Commercial Pest Control Checklist - Consumer Guide

Step 1: Remove Water Sources

Your first step is to investigate your commercial premises to find where bugs may be entering and hiding. You should also check for possible food and water sources. You’ll want to be sure to check two areas under your sink in the kitchen and behind your refrigerator. If water collects in these areas, this will provide a drinking ground for rats and cockroaches to thrive. Every living rodent or spider needs water. Remove the water source by drying water condensation and getting any leaking pipes fixed.

Step 2: Declutter

If you have piles of unnecessary items lying around your business, it’s time to get rid of them. This may include stacks of old magazines and newspapers, old shoes in the closet, and any other clutter that you don’t need. These things give bugs a place to hide, not to mention material for building nests. It is also harder to clean around areas of clutter, resulting in an increased food supply for many types of insects. Cardboard is lovely to bugs, so get rid of any empty boxes you may have to lie around.

Would you please go through our business and gather up items you no longer use or no longer need? Either sell or donate these things and then organize what belongings you have left. All storage should be at least an inch off the floor and away from the walls. Keep food in tightly latched plastic containers, especially pet food.

Step 3: Clean

In this step, you remove any markings and droppings left by insects and get rid of their food sources. Vacuum, mop, and thoroughly wash all of the cabinets, countertops, and other surfaces in your commercial premises, especially under the refrigerator, oven, and kitchen sink. Use your vacuum attachments to make the job of reaching into those corners and crevices easier. Once your initial cleaning is done, continue to clean regularly to keep your business free of food and water sources. Wipe up crumbs and spills immediately, wash your dirty dishes right away, and empty your garbage before you go to bed. Leave pet bowls empty overnight and refill them in the morning. Keep your drains covered when they’re not being used as well.

If you’re facing an infestation of cockroaches, be sure to sweep or vacuum under furniture and in other hiding places to remove any dead cockroaches. These can decay into roach dust, which may trigger allergies and asthma attacks in some people.

Step 4: Close Pest Entry Points

Next, you will need to seal the entrances blights use to get into your business. These are commonly located in kitchens and bathrooms, where pipes enter your business. Concentrate your efforts in the kitchen and bathroom, and work your way outward from there. Use cement, plaster, or caulk to seal the cracks and gaps where blights enter and apply weather stripping around your windows and doors.

Step 5: Use Pest Baits

If you’ve done all of the above steps and your vermin problem has not been resolved in a matter of weeks, it may be time to use some bug baits. These kill pests by poisoning them and therefore should be used with caution. Only resort to this method once all of the above steps have been taken, and keep the baits out of reach of your pets and children.

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