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4 Tips To Keep Vacation Rentals Pest-Free
Pests can make your vacation rental famous for all the wrong reasons. Roaches, bugs, and rodents make unpleasant companions for your guests. Apart from being gross, they have the power to churn negative reviews and even cause your listing to get banned.
Pests are bad news no matter where they are. They can cost you dollars and even your reputation. As such, it’s vital for property owners like you to keep them at bay. Prevention is always better than cure, and it certainly applies to pest control for your vacation rental.
If you don’t know where to start, don’t fret. This article will help you maintain a pest-free rental whether you’re swamped with guests or experiencing a lean season.
A Pest-Free Vacation Rental
Cockroaches, bed bugs, bees, wasps, mosquitoes, fleas, ants, and rats can make your vacation rental their home if you don’t stand guard.
If you want to attract paying guests rather than an invasion, here’s what you need to do:
Deep Clean Your Rental
There’s nothing more appealing to pests than a moist and dirty vacation rental. Rats, ants, and cockroaches thrive on food waste and leftovers. You can eliminate their food source by cleaning the kitchen counter and cabinets, sweeping the floor, and under the fridge and dishwasher. Experts also recommend that you vacuum floors regularly.
Moving furniture is another deep cleaning practice for your vacation rental. This is an essential step for pest control cockroach as it’ll keep roaches from building nests. You can also use natural remedies, such as baking soda, bay leaves, or peppermint oil, to eliminate them from your property.
Apart from cleaning the interior, it’d help if you also washed the bedding properly. Your guests may unknowingly carry bed bugs and spread them in your rental. It’s best to clean bedding and curtains in hot water. In addition, you can use a steamer on mattresses and couches.
Seal Possible Entry Points
A small crack or open window is all it takes for pests to invade your vacation rental. Don’t underestimate pests, as they can easily fit into holes and make more as they reproduce.
To keep them from gaining access, place a screen or any suitable cover to seal off all possible entryways. Close gaps around pipes and patch cracks on walls and ceilings. You should also check if there are spaces between your doors and the ground. Ensure that no light or air passes through so pests can’t sneak in.
Apart from these areas, it’d help if you also inspected crawl spaces regularly for any sign of intrusion. Rodents seek warm areas for nesting when the weather gets chilly or when the rain starts. Your crawlspace is the first place they’ll try to get into, so it’s best to seal it off with some durable material.
If you need repairs, you can contact local professionals to help you. Contractors can patch up large cracks or install protective barriers.
In addition, pest control professionals can inspect your vacation rental and treat an infestation. Alternately, if you’re busy or far away, a property manager can help you find reputable contractors who can fortify your vacation rentals from pesky creatures.
Look After Your Landscape
Keeping your vacation rental pest-free also requires you to do some yard work. This practice will boost your vacation rental’s curb appeal and reduce the chance of pests making their way inside your vacation rental.
Don’t stockpile leaves, as pests will use them for cover. In addition, it’d help if you stocked firewood in the shed rather than keep it close to your wall.
It’s also best to trim trees and shrubs so rats and other wildlife can’t use them to access your attic or ceiling. Branches should be at least four feet away from any window or access point to prevent entry.
When it comes to bees and wasps, it’s best to call pest control professionals. Bee and wasp stings are dangerous, even deadly to some. Trained professionals can relocate the hive or deal with the wasps better than any DIY remedy.
Year-Round Pest Control
Lastly, it’d be best to work with someone like Orlando pest control for your vacation rental. During peak season, you can perform some quick cleanups to prepare for guests.
You can use the lean months to perform annual inspections to ensure your crawl space and insulation are okay. In addition, you can also fumigate your property at this time. This process can effectively eliminate pests at all life stages. It also ensures that your vacation rental is in tip-top shape for peak months.
No Pests Allowed
In summary, keeping your vacation rental pest-free is a year-round routine. It’d help if you made it a point to regularly clean both the inside and outside of your property to ward off pests. Apart from a deep clean, you should also perform structural enhancements, such as sealing doors and windows, to prevent entry and ward off invasions.
Pest-free vacation rentals shouldn’t be a burden for property owners. You can rely on pest control professionals, building contractors, and even property managers to help keep your vacation rental praiseworthy and profitable.
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Kaya Wittenburg
Kaya Wittenburg is the Founder and CEO of Sky Five Properties. Since the age of 10, real estate has been deeply ingrained into his thoughts. With world-class negotiation and deal-making skills, he brings a highly impactful presence into every transaction that he touches.
He is here to help you use real estate as a vehicle to develop your own personal empire and feel deeply satisfied along the way. If you have an interest in buying, selling or renting property in South Florida, contact Kaya today.
