Vacations are a time to relax and unwind, but nothing can ruin that bliss faster than coming home to an unexpected infestation or encountering pests in your hotel room. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or an extended stay, it’s important to ensure a bug-free experience during your travels. Add these steps to your packing checklist to keep pests at bay both at home and on the road.
It may be made for pets, but that doesn’t mean pests wouldn’t love a bite. Before you head out on vacation, store your pet food in sealed containers. Finding an open bag of pet food is like hitting the jackpot for ants and rodents, so making sure yours is tightly sealed in a storage bin or individual plastic bags will go a long way toward keeping pests out of your home.
Your yard can quickly turn into an area pests overtake, especially if it becomes overgrown. Take the time to mow your lawn and trim any bushes around your house a day or two before you leave. Tall grass and dense vegetation can become hiding spots for bugs like aphids and ants — not to mention larger critters like moles and mice. By clearing debris and leaving your lawn in good shape, pests are far more likely to leave your property alone.
You don’t have to go full Kevin in Home Alone, but giving the impression that someone is home with timed lights or motion lights can cut down on pest activity. This simple trick will work well to deter larger animals like raccoons. Other nocturnal pests, like cockroaches, also won’t want to stick around while the lights are shining, giving you peace of mind that your home will be safe from more than one type of intruder.
The longer you’re away, the more important this step becomes. It doesn’t take long for perishable food to spoil, so clearing out your fridge and pantry will reduce the likelihood of attracting pests to your kitchen. Your fruit bowl is another area to check before you leave, too. Unless you want to take those bananas as a car snack, you may find fruit flies snacking on them by the time you’re home.
After a long day of travel, no one wants to come back to a smelly home. Empty any indoor trash cans — especially the one in your kitchen — before you leave to deter pests from calling your home theirs. Scraps of food serve as a tasty treat for nosy pests, and flies and maggots can even use them as a breeding ground. After you move your trash to the outdoor trash bins, it’s a good idea to store them away from the house to help prevent any critters from getting too close to your home.
Now that your home is prepped, you can shift your focus to your temporary accommodations. Bed bugs are a common concern in hotels and vacation rentals. Avoid coming into contact with them — or worse, bringing them home — by inspecting mattresses, headboards, and furniture for small dark spots. If you find anything suspicious, like small live bugs, it’s important to request a different room or stay somewhere else.
Take your bed bug protection a step further by keeping your belongings off the floor. Instead, place suitcases and bags on luggage racks or countertops, two areas where these pests are unlikely to be. You can wrap your suitcase in a garbage bag or use a luggage cover to prevent bed bugs from latching onto fabric suitcases and hitchhiking a ride home.
Living out of your suitcase can quickly get old. Instead, hang up your clothes and avoid leaving them in piles on the floor so bugs can’t reach them. It’s also a wise idea to avoid placing them in any dresser drawers that are available. Beyond bed bugs, this will help protect your clothes from any moths or carpet beetles that may be living in them.
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