5 Simple Mistakes that could Attract Pests to your Home

This is a guest post from Trusted Pest Management, Queensland's #1 most preferred Termite Inspections and Barriers.

Our home is our castle. The last thing we want is our castle invaded by armies of ants, hordes of roaches or gangs of mice. The best way to avoid pest invasions is to ensure you don’t attract them in the first place. So here are 5 simple mistakes you could be making that entice pests into your home.

Creating a Trash Smorgasbord

Trash is a part of everyday life, especially in the kitchen. For convenience sake, most people store their trash indoors and then when it gets full, they empty it into the larger outdoor bins. While this is effective, it may be time to reconsider how long you leave it between outdoor garbage runs. Indoor trashcans, if left for for too long, are encouraging ants, rodents and cockroaches. So make sure you take your rubbish out regularly.

Leaving a Trail Hidden Crumbs

While most of us try to keep the house tidy by vacuuming up crumbs when we spot them, it is important to know that there are often microscopic food particles that we can’t see. Most pests have a more acute sense for these food particles and will be drawn to them. To ensure that these particles don’t build up, it is a good idea to vacuum at least once a week to discourage pests.

Storing Unsealed food in your Pantry

Pantries and food cupboards are common locations for a pest invasion. It only takes one unsealed chip packet or an open box of cereal to tempt pests to come indoors. Ants, mice, rats and cockroaches are scavengers, so unattended food is a welcome meal to them. Ensure all half-finished products are sealed in zip-lock bags or emptied into airtight containers.

Leaving out Standing Water

Believe it or not, ants and other pests are attracted to water sources as well as food. Water sources, such as water left in the sink or glasses or the pet’s water bowl will attract pests if left too long. Always drain water from the sink and empty glasses and consider leaving your pet’s water bowl outside.

Leaving Handprint Invitations

Yes, even the subtle scents within your hands can be enough to attract pests. Ants in particular can pick up even the faintest scent of sugar, fat or fruit. If you leave these handprints on surfaces, ants will come. The best way to prevent this is to wash your hands and to wipe down all countertops and surfaces regularly.
Sometimes even with our best efforts, pests still manage to invade our homes. This can be for a range of reasons. You may live in a pest prone area. The prior occupants of the house may not have been as conscious about pest prevention. Or you may have just left a few crumbs around the house before you went away on holiday. Whatever the reason, if you end up with pests in your home it is best to solve the problem as soon as possible. With over 15 years’ experience, Trusted Pest Management can help you get your pest problems back in control.

5 Important Things to Remember When Buying a Used Car

This is a guest post from Dream Loans, helpers to finance your Dream Car.

Buying a car can be an exciting experience, and a great opportunity to try something new and expand your horizons. When choosing a used car you will want to make sure that you are getting the best that you can for your money, and that you are not buying someone else’s lemon. Here are 5 important things to remember when buy a used car.

Set Your Budget

The first thing you need to do is work out what your budget is, and stick to it. Your budget should be a figure that you can comfortably afford without it leaving you short of money for the rest of the things you need in life. You will also want to factor in how much it will cost for government taxes and other things that the car will need. If you are getting a loan for the car then try and buy a car that is a little under the amount that your loan is for, so that you have some money to fall back on if anything goes wrong. Check out loans from Dreamloans to see what they can do for you.

Research

Before choosing which car you want to buy it is very important to do your research. This means not only checking out how much the make and model is for the year that you want to buy, but also going onto online forums to hear about what other people thought about that particular car. The best people to ask is the people who have driven one, and there will plenty of them talking about their experiences online, you just have to look for it. This research could save you a lot of heartache later down the line and prevent you from making a bad decision.

Check Car History

As well as researching the type of car that you are looking at buying, you also will want to know a bit about the car from the owner of the car in question. Hearing a bit about the cars story will give you a better idea about what sort of car it is, and whether it will go the distance. If a car has a small number of Km’s but has been driving all day every day for the first few years of its life then it might be in a bad way by the time you get to it. Looks can be deceiving!

Get a Mechanic to Check It

Always, always get a mechanic to check the car out before you buy it, and make sure that you know the mechanic and that he/she is on your side. You want them to be able to tell you everything about the car, and it pays to invest in this small cost to make sure that you know what you are buying. There may be things about the car that you can negotiate on to get fixed, or reduce the price.

Make Sure Paperwork is in Order

Its really important to make sure that all the paperwork for the car is in order before you hand over the cash. This will ensure that you don’t have an experience with a dodgy person, and keeps you safe!