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Whether it's "dusting and cleaning the house on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month" or "sweeping away the mess on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month," how can the Chinese New Year be complete without a thorough cleaning! This year, Rentokil Initial China, in partnership with Xinmin Evening News, brings you "cleaning secrets" that not only help you welcome the New Year in a clean and tidy manner but also help you say goodbye to pest crises in the coming year.
The Four Essential Elements for Pest Survival – Unraveling the Mystery of Pest Infestations
It's well known that kitchens and bathrooms are often plagued by pests, but what about other areas? The four essential elements for pest survival are: water, food, suitable temperature, and hiding places. For example, cockroaches love to burrow into cracks and crevices, sometimes as small as 3 millimeters. They also prefer warm, humid environments and are not picky eaters. Therefore, not only is the kitchen their paradise, but if your room smells of food and food scraps are hidden in the cracks of the floor, then that's also their haven!
Correcting a misconception - Do pests become less active in cold weather?
Actually, due to the constant indoor temperature, common indoor pests such as cockroaches , fruit flies, flea flies, and moth flies are not a problem at all in winter. Moreover, if areas like the kitchen are not cleaned regularly, the abundant food sources will attract them to gather in large numbers, so the pest problem may not be worse than in spring and summer!
Furthermore, winter is actually the peak breeding and invasion season for rodents . Take the brown rat, common in China, for example. They are adept at climbing, jumping, and swimming, and are constantly searching for new habitats and food sources. Given this nature, what's more, when they need to store energy for winter? They will only work even harder, employing all their "gymnastics skills" to invade indoor spaces!
Grasp these key points to quickly identify and avoid pests.
1.Small mice
Can easily squeeze through 6mm gaps in doors and windows, while termites can easily enter a room through window gaps. Therefore, it is essential to seal any obvious gaps in doors and windows.
2.Screen hole
Before spring arrives and mosquitoes become active, quickly check your window screens for damage or insufficient mesh density, and replace them promptly to avoid irreparable damage.
3. Cracks in Sofa Cushions and Mattresses:
To prevent bedbugs and other pests from hiding, in addition to cleaning the cracks in mattresses and sofas, it's best to remove sofa covers, sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases, wash them in hot water, and dry them at high temperatures. Sunlight alone won't kill bedbugs.
4. Cracks Between Floors, Walls, and Carpets:
Taking the kitchen as an example, the cracks between the refrigerator, cupboards, and storage cabinets and the floor and walls often accumulate food scraps and become breeding grounds for pests because they are rarely cleaned and difficult to maintain. Therefore, be sure to thoroughly clean them during your spring cleaning!
5. Flower Pots, Sinks, and Drains:
Water is essential for life, and most mosquito larvae hatch in water. Therefore, promptly clean flower pots and vases that easily collect water, and clean water and organic matter from sinks, washbasins, washing machine pipes and outlets, and bathroom drains to prevent creating conditions for pest breeding.
It is essential to hire a professional company to handle the situation; do not blindly trust online results. Ms. Li Zhongyang, President of the Shanghai Health Promotion Association, stated in an interview with Xinmin Evening News : Pest control is a technical task. If citizens encounter pest problems, they can find qualified pest control companies through the association's official WeChat account to handle the issue, rather than blindly trusting results found online to avoid being scammed.
As your trusted pest control expert, Rentokil Initial is not only the first foreign-invested enterprise in China to obtain the national Class A qualification for pest control services , but also a 5-star qualified pest control enterprise in Shanghai. Whether you are troubled by pests or want to prevent them from happening in the first place, feel free to contact us!
Finally, let's take a look at the complete New Year's cleaning tips video brought to you by Rentokil Initial China in collaboration with Xinmin Evening News (video produced by "Xinmin Evening News Shanghai Moment").