Garages are a useful space for any owner that needs storage, parking, workspace area, or even a small escape from your house to take a break and relax. Sadly, people are not the only ones that believe a garage is a useful and purposeful space; bugs, pests and rodents think your garage is the place to search for food, take safety, and a place to call home.
Garages are the rooms in your home that are most likely to attract pests more than others due to the natural environment offered that bugs and pests are accustomed to. Bugs and pests are attracted to a warm, moist, and dark area to live in. What is better than a garage? Even though this environment might be best for bugs, pests, and rodents; it is not ideal or healthy for you, your home and family. It is crucial to do what you can to keep unwanted guests out of your garage. That is where Primos Garage Doors is here to help with some helpful tips, tricks, and precautions to take to keep pests out of your garage for good!
How to Keep Bugs out of the Garage
Clean Your Garage
- Broom/Vacuum
- Remove Existing Pests
- Reduce Moisture
Dry Environment
- Proper Ventilation
- Fans/Exhaust Fans
Food Storage or NO Food at all (Human or Pet)
- Airtight plastic containers
Assess for Cracks
- Caulking Gun & Silicone Caulk
- Rubber weatherstripping
- Drywall or ceiling panels
Baseboards & Traps
- Insecticide spray
- Bait traps
Cleaning Your Garage
Start with a simple task, such as sweeping the floors. Once the floor area is clear, it is easier to view and remove any spider webs along the walls, a rag or broom works best for this task. Next, remove any existing pests, but you may have to play some hide-and-seek. Pests may nest around your food or shelter themselves underneath any old cardboard boxes in your garage. If you do happen to have a larger infestation, it might be the best option to call a pest control company to get the task completed. Take note of the pest that you do clean out, so that later you can set traps, or obtain the proper repellent/pesticide. Lastly, it is vital that you look for corners of moisture and dry them with a portable fan because insects thrive on moisture, which can lead to more insects and pests entering your space and threatening your home.
Keep Your Garage Dry
First check your garage for any standing water, this is the place where pests are drawn to. You will be able to detect if your garage has standing water in areas, as it will feel muggy and not have proper ventilation. The easiest way to dry out these areas is with a towel and a fan. If you do not already have one, consider adding an exhaust fan to your garage to keep the air moving and prevent standing water in the future and reduce the muggy effect.
Remove Food Temptation
It is simple and easy to throw some food in an open box in your garage. What is the harm? It is only going to be there for a few days until you use it, right? Wrong! Improperly storing food in your garage will attract and grow pests.
It is a necessity to keep bugs out of garage boxes, so the best way to prevent bugs overtaking your garage and stored food is to utilize clean, weather/airtight containers. Whether it is for humans or pets, do not just rely on the original packaging to keep it sealed. Remove the temptation for the pests and keep food sealed and stored in airtight containers.
This should also be applied for cooking tools and accessories; give your grill a deep cleaning before you decide to place it in the garage, otherwise there might be some unwanted visitors when you try to use it again.
Lastly, just keep it simple and sweep or vacuum up any pet food that has fallen on the floor, continue to remove the temptation and possible infestation.
Address Cracks
Don’t want any bugs or pests in your garage? It might be time to find just exactly where they are coming in. Typically, this is through cracks. Assess and inspect the foundation, ceiling, walls, and/or windows. There are quick and easy solutions to this that you can do yourself with a caulking gun and some silicone caulk. Fill in any holes you find, regardless of the size. It there is a will, there is a way, and the bugs will find their way in.
Another easy solution is to complete your garage or replace any old drywall or ceiling panels. However, the most important of all, and which is used the most is your garage door. Most garage doors, especially those that are used more often, have openings through which insects of all kinds will take advantage and enter without permission. Weather-stripping or rubber seals are a quick and simple solution to prevent this occurrence.
Set Traps Accordingly
Do you remember when you were cleaning out your garage and you took note of what pests you discovered. This is where you can defeat the enemy and take back your garage. Simply purchase the appropriate traps and pesticides to address your problem. There is a variety that ranges from ants to mice.
It is also a good idea to spray around your garage’s door , windows, and vents with a pesticide to prevent the unwanted pests. Spraying the bottom baseboard of your garage on the inside and the outside with an insecticide or powders assists in an immediate termination of any bugs that encounter it. Always be careful using sprays and insecticide, it must be stored properly and kept away from children and pets.
Primos Garage Doors is Here for You!
The experts at Primos Garage Doors are here to protect you, your family, and your home if you feel your garage door is putting your property at risk. Keeping pests out of your garage is a year-round practice that takes dedication and effort to maintain. If you have any questions or concerns, or maybe you are not wanting to do these assessments yourself, Primos Garage Doors is just a phone call away (720) 621-7737.
