All kinds of trouble can come up when pests get into a rental property. Nobody wants a home occupied by creepy crawlies or the health and sanitation issues they can create. Even if pest control is usually the renters’ responsibility, keeping your single-family rental properties free of common pests must be an important part of your regular maintenance plan and one you should assist your renters with overseeing.
Spraying harmful chemicals in and around a home is not always the best choice. Residents with pets and children might be anxious about pesticides harming their loved ones, and residents with specific health conditions may be at risk as well. If this is the situation, then natural remedies might just be the pest control for you. Several expert exterminators claim to use natural products, and those are worth knowing more about and maybe giving a list of preferred providers to your residents. However, there are things you and your residents can do as well to keep your Framingham rental homes pest-free in natural, harmless ways.
One natural way is to use coffee grounds to manage the insects’ access points around the house. Many household pests are repulsed by the smell, so sprinkling your used coffee grounds in spots where you believe the bugs are coming in could be just as useful as a spray.
If you discover aphids consuming your yard’s landscaping, try burying a banana peel next to the affected plant. This will enrich the soil and keep your yard bug-free.
If fruit flies in the kitchen are bothering you, try using apple cider vinegar to get rid of them. Simply put some apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and poke a few small holes on top. They’ll be enticed by the vinegar but then will get stuck under the plastic. No more fruit flies!
To get rid of other kinds of flies, try keeping a pot of sweet basil next to your door. Rosemary and sage are also herbs that help keep mosquitos away, a small anti-pest herb garden in the making.
Another common pest that can be hard to get rid of is ants. Try pouring cornmeal in small piles where you’re seeing ants, inside and out. The ants will consume the cornmeal but won’t be able to digest it and will eventually die out. Another effective and inexpensive remedy is to combine dish soap with water in a spray bottle and spray the ants and where they come in. Other people include peppermint oil or leaves, which is effective in keeping mice at bay too.
Effective pest control doesn’t need to be pricey or detrimental to your health. However, if your Framingham rental property does become overrun, you need a property management company that can help find the best solutions to uninvited pests. At Real Property Management Metro West-Worcester, we offer inclusive and personalized property maintenance that is guaranteed to protect your real estate investment from pests or whatever might cause your property’s value to decrease. For more information, please contact us online or call us at 508-329-6000 today!
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