Pest Attractors and How to Avoid Them
Where did that bug come from? Even when you keep your space neat, you may still have pests. Your home could be filled with stuff that's attracting pests, even though you don't know it. Learn how to eliminate the stuff that bugs and annoying beasties like, and you can start getting rid of them right now.
Dishes
No one likes to do dishes, so maybe you let them sit in the sink. Don't! Dishes are like magnets for various types of pests, including flies, ants, and the worst of the worst: cockroaches. They're after the leftover food on your dishes. Get your dishes cleaned ASAP, and you will notice fewer pests crawling around.
Moisture
Have a dripping faucet? A clogged gutter or downspout? Like humans, pests need moisture to survive. They will seek it out, and that means you need to keep your property dry. Fix leaking faucets inside your home. Make sure your downspouts and gutters are flowing freely, and check for any leaks on AC units and other appliances that may be attracting wasps and rodents.
Dry Drains
On the other hand, you don't want any drains in your home to become too dry. If you have a sink or bathtub that you don't use often, make it a point to run some water in it regularly. Dry, unused drains are a perfect habitat for flies. They're also attracted to slow and clogged drains, so make sure to treat these problems before they become bigger issues.
Garbage
Pests small and large are attracted to garbage. Smelly garbage is a great way to get raccoons, mice, and all sorts of other unpleasant fellows that you don't want around your property. Be sure to keep your trash tightly bagged when you place it outside, and always put the bags in trash cans with lids. Keep the lids closed at all times. If you have too much trash for your can, call your garbage disposal company and get another trash can so you can place your overflow bags there.
Paper
It sounds odd, and many people don't know that it can attract bugs, but piles of paper are a big potential problem. Cockroaches and silverfish are especially attracted to piles of old papers. There may be lots of pieces of paper that you need to save, but that doesn't mean you should just leave them sitting out. Put the papers you need to keep in plastic bins that can be sealed. Papers you don't need should be thrown away as soon as possible because no one wants roaches.
Mulch
It's used so commonly in gardens, it's easy to believe that mulch is relatively safe. It isn't. Wooden mulch can attract termites, who will start with the mulch and then move onto vulnerable areas of your home. Termites can cause massive amounts of damage. Get rid of all that wood mulch and switch to something like rubber instead.
Shrubs
Lots of homes have shrubbery, but that doesn't mean it's always perfectly placed. Insects and small pests love shrubbery because it's full of hiding places and warm shelter spots for them. If shrubs are close to your home, you've just given the pests a bridge to get into your living space. Keep shrubs well-trimmed, and try to keep at least 18 inches of space between shrubbery and your home.
Avoid Pest Attractors
When you know how to avoid common pest attractors, you’ll know how to keep your home safer. Prevent pests from invading your space, and make your home much nicer for you — not for those nasty pests!
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![KC Morgan]()
KC Morgan has been a professional freelance writer since 2006. Over the last decade, KC has published thousands of articles and blog posts that have been read by millions. KC has written how-to articles, guides, and tutorials on different DIY ideas and home improvement projects. KC doesn’t just write about DIY projects, she does them in her spare time too. KC shares her DIY passion by creating original articles, so others can pursue their own home improvement goals and ideas too. KC’s articles have appeared in Popular Mechanics, and have been featured on DIY guru Bob Vila’s website. KC has written in-depth DIY articles for Sears.com and Overstock.com, as well as dozens of other websites. KC combines research and hands-on practice to provide useful tips and techniques for all sorts of DIY projects so that anyone can find ways to improve their own home and get the living space they want. KC works on her home every single day to learn new cleaning hacks, find DIY new projects, and discover new techniques to share with readers. When she’s not writing or DIYing, KC enjoys watching college basketball, playing with her cats, and experimenting with new cupcake recipes.![H.R. Helm]()
H.R. Helm is an accomplished DIY craftsman. He has been DIY since childhood and is now a septuagenarian. He is experienced in wood and metal construction, having designed and built several houses and metal buildings. He built every permanent building on his current homestead and did all the plumbing and electrical work. He has several years experience as a professional cabinet builder, and he is an accomplished auto repairman, having operated an auto repair business for many years. He currently has a home shop where he sharpens and rebuilds saws, repairs lawn mowers, mobility scooters, hydraulic jacks, and anything else that comes along. He also builds custom tools for metal working. Invention prototypes are another of his many accomplishments. He owned and operated a manufacturing business building Compact Utility Vehicles for homeowner use. H.R. enjoys making jams and jellies during fruit season along with cooking meals. He is committed to outdoor cooking in a Bar-B-Q pit he welded together several years ago. He maintains fruit and nut trees along with helping his wife with a vegetable garden. He farmed commercial garden produce for several years. It helps to have over 50 years of farming and ranching experience. Employment/Education Highlights ASE Certified Master Auto Technician Certified Welder Cross country truck driver -- over dimensional freight Design Engineer/Project Manager for injection molded plastic company Bus Driver/Substitute Teacher Inventor with two patents (weight training – anti-rollback for manual wheelchair) BS in Industrial Technology
