Tips On Choosing A Reliable Pest Control Company

Unfortunately, dealing with pests is an unavoidable part of owning a home. Luckily, there are many ways to control various pest infestations. In many cases, homeowners can take proactive measures to prevent pest infestations. If an infestation is getting out of hand, however, you likely need to resort to professional pest control. 

When it comes to finding the best pest controller for your home, many people aren’t sure where to start. Here are the top tips for choosing the best pest controller for your specific situation. 

Do your research

Homeowners should conduct a thorough research when looking for a reliable pest controller. Pest control is one of the issues that must be handled correctly the first time. If it is not done right, the infestation will persist. You will need to hire another company to resolve the issue. Needless to say, this can be both frustrating and costly. Thus, you should only hire a pest control company if you are confident in their competence and trustworthiness. If you live in Australia, visit https://aepma.com.au/pages/ManagerSearch.aspx your nearest AEPMA member.

When researching a pest control company, here are some things to pay attention to. 

Are they affiliated with a professional pest control association?

These associations exist at the national, state, and local levels, and they help regulate pest control methods. They also require members to adhere to a code of ethics. It can give homeowners some peace of mind that their service will be professional and honorable. 

Does the company offer a guarantee for their work?

Companies that provide special services (like pest control) should always offer a guarantee for their work. Do your research to learn about whether the companies you’re considering offer guarantees. If so, what you need to do to ensure the guarantee stays valid. 

Does the company have liability insurance? 

With pest control a lot can go wrong, either due to accident or negligence. It’s crucial that the company you choose for pest control have liability insurance so that you and your home will be protected from damages. 

To learn if the company has appropriate insurance, you can ask a salesperson or point of contact. This is a perfectly fair question to ask as a potential customer. You should ask to see proof on paper that the company actually has the insurance they say they do. 

Are they licensed?

Many states offer pest control licenses, and you should only consider hiring a company with a valid pest control license. You can find out if the company’s license is current by contacting the pesticide regulatory agency for your state. 

Ask questions

Once you’ve found a few pest control companies that you think might be good options for your pest problem, the next thing to do is ask them plenty of informative questions. Here are some questions you should ask:

Can you provide a list of references? 

Pest control is a big operation, and you need to be sure that the company you choose is reliable. Contacting previous customers (with their consent) is a great way to find out what you can expect or if you should go in a different direction. 

How many years has your company been in business at the present address?

This may seem like a very specific question, but it’s an important one to ask. You can use this information to contact official offices like the State Department of Agriculture, the Better Business Bureau, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the State Attorney General’s Office to ask if the company has received any complaints about misusing pesticides or its employees. 

Is the person conducting the pest control application licensed?

The law states that each pest control company needs to have a minimum of one licensed commercial pesticide applicator in each service category. All other applicators need to either be certified themselves or under the direct supervision of someone who is. Asking this question lets the company know that you’re aware of this rule, and that you expect compliance with the treatment of your property. Just be sure to follow up when the application day arrives.

Can I see copies of all the pesticide labels and the rates at which you will apply them?

Given that many pesticides are toxic, you need to know what, where, and how much is being sprayed in and around your home. 

Final Thoughts

When choosing a pest control company for your home, it’s very important that you do thorough research and ask a lot of questions. Pesticides can be dangerous. Hence, it needs to be applied with precision and professionalism. You can do your part in guaranteeing safe pesticide application at your home by reading up on potential companies and asking a lot of questions before application.   

Introduction

Natural pest control methods is one of the safest ways to control pests. Not only are they eco-friendly, but also don’t cause any harm to you, your loved ones, or the other useful organisms around you.

Biological methods to control pests

Using biological methods is one of the best ways to control the spread of pests naturally without involving the use of chemicals that could harm the environment.

Pest Control Experts of Pro Pest Control Sydney offer free natural pest control methods advice, if need contact with their support team today.

When such methods are used, the breeding mechanism of the pests are naturally interfered with and natural enemies of the pests are used so that they do not get out of control.

Some of the biological methods that are commonly used are:

• In the water bodies, the mosquito larvae are greatly minimized by placing Australian native fish out there which feed on them.
• The flies breed on cow dung and this problem is avoided by using dung beetle, that breaks down the cowling so that the flies don’t get to it.
• A larvicide, known as BTI, is used with the help of a toxic bacteria. When this bacteria is consumed by the mosquito bacteria, it kills them, but it does not work on mosquito pupae.

Controlling pests with the help of hygiene

By keeping your surroundings clean, the chances of pests to thrive are minimized as there is nothing easily available for them to sustain themselves.

The following practices can help control pests to a great extent:

• Cleaning household appliances like microwave, ovens, refrigerators regularly.
• Storing food in air tight lids where the pests cannot get inside.
• Cleaning up immediately after meals. So the tables are cleaned, the food bits are wiped off and thrown away and the dishes are washed, cleaned and dried.
• Disposing off the garbage in the right way.
• Placing all the scrap food in a paper, tightly wrapping it up and then disposing it.
• All the tanks and drains are properly covered and sealed.
• The bathrooms must be kept as clean as possible with all the different cistern mechanisms working flawlessly.
• Stop the pests from entering your house by using flyscreens and seal the holes around the pipes.
• Proper disposal of urine and faeces is very important as pests thrive on such waste products.

Hygiene plays a very important role in controlling pests naturally. Even if you get the house or any other area treated with a pesticide program, it won’t be of much help as they will return if the surroundings are not kept clean.

Some more natural pest control methods:

• Make chamomile tea and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. Then place it in a spray bottle. Spray it to get rid of brown spot, brown rot, leaf spot and mildew.
• Garden pests can be controlled on indoor plants by wiping them with a soapy cloth. The soapy water spray can also be used outdoors on the foliage and stems.
• Some insects can be gotten rid of by using eucalyptus or vegetable oil, soap or even a clay spray. Or white oil could also be used. It does not kill the useful insects and has a smaller residual life.

Conclusion

Using natural or organic pesticides is a good way of controlling the pests, but be wise and use it on a small area first as a test before using it on a larger scale.

Although less toxic, sometimes, these pesticides could cause harm to you. So always wear long sleeved outfits, gloves and a facemask while working with them. Store them in properly labelled bottles and keep them away from children.

Everyone likes to decorate their house – and carpets are a popular choice. They are pretty, comfortable, fit easily and are always in vogue. However, keeping carpets isn’t as easy – there comes the herculean task of keeping them clean.

More often than not, we tend to ignore the fact that apart from regular dusting and cleaning, carpets require a little extra effort to last long and continue to make the house look good.

It goes without saying that a dirty, stained carpet laden with germs and moulds leading to spread of a number of health problems should be done away with. If you are looking to clean your carpet in your home, and are wondering how you could go about it, read on.

Pro Carpet Cleaning Brisbane, a home carpet cleaning expert who has been in the industry for several years, stresses on just how important it is to hire the right professional carpet cleaners instead of doing it all alone. “Home cleaning is intensive, you would need a lot of equipment, and it isn’t easy, a reason it’s best left to the experts”, he says.

Yet, if you are looking to clean carpets right in your home, he has a few tips.

1. You Need to Focus to Eliminate Trapped Pollutants

Dirty carpets usually tend to retain a lot of dust, pollutants, pet dander, cockroach allergens and particle pollution. Toxic airborne gases usually are trapped by these particles into your carpet and are released once you vacuum them, contaminating the air in your home.

Instead, take the carpet out to your terrace and make it dry in the summer sun, before you vacuum it. This, while not as effective as dry cleaning, helps remove deeply trapped pollutants through high-powered vacuums.

2. Look to Clear Dust Mite Infestations

Dust Mite Infestations are a major problem for households. These microscopic creatures leave behind faeces and body fragments that are allergens.

Breathing in this kind of contaminated air can cause breathing problems and allergies. Again, you need to expose your carpet to high temperatures that kills dust mites – and the summer sun could be a good way out.

3. Loo to Eliminate Odours and Smells

Trapped pollutants and gases sometimes tend to react and eliminate certain odours and smells that aren’t removed with regular cleaning.

You could remove such odours and smells by sprinkling baking soda onto the carpet, spreading it out and letting the baking soda sit for a while. After a while, you can vacuum up the baking soda.

4. Look to Remove Stains and Maintain Appearance

Sometimes it becomes difficult to remove heavy stains on our carpets with regular cleaning techniques. Use strong shampoos and soaps to help maintain the appearance of your carpet.

5. Look to Prevents Mould Growth

In humid areas carpets usually trap moisture.  Which are then at the risk of developing mould areas that are highly infectious and can cause allergies.

To do this, you need to use and apply bleach to the affected areas. Apply one cup of bleach with one gallon of warm water.

It’s advisable to go in for professional cleaners. But if you could not – these effective home carpet cleaning tips could work in the interim.

Before it was banned in 1986, asbestos was commonly used in homes and other buildings. Before we understood the dangers of asbestos, there were several reasons that asbestos was commonly used. According to Environment, Health and Safety Online,

The most common reasons include:

• It provided strength without putting too much weight on the structure.
• Asbestos is fire and heat resistant
• Asbestos was an inexpensive material

When it was discovered that asbestos caused a deadly form of cancer called mesothelioma, the material was banned. Today, while builders aren’t using the material, it is often still present in older constructions.

If you are living in an old house, you should have the home tested for the presence of asbestos. If the tests come back positive, you will need to have it removed.

There are some homeowners who will try to remove the asbestos from the home on their own. This is a mistake. There are a few reasons why asbestos removal is not a DIY project.

#1 There is Serious Risk Involved With DIY Removal

DIY home repairs are very popular today. While there are some jobs that are great DIY projects, asbestos removal isn’t one of them. It’s always advisable to hire Licensed Asbestos Experts like Pro Asbestos Removal Sydney.

Asbestos produces a high level of dust. When you remove the asbestos, the dust will be different colors depending on the type of asbestos used. The most common colors are:

• White
• Blue
• Brown

If you don’t have the necessary experience and training, you could expose yourself and your family to the dust There are many types of asbestos that are friable, which means that the dust will remain in the air inside the house for long periods of time.

#2 Minimal Exposure Is Harmful

It doesn’t take a huge asbestos removal job to put you at risk of developing mesothelioma. There are many people who have developed this cancer and the only home improvement job that they did was remove a popcorn ceiling.

Even minimal exposure can be harmful. If you don’t finish the entire job, even a little bit of leftover asbestos can result in long-term exposure.

This can cause a variety of health issues and many of them can be deadly. A professional asbestos removalist will have the knowledge and experience to eradicate the problem safely and completely.

#3 Most Homeowners Don’t Have the Necessary Equipment

According to ECCO Corp, wearing just a mask or a respirator isn’t going to help if you are going to safely remove asbestos from your home. You will need specialized equipment that you likely don’t have.

After you have removed the asbestos, you are going to need to dispose of it in a way that is safe for the environment. If you don’t do this, you are going to be putting everyone at risk.

#4 It Might Be Illegal

Removing asbestos is a very delicate job.  If asbestos removal process is not in a right way then it can be harmful. Because of this, it is illegal in many states to remove more than 100 square feet of asbestos unless you are a licensed technician.

#5 Asbestos Fibers Are Extremely Dangerous

When asbestos is removed, microscopic fibers can get into the air. Without the proper safety equipment, it can easily get into your lungs. According to the ASDA, this can result in lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.

According to medical professionals, there is also a link between asbestos exposure and other health issues such as COPD and kidney cancer. If you don’t have the knowledge and experience to do the job right, just one tiny fiber and make you sick.

There are many homeowners who made asbestos removal a DIY job and had a minor cough after that later cleared up. Between 20 to 40 years later, these homeowners discovered that they have an asbestos-related disease. Rather than putting yourself at risk, you should hire a licensed asbestos removalist to rid your home of asbestos.