We only pay attention to nasty pests like mice, cockroaches, and ants once they’ve become a repeated problem. Living in an apartment can be quite a challenge when trying to avoid pests. Kitchens, bathrooms, pantries are alluring pest hangouts. You may even notice a fluctuation in pests when the people in surrounding apartments move out.

Instead of handling pest problems each time they come up, it’s better to practice being proactive. By committing yourself to clean habits, you should be able to prevent unwanted critters out of your apartment.

These are some things you can do:

Get Clean

• Pack up and discard food from meals.

• Keep Ziplock bags, chip bags, and cookie bags, clipped or shut.
• Immediately wipe up messes and spills on countertops and the floor.
• Keep garbage in a sealed container and dispose of your trash daily.
• Take care of crumbs that may have fallen on the sofa or bedspreads after eating.

Time to Declutter

• Clean up piles of paper and other objects in corners.
• Reorganize your closet.
• Clean out the cabinets in the bathroom and in the kitchen

Eliminate Wet Environments

• Call your landlord to get your leaky faucets and broken pipes fixed.
• Make sure the bathroom has proper ventilation as to prevent condensation from accumulating in cracks and crevices.

Also you may want to check with your management office to see if they provide pest spraying. After you clean, make an appointment to get your apartment sprayed.