How to Pest-Proof Your Home

The three principles

Every pest needs food, water and shelter, and a way to reach them. Pest-proofing works on all four:

• Remove attractants: food, water and rubbish that draw pests in.
• Exclude: close the gaps and routes pests use to get into the building.
• Reduce harbourage: take away sheltered places near and inside the home where pests live and breed.
• Monitor: check regularly so small problems are caught early.

This approach — often called integrated pest management — is cheaper and longer-lasting than repeated treatment, and it makes any treatment you do need work better. It is also the approach professional pest managers use.

Start with a walk-around inspection

Set aside half an hour, take a torch, and walk around the outside of the house, then through each room. Look for:

• Gaps where pipes, cables and air-conditioning lines enter walls.
• Gaps under doors, damaged screens and loose weather seals.
• Vegetation touching walls, gutters or the roof.
• Water pooling near the house, leaking taps and blocked gutters.
• Clutter, stored cardboard and timber against walls, and under the house.
• Droppings, gnaw marks, ant trails, webs and egg cases.

Write down what you find. Most of it can be fixed with basic tools, sealant, mesh and a free afternoon.

Kitchen and pantry

The kitchen is the most important room to pest-proof because it concentrates food, water and warmth.

• Store dry goods, cereals, flour, pet food and sweet foods in hard, sealed containers rather than bags and boxes.
• Wipe benches, sweep floors and put away dishes every night.
• Clean behind and under the fridge, stove and dishwasher a few times a year; grease and crumbs there sustain cockroaches.
• Degrease range hoods, cupboard hinges and drawer runners.
• Seal gaps around pipes under the sink with sealant or pipe escutcheons.
• Fix dripping taps and dry the sink and draining rack at night.
• Keep bins lidded, rinse recycling and empty bins regularly.
• Check the pantry for signs of moths or weevils and throw out infested food.

Related: ants in the kitchen and cockroaches in the kitchen.

Bathrooms and laundries

• Keep drain traps full by running water weekly, especially in spare bathrooms and laundry floor wastes.
• Replace missing or damaged drain grates.
• Improve ventilation with exhaust fans or open windows to reduce humidity for silverfish and cockroaches.
• Seal gaps behind vanities, toilets and laundry tubs.
• Fix leaks promptly; damp timber and cavities attract several pests.

See can cockroaches come through drains.

Bedrooms and living areas

• Vacuum regularly, including under furniture and along skirting boards.
• Keep clothes, towels and bedding off the floor; white-tailed spiders and other hunters shelter in them.
• Store off-season clothing and papers in sealed plastic tubs rather than cardboard, which silverfish feed on.
• After travel, unpack straight into the washing machine and inspect luggage for bed bugs.
• Check second-hand furniture carefully before bringing it inside.

Doors, windows and walls

• Fit door seals and sweeps, including on garage and laundry doors. A gap you can slide a pencil under will admit a mouse.
• Repair fly screens and fit screens to doors you use often in summer.
• Use weep-hole covers (brick walls need weep holes to drain moisture, so never fill them completely).
• Seal gaps where cables, pipes and air-conditioning lines enter the building. Use steel wool or mesh plus sealant for larger gaps, because rodents chew through foam.
• Check that vents have intact mesh.

Roof, ceiling and sub-floor

• Cut back branches, vines and palms at least a metre from the roof and gutters.
• Clean gutters so they drain, and check that downpipes are clear.
• Seal roof gaps at gutters, fascias, tile edges and ridge capping with rodent-resistant materials.
• Keep sub-floors ventilated, dry and free of stored cardboard, timber and rubbish.
• Listen for noises in the ceiling at night, especially in autumn and winter.

Rodents need special attention; see rodent-proofing your home and what is the noise in my ceiling.

Yard and garden

• Tip out anything holding water weekly and after rain: pot saucers, buckets, toys, tarps and tyres. See reducing mosquitoes.
• Keep a clear, mulch-free strip along the house walls.
• Store firewood and building materials off the ground and away from the house.
• Pick up fallen fruit and nuts, and use enclosed compost bins.
• Feed pets and chickens in the morning and remove leftovers.
• Check outdoor furniture, play equipment and sheds for redbacks; wear gloves when gardening.
• Use warm-coloured outdoor lighting and position it away from doors to reduce insects, which in turn reduces spiders.

Quick reference by pest

• Cockroaches: food and water control, wet drain traps, sealed pipe gaps. Cockroach guide.
• Ants: clean up sweet spills, seal frames, trim plants from walls. Stop ants entering.
• Rats and mice: remove food, seal gaps with metal materials, trim vegetation. How mice get in.
• Spiders: reduce insect prey with lighting changes, remove webs, fit screens. Spiders around windows.
• Mosquitoes: remove standing water, screens, repellent.
• Silverfish: reduce humidity and cardboard storage. Why silverfish.

A seasonal routine

• Spring: check eaves and shrubs for new wasp nests; clear gutters before storm season; re-seal where ants trailed last year.
• Summer: tip out water after every storm; keep screens closed; keep pet flea prevention up to date.
• Autumn: trim trees back from the roof and seal roof and wall gaps before rodents move in.
• Winter: listen for ceiling noises; check storage areas for droppings and silverfish.

A printable version is in the pest prevention checklist.

Common mistakes

• Spraying instead of proofing. Surface sprays kill the pests you can see but leave the gaps, food and shelter that brought them. They can also scatter ants and German cockroaches into new areas.
• Using foam to seal rodent gaps. Rats and mice chew straight through expanding foam. Pack gaps with steel wool or mesh first.
• Blocking weep holes and vents. Brick walls and sub-floors need airflow and drainage. Use purpose-made covers instead.
• Forgetting spare drains. A dry floor waste in a guest bathroom or laundry is an open door for sewer cockroaches.
• Treating one unit in a building. In apartments, pests move between units; coordinated action works far better.
• Ignoring the neighbours’ side of the fence. Rats and mosquitoes don’t respect boundaries. Talking to neighbours about fruit trees, compost and water containers helps everyone.

Renters and apartment residents

Many pest-proofing steps are fine for renters: cleaning, sealed food storage, tipping out water, door snakes and removable door sweeps, and reporting problems early. Permanent changes such as sealing gaps in walls, fitting new screens or trimming large trees usually need the landlord’s or owners corporation’s agreement.

Report pest problems to your property manager in writing, with photos and dates. Responsibility for pest control depends on your state’s tenancy laws and on when and how the problem started; your state tenancy authority can advise. In apartment buildings, see pests in apartment buildings.

Balconies deserve attention too: pot saucers breed mosquitoes, stored boxes shelter cockroaches and spiders, and bird feeders attract rodents.

A basic pest-proofing kit

Most of the work in this guide can be done with a small kit from a hardware store:

• a good torch and a small mirror, for checking under sinks, behind appliances and in the roof void;
• a caulking gun with flexible silicone or acrylic sealant, for small gaps around pipes, skirting boards and window frames;
• stainless steel or copper mesh, for packing larger gaps before sealing, because rodents chew through foam and sealant alone;
• self-adhesive weather strip and door sweeps, for gaps under and around doors;
• spare fly screen mesh and a spline roller, for repairing torn screens;
• airtight food containers, so the pantry gives pests nothing to find;
• gloves and a dust mask, for cleaning up droppings and dust.

Renters can use removable products such as draught stoppers, temporary sealing putty and stick-on screens, and should ask the property manager before making permanent changes.

When to call a professional

Pest-proofing solves or prevents most everyday pest problems, but professional help is sensible when:

• Small cockroaches or nymphs keep appearing indoors (a breeding German cockroach population).
• You hear rodents in the roof and cannot safely access or seal the roof void.
• You find signs of bed bugs.
• There is a wasp nest near a door, play area or inside a wall.
• You suspect termites — don’t disturb them; book a licensed timber pest inspection.
• Problems keep returning despite your efforts.

A good pest manager inspects first, explains the cause, and recommends proofing as well as treatment. If you would like help finding one, tell PestMan what’s happening.

If you use products

Pest-proofing reduces the need for chemicals, but if you do use them:

• Choose products registered for the specific pest and situation (indoor, outdoor, food areas).
• Read the whole label before buying and before use, and follow it exactly. This is a legal requirement in Australia.
• Prefer baits in tamper-resistant stations and targeted crack-and-crevice application over broad spraying.
• Keep products in their original containers, locked away from children and pets.
• Never pour pesticides down drains.

If you are unsure what to use, or the problem keeps coming back, a licensed pest manager can assess the property and explain the options. See is pest control safe for pets and around children.

Answers related to this guide

• How Do Cockroaches Get Inside?
• How Do I Stop Ants Entering My House?
• How Are Mice Getting Into My House?
• How Do I Make My Property Less Attractive to Rats?
• How Do I Reduce Mosquitoes Around My Home?
• Why Are Spiders Around My Windows?

Pests in this guide