Keeping Your Kitchen Appliances Free of Pests
Most homeowners don’t understand how attracted that pests are to their kitchen appliances. These kitchen appliances provide the perfect environment for pests. Appliances usually have crevices that are good homes for pests cause they are dark, warm, and provide food in the form of spills and crumbs. The goal of this blog post is to explain to homeowners that if they perform periodical maintainence on kitchen appliances there is a lesser chance of pest invasion. Before doing any cleaning of your appliances please refer to the manuals on the suggested cleaning intervals and methods. Be sure to unplug any devices before cleaning.
- The Oven is a big hot zone for pests. It provides the heat that pests love and food for them to munch on. To keep pests away from your stove, it is best to do a bi-weekly cleaning of your oven. Start by using a stick vacuum and clean all cracks and crevices. Pull out the oven and clean behind the oven as well. With a water/vinegar mixture be sure to clean any spills from the side of the oven. Open the oven and spray the solution around all grooves, on top of the stove and the front of the oven until all food residue is removed sufficiently. Some stove tops lift up so you are able to access to pilot light. If you can lift up the stove top use a stick vacuum to clean and crumbs from underneath. Follow the vacuuming with a mild detergent soap and scrub good to remove any spills. On some models of stoves, the knobs can be removed from the front. If the knobs come off your model of stove, soak these knobs in a warm water a soap solution for 15 minutes to remove any dirt or debris that may collect inside the knobs. If your stove has a hood above it, clean that too! Hoods collects so much grease and always can use a good cleaning. The dirtier the stove, the more the pests will love it so do your best!
- The Microwave is another hot spot for roaches. For some reason, the roaches just love living inside the back of the microwave. Similarly to the oven, you should be cleaning the inside and outside of the microwave bi-weekly with a water/vinegar solution. Remove the inner place and run that through the dish washer. Move the microwave from its location and clean any crumbs or food that may have accumulated underneath the microwave.
- Toaster ovens are a hot box of dried bread crumbs. Toasters will usually have a tray on the bottom that will slide out to access crumbs that may have falling into the toaster. Turn your toaster upside-down, above a trash can, and give it a little shake to get out all of its unneeded contents. Clean the outside and underneath of the toaster with a soapy solution. When we are on roach treatments in Brooklyn we notice that roaches and ants LOVE toaster ovens. Do your best to clean so the roaches run away.
- Mice, roaches and ants are attracted to refrigerators for many reasons. The motor in the back of the fridge provide the perfect heat that the pests love. Near the motor is a condensation pan that catches any water that may drip, and we all know pests love water. Pull your refridgerator out from its normal home. Sweep any crumbs or dust that may have accumulated behind or under your fridge. Spray down all areas of the fridge with a vinegar/water mixture and wipe it down. Now open your fridge and clean all shelves and draws. A very important overlooked area is the moulding that surrounds in inner door. Spray the moulding down and wipe it clean with a paper towel. That area is a hot spot for roaches. After mopping, push the stove back to its happy clean home.
- Dishwashers provide the humidity and darkness that roaches love. Periodically pull out your dishwasher and make sure it is draining properly. Make sure the exterior is dry in between washes to reduce the attraction to roaches.
This will not completely eliminate a existing pest problem but if done properly will reduce the amounts of harborage for pests. In some of the worst infestations we treat, if the customers just cleaned up the kitchen well enough, it would eliminate much of the problem. Remember to always refer to your owners manual of your appliances before doing any work on it. If you have any questions or concerns please give us a call at 718-336-0634 or email us at [email protected]
