so you are
better off preventing invasions in the first place.

Preparing Your Home for Your New Baby

Every parent can tell you, when you bring that new baby home from the hospital, you are in
ultimate defense mode, ready to attack the first fly or dust particle that comes near that precious
child. You are constantly on alert for every little sound, or any little thing that might harm or
disturb your baby, especially if this is your first child. While this is natural, and good, you
shouldn’t really have to feel this way while you are in your own home. You should take steps to
make certain that your home is a safe and secure place for your baby, so that you don’t have to
worry yourself into a frazzle all of the time. Keeping your children safe should be on the top of
your priority list, whether they are teenagers or newborns, it doesn’t matter. With newborns, there
are several things that you can do to help ensure their safety while they are at home.

One of the first things you can do may not make you very popular, but is necessary. If you or
your spouse have friends or family members who smoke, drink, or abuse drugs, you should not
let them be around your baby, or at least not while they are impaired. If someone who smokes
comes to your home, make certain that they understand that if they must smoke while they are
there, they must do it outside, and that they must wash their hands before holding your child. You
will hear all kinds of stories and reasons of why this is ridiculous, but it really is in your child’s
best interest. You definitely don’t want someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol
around your new baby, as you never know what might happen.

Get in the habit of locking your doors when you come home, even if you live in the country. You
never know who may come in, when you are asleep, in the bathroom, etc. Purchase baby safety
devices to place around your home, monitors, cabinet latches, baby gates, outlet plugs, etc. This
will make certain your baby stays safe when he or she gets old enough to move around and
explore. It is a good idea when baby proofing your home, for you to get down on the baby’s level,
so that you can see everything he or she sees, and then add or make any changes necessary. Make
sure that pools, balconies, garage doors, and basement doors are locked at all times, so that your
baby can’t get in there when he or she is alone, and potentially get hurt in some way.

If you have pets, it might be a good idea to give them away when the baby is born, or at least
move them from inside to outside of the home. You never really know what an animal is capable
of, even one that you have raised. A baby is an easy target, and could get severely injured by a pet
before you can do anything about it.

Make certain that your baby’s crib meets all safety standards, and that you don’t leave toys or
blankets in the crib with the baby, as these could cause suffocation. Rather than wrap your baby
in blankets to sleep, add an extra layer of clothing, or bump up the heat in the room.

If you choose to buy a walker for your baby, extra precautions are necessary, especially around
stairways. You also need to be aware that they baby can reach a lot higher while in the walker, so
you will have to watch out for items that may be on the stove, or that are placed around the room.

Keeping your home safe for your children is not always an easy task, especially when they reach
toddler age. The extra work is well worth it, and there are more things that should be done other
than what is listed in this article. For more information, talk to your pediatrician about home
safety, or do some research online or at your local library.