There’s nothing more irritating than seeing crawling insects like cockroaches and ants in the kitchen, especially in areas where you store and cook the food you eat. In serviced residences and condominiums where there’s regular maintenance and cleaning, this might be a rare problem. But for houses along streets with canals, rivers and waterways, there would be more sources of pests that are attracted to the scent of food in your kitchen.
Good thing that there are very simple things you must remember and post as a checklist on your refrigerator to help the household prevent pests from invading your kitchen:
- Make sure to always end the night with a clean and empty sink.
Admit it, washing the dishes is a painful chore. Some people can be really lazy, to clean the kitchen after dinner, especially those who are tired from all the day’s work. They tend to let their dishes soak in the sink, with all the food crumbs and liquid residues all together mixed up. This situation is a feast for pests! Most insect pests are attracted to water and can even swim! Your kitchen sink full of pending dishes to wash can attract some small cockroaches. Avoid piling up the dirty dishes in the sink overnight, this trick will save you enough trouble
- Wash and dry the dishes thoroughly.
It’s not rocket science at all to make sure that dishes are thoroughly washed. When food has dried up, it tends to strongly stick to tableware and utensils. One example is rice. Hardened crumbs of rice not removed from spoons or fork can still be food to small cockroaches and flies. For greasy pans and plasticware, you may also need to wash them twice or thrice to ensure there’s no more residues of odor and oil. Make sure to wash and get the squeaky clean results before drying.
- Properly manage your kitchen wastes.
Many houses has their garbage cans kept under the sink. Food particles and wastes naturally fill up this trash can, and all those uncooked and spoiled food wastes, when mixed up all together can have really strong odor that attract not just cockroaches but also rodents. Invest in a trash can with a tightly sealed lid, especially if you cannot dispose of them daily. It’s common sense, but very effective in keeping pests out of your kitchen.
- Use tightly sealed containers for keeping food.
Small roaches and other types of pests love sneaking into easily accessible food. They can burrow and eat through cardboard boxes, paper trays, aluminum foil and plastic. Make sure to use airtight containers with hard seals and locks.
- Always eat only at the table.
Filipinos love eating, and are actually eating anywhere in the house. Snacks are taken in the living room, bedroom, balcony, and other areas of the house. While pests can easily sniff the food you eat, the crumbs that fall on the floor, couch, or bed, are difficult to clean up. Hence, it’s a no-brainer that moms always remind us to eat only at the table because this allows fast and easy cleanup.
- Clean up food immediately after eating.
Pests are easily attracted to leftover food and crumbs. Having busy days, it can be tricky to always clean up food right away. Try to leave bread on the table, and the next minute, there’s an army of ants marching towards it. Next time a guest, child, or pet accidentally spills food or drink, thoroughly clean up right away. You’ll keep armies of pests at bay if you do this routinely.
- Disinfect surfaces.
This may not be advised so often before COVID-19 happened, but disinfecting kitchen surfaces and walls regularly will deter pests that stray around. After cleaning, wipe the kitchen tops, walls, and cupboard doors with a cloth with rubbing alcohol or any kind of disinfectant.
Overall, these tips are no-brainer tasks that you must do to keep your house free from pests, bacteria and disease-carrying organisms. It is just a reminder that big problems can actually be prevented by simple tasks in the household. For more preventative tips see our blog for more resources.