4 Pests That Could Be Lingering In Your Cabinets And How To Repel Them

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Maintaining the pristine condition of your cabinetry is highly vital towards having a functional and healthy kitchen. Aside from water damages, another problem that every homeowner must face is getting rid of several pests that could contaminate any food stored inside the cabinet drawers. And no matter how secure you think your cupboards are, the chances of having some unwanted visitors compromising the safety of your family are still high indeed.

Here are four of the most common pests are possibly infesting your cabinets right now and ways on how to repel them:

Rodents

Rodents that you typically see running on the corners of your countertops are potential carriers of extremely harmful diseases such as listeria, salmonellosis, hantavirus, and rabies. What’s even worse is that house mice can also spread other disease-causing parasites, namely fleas, lice, and ticks.

If you are noticing some small dents or holes on certain parts of your kitchen cabinets, then the most probable culprit must be your resident rodents. These animals possess a set of teeth strong enough to bite their way on wood and ultimately through your stored food.

Fruit Flies

Drosophila melanogaster, or more commonly known as common fruit fly is a small insect (about 1/8 of an inch) that can easily enter your cabinets undetected.

Unlike rodents, fruit flies don’t bite humans. However, they can be considered as “sponges” or “hosts” to a wide variety of bacteria and disease. Since they consume food on rotting materials, they are constantly in contact with all sorts of bacteria swarming around a decaying piece of fruit.

Cockroaches

One of the most hated pests in all household, cockroaches are not only notorious for raiding your fridge. A badly neglected cabinetry can also be a nice habitat for these creatures. With the ability to spread over 33 types of harmful bacteria like E. coli and salmonella, keeping them out of the foods inside your cabinets must always be one of your daily kitchen priorities.

Pantry Pests

Pantry pests refer to several species of beetles and moths that can usually be seen lingering on stored food products. Even supermarkets nowadays have their fair share of problems in dealing with these pests. Examples of foods that might be susceptible to attracting pantry pests are spices, cereals, candies, chocolates and flour.

How to Repel Pests on Your Kitchen Cabinets

Here are some of the most efficient ways of keeping your kitchen cabinets pest-free:

• Repair any small crevices or holes in your cabinets as early as possible
• Make sure that every food you purchase, and store is properly sealed packages without showing any signs of damage.
• Dispose your garbage on a regular basis
• Check regularly if your fruits are still in edible condition
• In case you have your sink installed near the cabinets, avoid letting your dirty dishes piled up within the area for an extensive amount of time
• Store your food in airtight containers before putting them in the drawers
• Try adding bay leaves on packages and canisters of goods such as rice, flour, and other grains. Bay leaves are known to have a pungent smell that repels most pantry pests.