Are you sick and tired of finding bugs and/or rodents roaming around your home? Before you go ahead and start looking for things to blame when you have an infestation of pests, remember this — A majority of pests are attracted to clutter and fallen food/spills. If you want to reduce your chances of becoming infested, you need to become a better cleaner — and you can start by adopting the 20/10 rule.
The 20/10 Rule
When attempting to purge your house of clutter, be realistic about how much cleaning you’ll actually do. If you attempt to clean for hours, you might wind up cleaning for a half hour and then giving up entirely. Instead, you should be cleaning for 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break, and so on. Following this rule will make huge cleaning projects more approachable and easier to finally tackle.
Easy Tasks You Can Complete In a Single 20/10 Cycle
- Make The Bed – This should be your first task of the day, each and every day after getting ready. While you’re at it, do a quick visual inspection for any possible bed bugs.
- One Touch Rule – When you pick something up, DO NOT put it down unless it’s in its rightful place. By putting things away while only touching them once, you’ll eliminate a lot of unnecessary time spent cleaning. Putting something down before putting it away could result in it being left out — resulting in wasted time and clutter being left in place.
- Don’t Leave Them Dirty – Both your dirty dishes AND dirty laundry should NEVER be left to sit in their own filth. If there’s dishes in the sink, run them through the dishwasher or hand wash them. If there’s a hamper (or floor) filled with dirty laundry, start running them through the washer and dryer.
Cleaning doesn’t have to be the daunting task you’ve always thought it’s been — not with this hack in your utility belt! When you start noticing bugs or rodents more often in your home, treat it as a possible infestation and call the professionals at Knockout Pest Control. To learn more or to schedule an inspection of your home, give us a call at (800) 244-7378.
