No one wants to have their home overrun with pests, but there are a lot of ways you may be attracting pests to your home without realizing it. Even that beautiful rose bush right outside the front window could be used by pests to invade your home. To protect your home, check out these four common mistakes that attract pests to your home.

Being a Little Messy

There's nothing wrong with being a little messy, but when it involves food, you should keep it clean. One thing pests want in a good home is food, which you supply when you neglect to clean up crumbs or put food away securely. Cleaning up food messes and keeping food secured is the best way to stop the food supply. Make sure to clean up any water too. Leaking faucets can provide a great water supply, which is another feature they look for in a home.

Free-Feeding Pets

Owning pets is a lot of work, so it's easy to choose to free-feed your pets instead of putting them on a schedule. Free-feeding simply means you always leave the food dish filled. While this ensures your pets never go hungry, it's also another food supply for pests. The best solution is to stop free-feeding. They may still be attracted to the pet's water for some time, but once they realize there is no food, they'll look elsewhere.

Planting too Close to the Home

Having plants next to your home, such as climbing ivy, may look great, but it may attract more pests to your home. Pests like plants because they provide food and shelter, but the closer the pests get to your home, the more likely they are to enter. Plants, however, can also provide shelter from prying eyes. You may not even realize there is an infestation in your bushes until after they've penetrated the home's exterior and invaded your home. Lastly, some plants can be used to access holes or open windows, such as climbing ivy leading to an open second story window.

Neglecting Your Home's Exterior

Your home's exterior should act as a barrier to pests, but if you don't maintain your home's exterior, it becomes vulnerable to attack. To start, keep your exterior protected with paint or stain. Fix any chips, cracks, or decay, because they may provide an entry point. In areas with caulk, such as around doors and windows, replace the caulk as needed to prevent any small gaps. Last, if you have cable cords, internet wires, etc. passing through a hole in the exterior wall, make sure it's well sealed with caulk or a similar substance.

If you want to keep pests out of your home, you must stop making your home attractive to them by providing food and access. Don't let your home get overrun with pests. For more information about pests or to get rid of pests in your home, contact a pest control company today.