As a vacation renter, you would never want to get complaints from your guests about pests. The moment you receive complaints, it is your responsibility to get rid of them and ensure your guests have a satisfactory stay. Here are some strategies you may want to discuss with your vacation rental cleaners to ensure your property remains visitor-friendly.

Roaches

Roaches, especially German cockroaches, are the most difficult and insidious pest that can ever infest your home. If you have a roach infestation, you may need the help of a pest control company. That is why it is important to keep them out in the first place. Some of the measures you can take include:

• Covering food properly

• Cleaning the property regularly

• Regular floor cleaning (move your furniture and clean the hard to reach places to prevent roaches from forming nests)

• Repair broken pipes

If you find that cockroaches have already infested your place, your only option is to get rid of them. Cockroaches will eat anything, including wallpaper paste. The most you can do is to ensure they have nothing to eat.

Baking soda is one of the fastest, easiest ways to get rid of roaches – and it’s probably something you already have in your pantry. To make a DIY roach bait, dice a handful of onions and sprinkle them with baking soda. Place this appetizer in a shallow dish anywhere you’ve noticed roach activity.

Bees and wasps

Bees are pollinators and will always be attracted to plants. Also, they do not attack unless threatened. One or two bees around your property are no big deal. However, when they start forming hives near your home, that can be a problem. Do not try to remove the nests yourself. Instead, contact a local beekeeper to come and relocate the nest.

Wasps are aggressive and can harm your guests, especially if one is allergic. Do not allow them to stay on your property and create nests. Get in touch with local exterminators for nest removal.

Peppermint oil on its own has been shown to keep wasps and bees at bay, or you can use a combination of clove, geranium, and lemongrass essential oils as a natural pest control method.

Rodents

Mice and rats are very curious pests that can easily survive with little food and no water. You will find them in tiny holes under your floors. However, they can also climb over ceilings, and if you have an unclean attic, they can make their home there. Here are some helpful tips to keep rats from your vacation rental.

• Use rodent-proof material to seal any gaps, openings, or cracks

• Cover/screen outdoor vents

• Trim your vegetation to get rid of hiding places

• Store firewood some distance away from the main house.

• Trim your trees, ensuring no branch is near your roofs

• Reduce clutter both indoors and outdoors

• Keep the garbage can tightly sealed.

Rats have a powerful sense of smell. You can repel rats from your home and garden with scents they dislike, such as clover, garlic, onion, hot peppers containing capsaicin, house ammonia, used coffee grounds, peppermint, eucalyptus, predator (cat) scent, white vinegar, and citronella oil.

Bed bugs

These critters are tiny, yet they can be a menace to the extent of making your property go off the listing. Even when your vacation rental cleaners are doing their best to keep these little pests away from your property, it can be hard to get rid of them. This is because sometimes it is the guests you welcome to your space that are carriers. You can try using a bed bug killer, but if the problem persists, de-list your property and call a pest control company to deal with them.

Wash bedding and clothes in hot water for 30 minutes. Then put them in a dryer on the highest heat setting for 30 minutes. Use a steamer on mattresses, couches, and other places where bedbugs hide. Pack up infested items in black bags and leave them outside on a hot day (95 degrees) or in a closed car.

Ants

There are many reasons that ants may be entering your home. Wood from the nearby trees, uncovered food, and food crumbs on the floor, among others. One of the best ways to handle ants is by using an ant repellent. Spray the repellent on the ant trail to eliminate the whole colony.

Poor 1/2 a cup of vinegar in a spray bottle containing 1 cup of water. Spray the mixture on ants directly or pour over ant hills. A simple alternative to this spray is, soapy water or watered down dish washing detergent. Direct contact with either of these sprays will kill ants almost instantly.

Mosquitos and fleas

Mosquitos and fleas carry with them a range of diseases and infections. It is, therefore, important to keep these little pesky insects away from your vacation home. Some of the steps you can take include:

• Eliminate any garden waste

• Prevent water accumulation anywhere

• Clean the pools

• Seal drainage outlets

• Remove clutter

These measures ensure that the insects have no breeding ground where they can accumulate. It is also good to properly maintain your yard and landscape to keep pests under control.

Citronella is best known as a mosquito deterrent, but it also repels fleas. These beautiful flowers put off a natural chemical called pyrethrum that repels fleas, ticks and other insects.

Talk to your vacation rental cleaners about taking measures to keep pests away. However, if there is an infestation, take action immediately before the pests do more damage. Ignoring it will only cost you in the long run as guests will avoid your home.