You’ve booked the flights, packed your bags, and set your out-of-office auto-reply. The excitement of an upcoming vacation is hard to beat. But amidst the chaos of last-minute laundry and double-checking your itinerary, there is one crucial household task that often gets overlooked: pest prevention.
Returning from a relaxing trip to find a trail of ants on your kitchen counter or a cockroach scuttling across the bathroom floor is the quickest way to ruin your post-vacation glow. An empty house is surprisingly inviting to pests. Without the usual daily foot traffic and noise, rodents and insects feel emboldened to explore. If they find access to food or water, they won’t just visit—they will move in.
The good news is that keeping your home secure doesn’t require professional fumigation every time you leave town. With a strategic cleaning checklist and a few preventative maintenance steps, you can seal off your sanctuary. By removing the three things pests need to survive—food, water, and shelter—you ensure that your home remains yours alone while you’re away.
The Kitchen: Eliminate the Buffet
The kitchen is the primary battleground. For a hungry pest, even a few crumbs under the toaster can be a feast that sustains a colony for weeks. Since you won’t be there to wipe up spills immediately, you need to leave the kitchen spotless.
Deep Clean the Danger Zones
Start by wiping down all countertops and stovetops. Grease splatters are a magnet for ants and roaches. Pull out portable appliances like toasters, coffee makers, and microwaves to clean beneath and behind them. These dark, warm, crumb-filled areas are prime real estate for pests.
Don’t forget the sink. A common mistake is leaving dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Even if the door is closed, the smell of rotting food can attract pests. Run a full cycle before you leave, and clean the drain catch in the sink to remove any trapped food particles.
Seal Your Pantry Staples
Cardboard boxes and thin plastic bags are no match for a determined mouse or weevil. If you have open boxes of cereal, crackers, or baking supplies, transfer them into airtight glass or heavy-duty plastic containers. This traps the scent of the food inside and creates an impenetrable barrier against intruders.
The Garbage Can Strategy
This might seem obvious, but it is often forgotten in the rush to the airport. Take out all trash and recycling. However, simply removing the bag isn’t always enough. If your bin has residual liquids or food smears at the bottom, it will still attract pests. Take the time to scrub the inside of your kitchen bin with disinfectant.
Moisture Control: Cut Off the Water Supply
While food is a draw, water is a necessity. Many pests, particularly cockroaches, silverfish, and rodents, can survive longer without food than they can without water. An empty house can become dry and stale, driving pests to seek out any remaining moisture sources.
Dry Out the Bathroom
Before you leave, ensure all faucets are turned off tightly. Even a slow drip can provide enough water for a rat or a colony of roaches. Wipe down your sinks, bathtubs, and showers to ensure no standing water remains.
The Drain Dilemma
Drains are dark, damp, and often coated with organic slime—a paradise for drain flies and other moisture-loving insects. To prevent them from breeding while you are gone, consider pouring a half-cup of vinegar or bleach down your kitchen and bathroom drains. You can also close the stoppers in your sinks and bathtubs to physically block bugs from crawling up the pipes.
Close the Toilet Lid
It sounds like a myth, but rats and frogs can navigate sewer pipes and emerge through the toilet. Closing the lid is a simple, zero-effort barrier. Furthermore, keeping the lid down prevents the water in the bowl from evaporating quickly, which keeps the trap sealed against sewer gases and pests.
Seal the Perimeter: Block the Entry Points
Pests need a way in. Mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime, and insects need only the tiniest crack. A quick perimeter check can highlight vulnerabilities in your home’s defense system.
Inspect Windows and Doors
Check the weatherstripping around your doors and windows. If you can see daylight coming through the cracks, pests can get in. Replace worn weatherstripping or use a draft stopper for a temporary fix. Ensure all window screens are free of tears. If you find a hole, a small piece of duct tape can serve as a temporary patch until you return.
Fill Cracks and Crevices
Walk around the exterior of your home and look for cracks in the foundation or gaps where pipes and utility lines enter the house. Use steel wool mixed with caulking to seal these gaps. Mice cannot chew through steel wool, making it an excellent deterrent.
Chimneys and Vents
Ensure your chimney has a cap and that attic vents are covered with sturdy mesh. Raccoons, squirrels, and birds are known to treat uncapped chimneys as hollow trees, nesting inside while homeowners are away.
Don’t Forget the Outdoors
Your yard is the staging ground for a pest invasion. If you make the area immediately outside your house inhospitable, pests are less likely to try to breach the interior.
Manage Vegetation
Trim back any tree branches or shrubs that touch your house. These act as bridges for ants and squirrels to bypass your foundation and access the roof or windows directly. Keep the grass cut short to reduce hiding spots for ticks and fleas.
Move Firewood and Debris
If you have a woodpile, stack it at least 20 feet away from your home. Spiders, termites, and ants love woodpiles. If the wood is stacked against your siding, you are essentially inviting termites to dinner. Similarly, clear away piles of leaves or stagnant water from plant saucers, which are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
The “Luggage Rule” for Bed Bugs
Sometimes, pests don’t break in; you carry them in. Bed bugs are the most common souvenir travelers bring home. While this applies to your return, prep work starts before you leave.
Clear a space in your garage, laundry room, or entryway where you can put your luggage immediately upon return. Do not plan to bring suitcases directly into the bedroom to unpack on the bed. When you return, wash all clothes (clean and dirty) in hot water immediately and vacuum out your suitcase before storing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I spray pesticide before I leave for vacation?
Using a residual insecticide spray around baseboards and entry points can be a helpful final barrier. However, if you have a significant infestation, a spray might just scatter them. For serious issues, consult a pest control professional before you travel.
What should I do about my pets’ food?
If you have a pet sitter coming by, ask them to clean the food bowls after every meal rather than leaving food out all day. If you are taking your pets with you, ensure all bulk pet food bags are sealed in bins, just like your pantry staples.
Should I turn my air conditioning off to save money?
It is better to leave the AC on a conservative setting (like 78-80°F) rather than turning it off completely. High humidity can encourage mold growth and attract pests like silverfish and booklice. A climate-controlled home is generally more resistant to pests.
Return to a Clean, Quiet Home
The last thing you want to deal with after a long flight or a road trip is an extermination crisis. A little preparation goes a long way. By depriving pests of food, drying up their water sources, and barring their entry, you send a clear message that your home is closed for business.
Take an hour or two before you depart to run through this checklist. It will give you peace of mind while you’re sipping cocktails on the beach, and ensure that the only thing waiting for you at home is your own comfortable bed.