Termites and Pests: Uninvited Visitors in Your Condo

Ah, your condo. Home sweet home. You're finally well on your way to living independently and you've never been gladder about living in the city. There are the usual chores to be done but you're doing fine. You've got it all figured out. Until a rat pokes its head out of a corner and stares right at you, that is. The fact is, pests are everywhere. Sometimes, it's just not a simple matter of keeping your place clean because living in a condominium means you're in close quarters with several hundreds of people, and you can't control what they do. So what do you do? The answer lies a little bit closer to home. You can be a good condo resident.

But what's being a good resident got to do with it?

As a good resident, cleaning your condo is always high on your list of things to do. Whether you do a little bit everyday or save the bigger jobs for the weekend, you're committed to the general upkeep of your condominium unit, and this directly affects a pest situation. For the most part, the best way to deal with a pest situation is to prevent it from happening in the first place. It's just way easier to clean your home than to deal with rats, ants, flies, cockroaches, and all their icky cousins in between. If you're past the point of prevention though, don't fret. There are still ways by which you can kick pests to the curb.

Consider the following:

1. Shoo flies away with basil

Basil smells really good but flies would beg to differ. They hate how basil smells so you can use this cooking herb to get them to leave you alone in peace. To enjoy fly-free condo living, arrange pots of basil along window sills, doorways, and your kitchen counter. Out of fresh basil? Dried basil will do. Just put some in a muslin pouch, rubbing the pouch on occasion to stir up the scent and keep it strong.

2. When life gives you lemons, use them to scare spiders away

Pests seem to have a different idea about what smells good because citrus is another one of those that they absolutely can't stand. Spiders fall particular victim to this, so simply whipping up a solution of water and lemon juice (make sure it's unsweetened!) will do the trick. To get these eight-legged uninvited visitors scurrying to the door, spray the solution along windowsills and doorways and use it to wipe down counters when doing your monthly chores.

3. Sour up and be ant-free

Combine water and vinegar with a 50:50 ratio and use this solution to wipe surfaces all over your real estate investment where you've seen ants or where they can potentially go. Repeat several times a day for best results. This works because it destroys the scent trails ants use to navigate around your home. If you're worried about the stink, don't be. All that vinegar smell should go away when the solution dries up.

4. Doing your due diligence with flies

Mind your neighbors and prevent the spread of fleas by alternately vacuuming and salting your floors if there are pets on your condominium floor. Fleas reproduce every three days though, so you have to keep at it, vacuuming every three days and salting each day for nine days. Don't forget to clean out your vacuum each time to get rid of live fleas. Otherwise, they'd just crawl back out and infest your condominium unit again.

5. Mousing away the mice

Adding to the list of pests who don't like things that smell good, mice consider peppermint to be akin to stink bombs so you can use that to ward them away. While peppermint soothes humans, it is unbearable for mice in a condo in the Philippines. Spraying a mix of peppermint oil and water (about 40 drops of oil for every ¼ cup of water) will get you the results you're looking for. Spray generous amounts wherever mice may lurk.

6. No free dinners for bugs

While it's true that sometimes keeping things clean is not enough to deter pests, being one of the model condo dwellers by keeping your place sparkling will help a lot. Bugs, in particular, will find an assortment of ways to get inside your home. The trick is to make sure they don't find it inviting enough to stay. To do this, make sure your food items are properly stored and keep clutter at bay. Don't forget to put away pet food after your little furry love is done dining because pet food attracts bugs as well.

7. Trash your trash properly

Your trash can is pretty much the definition of pest heaven. It has food scraps and just enough moisture to keep an odd assortment of uninvited guests happy. So that pests don't zone in on your trash, make sure you throw waste out every night, most especially if they are wet. And even if you do take out the trash every night to detoxify your home, you still have to make sure that your trash bins are securely covered, keeping in mind that pests are very much capable of trooping to your home during the day.

8. Get some screen time

Natural ventilation is a common feature in many homes in the Philippines, and this has extended to condo life with developers taking advantage of its benefits. Given the general hot and humid weather in the country, fresh air is always welcome no matter where you are. To let you keep your windows open but the bugs out, opt to have a screen installed. Just make sure to choose a screen that's fine enough to keep bugs out but at the same time letting cool air in.

9. Seal the deal

Pests are just incredibly smart buggers. They'll always find a way to get inside your home, exploiting even the smallest of openings they can find. Start with your door. A closer look at your entry way will usually reveal unsealed gaps that bugs can squeeze into. Take care of these gaps by ensuring that all corners of your door are sealed, most especially the bottom which typically leaves space so the door doesn't hit the floor. But more importantly, don't leave your door open all the time.

A bug-free life is a good life

Adopting a healthier lifestyle while living in the city has always been associated with improving your health. However, many don't realize that it also ties in towards taking care of your property. You'd generally have no worries about living in a condo though if you invested in the right developer, but you should also take an active role in taking care of your unit. These nine easy ways to deal with pests should come in handy in ensuring that you truly live the life you've imagined in your home in the sky.