How to Clean Your House After Pesticides

Our friends at Go-Forth Pest Control wrote an awesome article on How to clean your house after using pesticides. You can find the full article HERE.

Pest removal is a must today because pests are becoming dangerous, territorial, and invasive. Some pests may keep on hiding when you’re around however when you leave the property, that’s the time they start infesting. When you get back, you’ll never know that your house is already infested by pesky vermin.

Eliminating pests takes a lot of time and effort for it to be successfully done. Spraying pests is one of the common ways of eliminating them and pesticides are generally used by everyone. Whether vermin are infesting in buildings or homes, pesticides will always be the first thing that owners will get because it is easy to apply and can be purchased quickly.

On the other hand, pesticides should not be carelessly applied because they contain chemicals that can be harmful to you, your family, and pet’s health. It can be toxic so inhaling pesticides is not good and it may end you up in hospitals to seek medical attention. When using pesticides, it is best to read instructions first or hire a team of professional exterminators to do the application for you.

After every application of pesticides, you always want to clean your home. If you are someone who isn’t comfortable when your house is too messy, you will typically clean your house after using pesticides. But, you need to know that cleaning like it’s a normal mess will end up ruining the effects of pesticides in your home.

Ways on how you can clean your house after using pesticides:

Always Be Patient

When pests infest, it will take a lot of time for them to be completely out of your property. Exterminators always do their best to eliminate pests in and out of your property. Using pesticides should be done safely so that nobody will be harmed except for the vermin present. When exterminators are doing their jobs, always have patience because it will always pay in the end.

After the treatment, you should as well be patient in cleaning. Sometimes you have to wait for a week before you can clean your home so that pesticides will work on the target pests. Some pests can go out after spraying while others will take time before they come out of their hiding places when sprayed. Also, if pesticides are sprayed, better ask the exterminator the right time to enter to avoid you from dangers.

Prepare Cleaning Tools

After the pesticides are sprayed and the right time for cleaning comes, you should start preparing your cleaning tools. Cloths for wiping are not enough because there are still other things you will need. Aside from the tools, you will need for cleaning, better prepare the things that will protect you from pesticides like rubber gloves and face masks.

The cleaning tools you need to have are water, dishwashing soap, vacuum cleaner, trash bags, sponges or rags, steam cleaner, and laundry baskets. These tools will help in removing the mess in your home since some pesticides can still be found on the surfaces. Make sure that when you are cleaning, change the water when it’s dirty because if you continue to use the same water, you might be bringing the pesticides back and it’s not good for you.

Find A Starting Point

If the entire house was sprayed for pesticides, it will be hard for you to clean since you don’t know where to begin. Before you dive into cleaning, better find a starting point so that you will know where you will begin the cleaning and more. If plenty of rooms are treated, pick first a room and once you’re done, move to the next room. When you know where to begin, you will not have any problem since the work will be continuous. However, if you didn’t create a cleaning plan or did not look for a starting, you will be confused about where to start and might take a long while before you can finish it.

Clean The Floor

When cleaning the house after using pesticides, you should not forget to clean the floor. There are times that chemicals may have cling to the floors so you need to clean it. You should vacuum floors or sweep them. Not only on open spaces but even the ones under the furniture.  When cleaning, apply the dishwashing soap with water solution and mop it so that chemicals will be removed. It is best not to mop or clean near walls where pesticides are sprayed so that pests will not be able to roam around freely even if you have cleaned. If carpets are around, vacuum it so that chemicals and dirt will be absorbed successfully.

Wipe Walls & Windows

When cleaning after using pesticides, you should not only focus on floors but walls and windows as well. These areas can also have pesticides since most pests are found inside walls. When cleaning walls and windows, cloth rags should be used to thoroughly remove pesticides on these areas. You can spray a soap and water solution on the walls but make sure that there are cloths below to avoid the drips from getting into the floor. Wipe these areas so that no chemicals will be left behind.

Steam & Vacuum Furniture

Covering your furniture is a must when spraying pesticides but often; you tend to forget it because you are rushing up to spray pests. When your furniture is uncovered or is treated for pests, make sure to vacuum and steam it so that chemicals will be removed. Of course, you have to clean your furniture when pesticides have already worked.

Also, if your closets are sprayed and clothes are inside, make sure to launder your clothing to get rid of pesticides lingering. Your beds can also be vacuumed and steamed especially if it is treated for bed bugs. You don’t want pesticides to be left behind on your mattress where you rest and sleep. Don’t forget the cracks and corners of the furniture because chemicals can cling hard if not removed thoroughly. You should know that furniture can also get pesticides so you need to clean it carefully if you want your family to be safe.

Keep The House Dry

When pests are sprayed with pesticides, some don’t last long while others can still find a way for them to thrive and that’s by getting into water sources. If your home is treated yet water leaks and sources are available, it is useless because vermin can survive when they water. Make sure that when you clean, seal all leaks and wipe wet areas so that your home will be dry and pest-free.

Throw Away Uncovered Food

Your kitchen will be among the places that will be treated first because it can attract lots of pests like ants, cockroaches, rodents, and flies. There are instances wherein you forget to store food or cover it before using pesticides. With this, foods will be exposed to chemicals and it is not good. When cleaning after using pesticides, you have to throw away foods that have pesticides so that no one in your family can eat it. Ingesting it even if it is sprayed can lead to health issues. Even the unsealed foods like cereals should be thrown because pesticides can saturate into the wrappers so contamination can still occur.

Wash Utensils In The Kitchen

It can’t be avoided that utensils, countertops, dishes, and more will be sprayed since the kitchen is a perfect place to infest. Pots, pans, and more will also get pesticides. During the cleaning process, you have to rewash everything from utensils down to pots so that chemicals will be gone. It is not good to use sprayed utensils for eating or pots for cooking since you can get the toxins from it. Countertops should be scrubbed diligently to remove any residue of pesticides. Make sure that everything in the kitchen is washed, scrubbed, wiped, and mopped for safety purposes.

CleanStart Can Help with Both Cleaning and Pest Control Services!

CleanStart Pest Control is not only well-reviewed but they are also awarded for their highly trained, certified, and expert pest technicians. Whether you have pests at home or in your office, you don’t have to worry because our company delivers residential and commercial services that you can avail anytime.

When you need the expertise of the well-experienced company, CleanStart Property Services will always come to mind. Call us at 1-855-297-8278 and we will be pleased to lend a hand!