September means only one thing: the summer has ended, and it’s back-to-school season. Kids are buying school supplies and preparing binders and Duo-Tangs.

Older students are arriving on campus to put posters on their dorm room walls and complete their orientation and frosh experiences. It’s a time of transition, with the summer break behind and a big year of learning ahead. Students need to prepare themselves for some intense academic experiences, but it’s also a time for socializing and enriching life experiences.

However, the environment in which these happen may not be spotlessly clean but should be hygienic. Let’s check out 10 ways students in college and university can keep their dorm room pest-free.

1. No Open Food

Pests are attracted to things every creature needs to live — food and a water source. Anything you can do to minimize the likelihood of a visit from these gross, dirty critters is great, and it starts with not leaving the box of pizza out all night.

Put away your food and be neat, and pests are less likely to visit your dorm. However, it’s also true that you can be as careful as possible not to leave food around, and it doesn’t guarantee you’ll stay pest-free.

You can still get a visit from pests even if there isn’t a crumb lying around anywhere. Call us for the leading Toronto pest control services if you find an unwanted visitor in your dorm.

2. Block Entry Points

Pests have ways of getting around buildings that differ from people. They have a network of holes in walls and windows that may be invisible to you but seem like a highway to them.

Block these entry points if you find them with caulking. You might be able to block a hole large enough for a rat or mouse to get through, but it’s harder to keep out small pests, like roaches or bed bugs. For cockroach prevention and extermination that will protect your entire dorm, call GreenLeaf Pest Control.

If you smell a musky odour or see waste from the exoskeleton left behind, these are signs of a cockroach infestation, and you need to act right away! Sometimes, it’s too late for prevention.

3. No Dampness

Some places attract pests because they get damp where moisture can collect, like underneath the sink. If you have a leaky pipe, get it fixed. The more water there is, the greater the likelihood of finding pests using it as a watering hole.

You can’t always control what your neighbours do, though. In big buildings, someone you share a wall with could be leaving food around or have a leaky pipe. Call us for pest control for student housing that keeps you safe from roaches, no matter the state of your neighbour’s unit.

4. Manage Your Trash

Things you throw out in the garbage might be gold to a pest! Keeping too much trash around might be an invitation to your dorm room they can’t refuse.

Be mindful to change your garbage bags regularly. Your neighbours will be happy, and your home will be tidier and smell more pleasant.

5. Use Your Vacuum

Sucking up hard-to-clean bits of food is a great way to stop attracting pests to your dorm room. Vacuums are an excellent tool, especially on surfaces like carpets.

Getting a small, compact vacuum will help keep your room neat and pest-free.

6. Declutter Your Space

Pests like nestling amid clutter, like old boxes or stacks of newspaper. If you keep your dorm room free of places that attract pests, they won’t find refuge there.

Your building may still need commercial pest control solutions because there could be clutter or garbage heaps outside or in one or more of the units. Take all the precautions you can, but some things are simply out of your hands.

You might find that a decluttered space helps you think more freely and get more enjoyment from where you’re living. You’ll like it, but the pests won’t.

7. Tend the Outside a Bit

If you have a tree branch near your window or bushes rubbing up against your wall, you may want to cut them back a bit. You don’t need to become a full-fledged landscaper, but pests use branches like highways to get around.

Cut them back and you disable their transportation routes. You won’t want to give them a red carpet leading right to your unit’s window.

8. Call in the Professionals

Ultimately, there’s no substitute for calling in professional pest control services. Traps or sprays you get from stores will only kill a handful of the pests. This gives them time to reproduce, and soon, their numbers will be the same or larger than they were before.

GreenLeaf Pest Control tackles bed bug extermination and any other pest problem you have using custom chemicals that aren’t available for sale. The only way to get these comprehensive solutions in your dorm room is by calling us.

All the ingredients are approved by Health Canada, so you can feel confident they won’t pose any threat the environment or pets. We have a custom approach for every job, as no two are the same.

GreenLeaf Pest Control can eliminate any infestation you have, and we offer a range of other related services, like odour control for the building, chute foaming, and more. Whether it’s for your specific dorm room or for the building at large, GreenLeaf will get it done!

College and university are special times for students. Many get their first taste of independent living away from their family home. Hopefully, they’re excited by the subjects they’re studying and the social life on campus. They also need to balance their academic responsibilities with other routines, like cleaning. Keep the above tips in mind to prevent pests from entering, but there’s only so much you can do. If your efforts aren’t enough, don’t hesitate to call GreenLeaf Pest Control.