How To Keep Your Home Free From Insects

Posted on: Nov 11, 2024 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

How To Keep Your Home Free From Insects

Your home is your happy space where you make countless happy memories with your loved ones. This is why you always strive to keep your home clean and safe. An important step in this direction is to keep your house insect-free during the monsoon. The rainy season is a favourite time for bugs to infest your house and cause several problems. From damages to your property that home insurance may not cover to the spreading of harmful diseases, bugs and pests can cause havoc. Take a look at this article to learn more about ways how to avoid insects in home during rainy season. Implement these easy methods and keep your home bug-free this monsoon.

How to keep insects away from home naturally

Listed below are some of the handiest tips for you to try:

1. Clear stagnant water

Whether you have water accumulated at the bottom of your potted plants or you have old buckets filled with water in your garden, ensure all stagnant water is cleared. Stagnant water is the greatest breeding ground for mosquitoes and other harmful pests. Remove all such items where water can accumulate after a shower. If you have a small pond in the garden or around your house, get a few guppy fish as they eat the mosquito larvae.

2. Throw out unused items

Many pests, including rodents, nest within old, unused boxes and plastic items like large toys. Clear your house and throw out all such unused items. Whether you have saved some packing boxes or have kept your child’s old toys, discard them right away. Remember, if you have not used an item in 2 years, you probably never will again, so do not hold on to it. Declutter and reduce the places for bugs to nest on your property.

3. Use an effective floor cleaner

Use a strong and effective floor cleaner every day when you mop the floor. This is one of the best insect-control methods for homes. Not only does it clean the surface, it also kills germs, pests and larvae which can cause widespread damage to the house. Make sure you clean properly. Remove the furniture and reach the bottoms and edges of every room so that no area is spared and the pests do not get to thrive at any corner.

4. Install window and door meshes

Next, consider getting mesh covers for your windows and doors. This is an excellent way to naturally stop pests and insects from coming inside. A lot of bugs fly in all over the day and night. From the annoying house flies to the very dangerous Aedes mosquitoes, you can keep them all out by covering the windows while enjoying the breeze and view of the rain outside.

5. Clean the areas surrounding the house

Just taking care of the four corners of your house won't do the job for you. Instead, you have to maintain and clean the entire property and the adjacent areas of the house. If you live in a bungalow, clean and declutter your garden, garage, staircase and terrace. If you live in an apartment, clean the common areas. If you have open spaces or water bodies around your house, implement adequate pest control methods in those areas as well.

6. Repair cracks and crevices

Call an inspector for a thorough inspection of the house before the monsoon sets in, if there are any cracks or crevices in the house, get them repaired and filled. Cracks and crevices are excellent hiding points for various insects. It is also dangerous to have an opening as a rodent or any other bug can get in and chew even further, causing larger damage.

7. Keep the bathrooms very clean

You will notice several bugs in the bathrooms. From tiny ants to huge spiders, your bathroom is home to many annoying critters! This is scary and dangerous as they can spread many diseases and cause a massive bug infestation in the whole house. Therefore, you need to ensure your bathroom is clean and hygienic at all times. Keep the place clean and dry. Ensure there is proper ventilation. Get professional cleaning and debugging done at regular intervals. Use a powerful bathroom cleaner every day and also put some naphthalene balls on the drains. These measures will drastically reduce the appearance of bugs and pests not just in the bathroom, but all over the house.

8. Use bleaching powder

Spread bleaching powder on the walkway, staircase, garage and terrace of the house. This prevents moss and fungus from growing. Many insects grow and hide in moss, which leads to a bug infestation soon. Also, moss can be very slippery and lead to falls and accidents. The timely and regular application of bleaching powder can effectively prevent this problem.

9. Place cloves in grains

You will often notice insects in the packets and containers of rice, pulses, etc. This is a very prevalent problem during the rainy season. To avoid these bugs from contaminating your food, simply place some cloves among the grains. One or two pieces of clove per container should do the trick. This is an age-old home remedy that always does the job, so give it a try for sure.

10. Throw away leftover food

Measure your ingredients and cook only as much as you need. Not only will this help you make an impact by saving food, but it will also keep your home free from bugs and diseases. Leftover food often attracts insects such as house flies and ants. Even if you store the food in your refrigerator, it gets mouldy after a while and can be very dangerous for consumption. To avoid all such problems, discard your leftover food if you do not plan to consume it for your next meal.

Conclusion

As you can see, it is not impossible to keep the pests and bugs away from your home this rainy season. Follow the handy tips mentioned above and get rid of the pesky critters safely and naturally. Repeat the processes regularly and do not allow any trash to pile up. Take action right at the onset and you will make a huge difference.

FAQ

1. Does home insurance cover pest damage?

The clauses of the different home insurance plans differ, but broadly speaking, most property insurance plans in India do not cover pest infestation damages. However, you must look to get a good home insurance plan as you can stay covered from the secondary damages caused by pests. For example, if rodents chew through the electrical wires of the house and that results in a fire, you can get compensated for the fire damages.

2. What is the best way to keep mosquitoes away during the rainy season?

A good way to reduce the appearance of mosquitoes during the monsoon is by installing mesh covers on your windows. Also, discard stagnant water that may have collected in and around the house. Additionally, use mosquito nets when sleeping at night and wear fully covered clothing when going out, especially after sunset.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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