Itβs no secret that pests are big fans of kitchens. If thereβs one place in your home where youβre most likely to encounter unwanted visitors, itβs in your kitchen, and specifically around your pantry. So in this article, weβll be looking at some safe and efficient ways to pest-proof your kitchen pantry and protect your food and home from invasion.
1. Donβt keep around compost or other leftovers.
Potato peelings or a banana peel might not look too appealing to you, but rats may well disagree with you. When we talk about rodents inside your home (as well as other types of pests), we talk about food thatβs left out and tend to imagine entire buffets. In truth, it takes much less to get rats and mice to visit your home. For them, a bit of leftover inside a cracked egg, the edible slivers on a banana peel, or a bit of onion make for a perfectly tasty treat. This is why you want to keep your compost outside, so as to minimize the attraction to pests.
However, it doesnβt end there. When moving compost outside, particularly in warmer weather, youβll want to keep it well-secured. Otherwise, itβs just a matter of time before the same rodents (or other pests, like opossums or raccoons) pick up on that scent and come rummaging through your dumpster.
2. Keep food in airtight containers.
Usually, we tend to store food and ingredients improperly, because of the mistaken assumption that as long as the pests canβt get at them, then weβre generally safe. But thatβs not really it. See, common kitchen pests, such as ants, arenβt attracted by the knowledge that you left food out in the open from afar. Thatβs because they have no way of knowing that from a distance. Instead, what brings them prowling around your kitchen is the smell of food and various ingredients, such as sugar or flour. This is why you need to invest in secure, airtight containers that donβt allow the smell to get out. Because trust us, once theyβre in your kitchen, they will find something to feast on, and wonβt be easy to get rid of.
3. Speaking of which, clean your kitchen more than the rest of your home.
It stands to reason that your kitchen would need more cleaning since youβre more likely to leave crumbs and leftovers out in the open, which can attract ants, cockroaches, and rodents easily. See, the smaller the pest is, the more enjoyment they can get out of a handful of crumbs that you didnβt even think much of at the time. Maybe you didnβt even realize you made crumbs, and itβs that ignorance that can get you quite a nasty ant problem in your kitchen. So at least once a week, make sure you go through your kitchen, vacuum, sweep and dust off surfaces, because the cleaner the kitchen is, the less likely it is to attract pests.
4. Try mint tea and dried bay leaves.
Some of the most common kitchen pests (such as rodents) rely quite heavily on their sense of smell, and thatβs something you can use against them. While the scent of peppermint or dry bay leaves isnβt much to humans, it can be quite unpleasant to rodents, ants, mosquitoes, and roaches. So by strategically placing some bags of mint tea and some clusters of dried bay leaves inside your pantry, you may well prevent pests from visiting. However, while these natural repellents can be useful, it is always best to hire a pro for rodent control like those at Wildlife X Team Memphis.
5. Keep an eye out for gaps and cracks.
At the end of the day, all pests need a doorway into your kitchen. For pests, that is a crack or gap in the floor, wall, or window structure. So by regularly checking against such things, youβre limiting their potential entry points.
These are 5 tips on how to pest-proof your pantry, do you have any ideas on this? I would love to know in the comments below.