Tips for Keeping Your Commercial Lodging Pest-Free
From single-unit Airbnb’s to entire hotels, pest-free commercial space is essential to protecting your business and the health of your customers. Not only can pests be a nuisance, but they can also bring disease and destruction to your property if left unchecked. Taking steps now to ensure that you are doing all you can to keep pests out will pay off in the long run. You’ll be saving time and money, and you’ll have greater peace of mind.
We’re about to dive into some of our best pest control tips, but none of them will matter unless you understand why lodging pest control matters enough to invest in it. Pests are a health hazard that generate bad reviews from your customers, which will drive down interest in your property and repel new customers. No customers equals no money.
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Prevent Pests With Proper Sanitation
The most reliable way to prevent pests is with good sanitation habits. Proper sanitation helps keep bugs, rodents, and other pests away from your business by removing the food and water sources they need to thrive. Because of this, cleanliness should be made a priority in every lodging or Airbnb pest control strategy.
One of the best ways to avoid a pest outbreak in your hotel is to eliminate food sources for the pests. Ensure all food items are stored in sealed containers and dispose of garbage properly on a regular basis. Additionally, if it’s relevant, make sure dishes are washed daily and all crumbs are swept up off the floor immediately after meals have been served (this is especially relevant to hotel pest control). This will help make sure that any potential attractants for pests won’t be entering your environment.
Seal Entrances
One of the most effective commercial pest control strategies to keep bugs and other critters out of your property is to seal the entrances they use to invade. In the industry, we call this exclusion. To help protect your business against a pest invasion, you should inspect your windowsills, door frames, under your appliances, creases between cabinets, and any other cracks or crevices that could provide a point of entry for insects. By using caulk, hardware cloth, or foam sealant to fill in any gap, you can effectively block out unwanted visitors.
Additionally, weatherstripping can also be used around windows and doors for extra protection against intruders, and it can also save you money on energy costs. This may seem overwhelming for a business owner, so know that most pest control companies like Wil-Kil will help you identify areas where pests can breach your structure during their regular inspection, and can help with the actual exclusion work should that be required.
Commercial Pest Control Methods
If you already have pests in your business, pest control tips for prevention aren’t exactly helpful. If that’s your situation, it’s time to turn to a professional who will implement tools such as bait, traps, and, and other materials to remove unwanted visitors from your commercial space, while making a plan for continued prevention.
Baits and Traps
Using bait and traps is one tool to stop pests already inside your hotel.. Traps are most commonly used for rodents and should be placed in areas that have signs of pest activity, such as droppings, nests, or chewed items, or are areas of potential entry. The term “traps” is a way to generalize tools such as mechanical snap traps, multi-catch traps, or bait stations. Each has their place:
- Mechanical snap traps or multi-catch traps are typically used inside to eliminate rodents that have already breached your structure. Snap traps will typically only be used inside a multi-catch trap or in an area not easily reached by customers, such as inside ceiling voids. Glue boards are sometimes used inside a multi-catch trap or as a stand-alone monitoring tool in other areas.
- Rodent bait and bait stations are typically used outside to monitor rodent activity. Rodent bait typically includes a food attractant, and bait stations may or may not include the use of snap traps along with bait.
- Baits also exist for other types of pests, such as ants, cockroaches, and termites. They are used in a similar way to the rodent bait, in that they usually include a food attractant and are placed out of reach, such as behind appliances or in voids.
Commercial Pest Control With Pesticides
Another common tool in a pest control provider’s arsenal, is pesticides. Although they often get a bad reputation, certified pest control applicators know how and when to use pesticides to target specific pests, mitigate risks associated with a non-target animal or humans coming in contact with pesticides, and knows how to mix pesticides appropriately to be effective with the smallest amount of pesticides possible. Business owners should never attempt to apply pesticides on their own, as that can lead to exposure risk, ineffective treatment, and contamination of food-contact surfaces.
Hiring a professional commercial pest control provider is highly recommended for routine prevention and infestation control. At Wil-Kil Pest Control, we service many industries for commercial pest control, including hospitality, property management, and multifamily housing.
Regular Cleaning & Scheduled Inspections
You’ve done due diligence with your lodging pest control—the property is sealed tight, and all existing pest problems have been dealt with. Now, it’s about maintenance.
Regular cleaning and scheduled inspections are essential for preventing pests from invading your commercial space. Keeping areas clean, free of excess moisture, and decluttered discourages pests from taking up residence in a building. Additionally, regular commercial pest control inspections can catch problems early on before they become an infestation.
Invest in Commercial Pest Control
No matter the shape or size of your lodging, Wil-Kil Pest Control knows that sometimes you simply can’t or don’t want to do the dirty work. That’s just fine with us. We thrive in environments where others don’t want to go. Let the professionals handle your pest control.
You shouldn’t need to stress over pests any longer than necessary. Make your problem our problem! We can make it go away. If you’re experiencing an infestation, give us a call or schedule an appointment with us as soon as you’re able. Pests spread quickly, so we’d encourage you to call sooner rather than later.