Winterize Your Home to Keep Heat In and Pests Out
Ideally, you’d want to winterize your home in the fall to prepare for the cold months ahead. Winterizing your home protects it from the elements, as well as saves you money on your heating and utility bills by helping to conserve energy. In addition to keeping energy costs down and the elements out, properly winterizing your home can keep another unwanted thing out: pests! When the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, insects get the hint that winter is coming. Some insects “overwinter” in the fall – which means they start looking for warmer accommodations. Oftentimes, their warmer accommodations means your residence. Yuck! Here’s how you can winterize your home to help keep pests out:
Eliminate Their Habitat
Start by cleaning up your yard before the first snowfall. Make sure to clear your yard of any fallen leaves, branches, or grass clippings, and clean out your gutters and downspouts. These places are breeding grounds for insects, so by eliminating them, you’ll lessen the chance for an infestation near your home, which would inevitably lead to them getting in through the cracks.
Seal Up the Cracks
This should be something you do when you winterize regardless of pests, because sealing cracks will help keep the heat indoors on cold days. In addition to saving you money on heating bills and keeping your family warm and cozy, sealing the cracks and spaces will help keep the pests out. Here’s what you should do to make sure your home is properly sealed:
- Check seals around entry doors and crawl space openings. Replace worn weather stripping and caulk or repair as needed.
- Replace screens with storm windows. If you leave screens in year-round, make sure they fit tightly and don’t have holes, tears or other openings.
- Inspect basement windows and examine the foundation. If concrete is chipping or broken, replace it.
- Double-check attic vents to ensure seals are tight.
Use a low-VOC (volatile organic compound) caulk to seal up gaps around windows, doors, and pipes. You can also use steel wool to fill in larger cracks.
The best time to winterize your home is in the fall, before the winter weather truly hits. If you got a late start sealing your home and are currently dealing with a pest problem, call ANTEX Exterminating! We offer a variety of pest control and crawl space services. Whether you’re dealing with bees, mice, rats, cockroaches, ants, termites, bees, bed bugs, fleas, or silverfish, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today!