Tag: space

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Pests Hiding Spot

How to Keep Pests Out of Your Crawl Space

No one wants to share their home with cockroaches, termites, rats or mice. We work hard to keep pests out of our homes. We put spray down so ants don’t come in, we kill spiders that come in and often times, we scream if a mouse enters our home (ok maybe that last one is just me).
What many homeowners don’t realize is that they literally have the power to cut down the entry doors by which these pests come into the home. Homes with encapsulated crawl spaces seal off the ground’s moisture so pests can not enter and have to go elsewhere to find shelter. An added bonus is that encapsulation minimizes mold and mildew growth, which means you’ll have a more structurally sound and healthier home than if mold and mildew ran rampant.
How do I encapsulate my crawl space?
There are a few steps to encapsulate your crawl space, which is also known as a vapor barrier. First, all standing water is removed to eliminate pooled water Houseplant Problems Pictures and moisture. This also lowers the humidity, which is the leading culprit in growing mold and gives pests one less reason to be a visitor in your home.
Next, the crawl space is sealed off with a CleanSpace 20-mil thick liner which is tough enough to prevent rips and tears by servicemen and workers, since they make up the majority of traffic there. This liner is much tougher than those found in home improvement stores. They are made specifically to withstand people moving through the space. Plus, this barrier naturally seals off entry ways that many rats, mice and other pests use to come into your house.
The vapor barrier system features a plastic membrane which allows any water vapor that does come up from the earth, to flow away. The benefit of this is that the moisture does not just sit and mold. Instead, makes its way to a sump pump which is the next step in encapsulating a crawl space.
A sump pump is installed in the low-point of the crawl space so that any moisture that does enter the crawl space, is whisked away from the home. Sump pumps come with back-up pumps so that even if one pump can not handle the flow of water coming in, or did not work for any reason, a back-up pump would then kick on.
A sump pump alarm is also a great idea because it will sound an alarm if water is detected in the crawl space. So if a storm comes through in the middle of the night and your crawl space gets wet, the alarm will sound. This lets you rest easy knowing that you don’t have to worry about water coming in to your home – you’ll be notified if it does. Plus, you probably don’t go down there more than a couple times a year so you wouldn’t see the water and critters that come into your home that way.
The last …

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Keep Clean

How to Keep Your Crawl Space Pest Free

Most homeowners will agree that a pest infestation can be one of the most damaging, costly problems your home can face. Invasive pests and animals will often take up Using Insecticides On Vegetables residence in your house if the conditions are right for feeding and/or nesting. One of the most commonly infested areas of the home is the crawl space, or subfloor.
Luckily for homeowners, pest control for your home’s crawl space is as simple as keeping the area clean, maintaining a tidy yard, securing entrances and controlling moisture. Classification Of Pest The following is a brief synopsis of the most common types of crawl space pests, how to prevent them from moving in, and what to do if you already have an infestation.
Types of pests
The first step in pest prevention is knowing the most common types of pests and what types of conditions attract them.
Wood Destroying Organisms (WDOs): WDOs are some of the most common and destructive pests that can get into your home. Types of WDOs include termites, moisture ants and carpenter ants. These pests can destroy your home from the inside out, consuming wood and materials inside your home’s walls. Because these pests are so small, they are often difficult to notice until they have caused major damage.
Rats/Mice/Moles: Small rodents are attracted to areas that provide them with food, shelter and a place to breed. Walls and crawl spaces provide exactly those things. Like WDOs, rats, mice and moles can gnaw and chew away structurally necessary parts of your home, like beams and walls. They are also unsanitary and unpleasant to have around.
Raccoons/Possums: These pests are less likely to take up residence in your house, but if they do they can be a pain to get rid of. Raccoons and possums can be aggressive, attacking household pets, and they can also carry nasty diseases like rabies. Keeping a clean crawl space with few entranceways is the best pest prevention tactic for raccoons and possums.
Snakes: It’s obvious why you wouldn’t want an infestation of snakes in your crawl space — they’re creepy, they can clog drains and some of them are poisonous. Snakes are attracted to crawl spaces with lots of standing water, so keeping your subfloor clean is important.
Ways to get rid of existing pests
The best way to get rid of household pests is to call a professional pest control service. Many do-it-yourself attempts don’t wipe out the entire pest population, which can cause the pests to return — sometimes even worse than before. Also, some pest control methods can be harmful to humans or pets. Look for pest control service that offers crawl space restoration and can offer a holistic approach to pest control.
Other pest prevention tactics
The best way to avoid the hassle of trying to get rid of a pest infestation is to take steps to prevent one from happening in the first place. Proactive pest prevention is also one of the most important elements …

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