Keeping Pests Out of Your Garage
If you’re a homeowner, then a garage is to your car what your home is to you. Unfortunately, your garage is also the ideal home for a variety of pests, and one of the most common spots for pest infestations.
No one wants insects taking up residence in their garage, but the biggest issue is that they often don’t stay there. They end up migrating into your home through easy access points such as doors or windows. Sooner or later, one pest multiplies into hundreds, and you’ve got an uncontrollable infestation on your hands.
The good news is, with the right pest control treatment plan, your garage can be a pest-free zone once more. Want to keep pests out of your garage? Read this.
Seal Off Entry Points
Garage doors are rarely fitted to be airtight all around. This makes it much easier for pests like rodents and bugs to find their way inside.
To test your garage door’s seal, step into the garage during the day but don’t turn on the lights. This will make it easy to see where the gaps in your garage door are––which is basically anywhere you see light coming through.
Here are a few ways you can seal up the gaps around the garage door:
- Replace the rubber threshold––The rubber threshold along the bottom of the doors can easily get worn and need replacing.
- Fix the breaks––If your door isn’t sitting right when it closes, it might be time to fix the breaks.
- Check for track adjustments––Some garage doors have adjustment settings on the track to improve the way they sit.
- Weatherstripping––This product is just like the weatherstripping that goes around exterior doors in your home. If you have weatherstripping but it’s cracked and worn, you’ll need to remove it and scrape the sealant clean to make way for new stripping.
Keep Your Garage Free of Clutter and Mess
Besides being a shelter for pests from harsh weather conditions, your garage is also a main attraction because of the clutter. In fact, about 25% of garages are too cluttered to fit a single car.
The more messy and unorganized your garage is, the more places pests have to hide. If you want to declutter your garage, here are a few tips for garage organization:
- Build shelves––Shelves are a great way to make use of the vertical space if you plan to park vehicles in the garage.
- Get a pegboard––A pegboard along one wall is a great option for storing tools and cleaning equipment.
- Rolling racks––Rolling racks can be really useful if you use your garage as a hobby space.
Keep Trash Contained
A garbage can is like an open invitation for household pests. It’s understandable that you want to keep your trash outside––it stinks! Just make sure if you put your garbage in the garage, that you place it in a metal garbage can––to prevent rodents from chewing through it!
Close the Garage Door
This seems like pretty simple advice, but open garage doors are how a lot of pests get inside. This is especially true for larger pests like rodents, squirrels, and raccoons.
In addition to larger pests, smaller pests like spiders will leap (sometimes literally) at any opportunity to get into your garage. Don’t give pests an easy way inside!
Store Food in Plastic Containers
A lot of people keep their dog food, birdseed, and other pet foods inside of the garage instead of inside the house. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but you need to pay attention to how food is stored. Just like the trash, animal feed will attract pests.
The solution to this is pretty simple—you need to store pet food in sealable, heavy-duty plastic containers. Insects and other pests may be able to see it, but they won’t be able to get to it.
As the weather starts to change, you may notice new pests taking up residence in your garage this season. By following the simple steps in this guide, and calling your local pest control professionals at Vulcan Termite & Pest Control Inc., you can be sure your garage will be pest-free all year long.
Give us a call, we’d be happy to put together a custom pest control treatment plan!