Summary: The school year is busy, but pest prevention is still essential. This blog gives 10 easy ways to prevent pests during the school year by completing chores and inspecting the house. Romney Pest Control eliminates pests with efficiency and care.
There’s no hustle and bustle quite like the school year. In between getting your kids to their activities and trying to keep up with house duties, there’s not much time left for unexpected problems.
Speaking of which, there is no unexpected problem quite like a pest infestation. It’s best to avoid the headache of a pest problem when you can, especially when that pest problem comes with health risks and property damage. That’s where pest prevention comes in!
We have 10 tried-and-true pest prevention tips that will keep the pests out of your hair for the school year and beyond, so let’s get into it.
Keep a Clean Home
A clean home generally correlates with a pest-free home, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep up with housework as best as we can. Chores are a huge part of pest prevention (share this with your kids!), but that doesn’t mean you have to do a deep clean every day. It just means that cleaning is important in this context.
These are our pest-preventing tasks in the cleaning world:
- Wipe down the kitchen counters daily
- Clean up crumbs and spills when they happen
- Don’t let dirty dishes sit overnight without at least rinsing them off
- Take out the trash when it’s full
- Use strong trash bags in the trash cans to prevent leakage
- Clean the floors by vacuuming, sweeping, or mopping at least once a week
- Sanitize school items (backpacks, lunchboxes, gym bags, etc.) with an antibacterial cleaner
There are a lot of other specific chores that we could name, but these are the most important in terms of preventing pests.
Seal Entry Points
Pests are sneaky creatures, so fortifying your home against these tiny invaders is a key part of having a pest-free house. A good habit to have is inspecting your house’s exterior for any cracks or gaps that could let in pests. Nothing is too small, even for rodents. Mice just need a hole the size of a pencil, and rats need one the size of a quarter.
Cracks often form near pipes, vents, and the foundation, so pay close attention to these spots. All gaps should be sealed with waterproof caulk; if the hole is too big, fill it with steel wool first. Also, if any window/door screens or weatherstripping are loose and worn out, replace them with new ones that fit properly.
Maintain the Yard
It’s easy to forget about the yard when you’re trying to keep up with everything inside the house. Yard work is still important during the school year because pests won’t have as many hiding spots in a tidy yard. You can also use pest-deterring plants as natural repellents in the yard. Marigolds, lavender, citronella, and herbs are the most popular for this purpose.
Your basic yard chores are the most important in preventing pests. Mowing the lawn, pruning the shrubs, and eliminating stagnant water (to prevent mosquitoes) are on the top of our list. Also, make sure all plants and tree branches are trimmed back at least 1 foot from the house. Don’t give pests an easy highway into your home!
Inspect the School Bags
Depending on your children’s extracurriculars, they might be bringing home quite the load of bags every day. Unfortunately, they could also bring home a couple of tiny hitchhikers in the form of bed bugs. These pests thrive in “revolving door” areas where there’s a steady influx of people. Schools, hotels, and movie theaters are some of the most common.
We don’t say this to make you panic about the possibility of bed bugs. It’s just something to keep an eye on throughout the year. Give each backpack, lunchpail, and extra bag a daily once-over. Throw out any trash and make sure those dirty gym clothes make it into the laundry basket. If you do find bed bugs, wash and dry that bag on high heat to kill the bugs.
Be (Relatively) Organized
This is always easier said than done, especially when you’re spending more hours out of the house than in it. That’s why we added the “relatively” disclaimer, since organization looks different for everyone. When it comes to pest prevention, any organization helps. They love clutter because they have an overwhelming amount of hiding spots.
At the very least, we recommend keeping loose items and school bags off the floor. When they’re scattered around the room, it’s easier for pests to hide. Even paper items, like mail and flyers, should be organized. Use baskets or file trays to keep everything in order. Also, school bags and sports equipment should be neatly stored in their respective areas.
Keep Up with the Laundry
Again, easier said than done. Between school clothes and sports uniforms, the laundry pile doesn’t stop growing throughout the school year. We recommend doing the laundry at least once a week to keep the clothes moving. When dirty laundry is idle, it can attract pests that need a hiding spot. Rodents and bed bugs are two such pests.
The first step to preventing laundry pests is to keep the clothing in baskets or hampers, not on the ground. The second is to treat any stains immediately. Crickets and roaches are drawn to stained clothes as food sources, so treating stains helps prevent pests and save your clothing! As long as you do some of the laundry every week, pests won’t have a place to hide.
Protect the Food
School lunches and easy meals fill our kitchen pantries with stored food items. This is great when we’re quickly grabbing food, but it’s not ideal when a horde of pests claims your food as their own. Ants, rodents, and pantry pests are the most frequent invaders. All of them can get into flimsy packaging, like cardboard and plastic, so protecting your food is crucial.
Store pantry essentials in airtight containers to keep pests out. By pantry essentials, we mean these foods:
- Cereal
- Chips
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Oats
- Baking ingredients (flour, sugar, etc.)
- Pasta
- Rice
- Chocolate
- Dried fruit
Don’t forget about your pet’s food! Dry dog and cat food should be stored in airtight containers as well. Make sure the food bowl is moved indoors (if it’s not already) after each meal.
Use Good Storage Practices
It’s amazing how many extra items we collect during the school year. Artwork, report cards, flyers, calendars, science project pieces, costumes, holiday decor…the list goes on. Using good storage practices goes hand-in-hand with trying to keep loose items organized. It seems tedious, but both of these help prevent pests in the long run.
The most important factor (in our humble opinion) is to avoid using cardboard boxes. Rodents, roaches, silverfish, and pantry pests love cardboard because it’s a hiding place that collects moisture. Instead, use plastic bins with snap-fit lids to store belongings. Seasonal decor, essential papers, and other stored items are safest in these types of bins.
Clean the Car
Our vehicles get a lot of use during the school year, which explains how it collects enough dirt and crumbs to fill a vacuum canister. From hiding spots to food sources to warm shelters, pests would be happy to stay in a car forever. Rodents are especially frustrating as a car pest since they can chew through the wiring, which can cost you a lot in repairs.
We recommend vacuuming your car’s seats and floor mats often, especially if your family eats in the car. Never leave food in the car overnight, and keep the windows rolled up when you’re home for the day. Remove trash — wrappers, to-go coffee cups, food containers — from the car every day. Remember: a clean car is often a pest-free car!
Teach Your Kids About Pests
For those of you with little ones, it’s a good idea to start teaching them about pests. After all, if they see a pest problem that you didn’t, you’ll want them to come to you with their findings. You can also explain how they can prevent pests by keeping their rooms clean and being neat when they eat their food.
There’s a world of online and print resources for teaching young kids about pests. Some of the most common Texas pests are ants (especially fire ants), rodents, spiders, scorpions, and stinging insects. If you want to start teaching your littles about bugs, start exploring the books, videos, games, and crafts that bring the pest world to them — hypothetically, of course.
Hit the Bug-Free Books with Romney!
Your family has enough on their minds during the busy school year, and that’s without adding “pest management” to the list. In addition to the tips we shared here, Romney Pest Control’s reliable services are the most efficient way to keep pests out of your home.
Our licensed technicians target the root of each problem with our family-friendly treatments, ensuring a safe experience for everyone (well, besides the pests). We look forward to keeping your home pest-free this school year, so contact us for a free quote on our effective services today!
Citations
Fox, D. (2024, August 28). No more bugs! 7 brilliant strategies for a pest-free home year-round. Fox Homes. Available at https://www.foxessellfaster.com/blog/no-more-bugs-7-brilliant-strategies-for-a-pest-free-home-year-round/ (Accessed on August 6, 2025).
