The Real Costs of Pest Infestation

Nobody wants to share their home with pests. They’re dirty, smelly, they eat all your food, and they never clean up after themselves. You already did all that with your college roommates. But other than annoying you, pests aren’t really a big deal, right? They’re generally tiny, they live in or under the floor, and they pretty much keep to themselves. They’re not really hurting anyone, are they? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Even if you don’t see it happening, nearly every kind of pest infestation has consequences for your home and your livelihood. Not only can pests do an expensive amount of damage quickly, they can even put you and your family in danger. If you have a pest infestation, it’s almost always the right call to get it dealt with right away. The longer you wait, the more you put yourself at risk for:

Property Damage

Virtually any pest infestation can damage your home. At best, pest damage necessitates potentially expensive home repairs. At worst, the damage can become dangerous. Termites, carpenter ants, and rodents are capable of compromising structural integrity, exposing electrical wires or gas lines, or even starting fires. Termites and carpenter ants damage wood as they tunnel through it, make their nests and lay their eggs. Once they start gnawing, they only stop to have offspring. Wood is expensive to repair or replace, so it’s important to find and control infestations quickly. Rats and mice can chew through electrical wires, insulation, and even water and gas pipes. The resulting damage can cause flooding, sparks, drafts, and other things you don’t want to deal with. You can repair damage, but the best way to stop it from happening again is to control the real source of the problem: your pest infestation.

Fabric Damage

Unfortunately, moths aren’t the only pests that will eat your clothes. Carpet beetles, crickets, and silverfish have all developed a taste for home fabrics. When pests eat fabric, they damage it by chewing small holes or ripping it up. They’re not considerate enough to stop eating when they have to… relieve themselves, so your clothing gets dirty, too. Did you know that adult moths don’t eat? The only moths eating your clothing are moth larvae. Adults lay eggs on clothing to give newly hatched larvae an easy source of food. Crickets and silverfish can do the same thing. Stained or torn fabrics often have to be replaced. Often, they can damage a shirt enough that you’ll have to throw it away. Imagine losing that Prince shirt you got at the 1999 concert in ‘83.

Sanitation and Health Risks

Pests crawl through grime all day, eat where they void themselves, and have no sense of personal hygiene. Again, they’re essentially your college roommates. Pests pose a serious health risk in your home. Mosquitoes cause more disease around the world than anything else. Rats leave behind waste, hair, nails, and fur that can all infect different surfaces. Ticks transfer disease when they feed on a person’s bloodstream. Pests can also pose sanitation threats in less direct ways. All kinds of pests leave behind waste wherever they go. If they relieve themselves or lay eggs in food, and then you eat that food.... well, that’s not a pleasant idea. Keep an eye out for buildups of dust, grease, hair, or dirt in unusual places around your home. Once the pests get out, the cleaning you do will actually keep your home clean--or, at least, as clean as it ever is.

Psychological Effects

Don’t underestimate the power of a pest infestation to make you feel unwelcome in your own home. Pests are near the top of the list of things people fear. Imagine walking up to bed bugs in the middle of the night, or finding centipedes in your cereal box. Spending days afraid you’re going to have a traumatic encounter with a bug is no way to live. One of the things our customers let us know after we complete a job is how much peace of mind knowing their home is pest-free gave them. By dealing with a pest infestation early and effectively, you’re reclaiming your right to a good night’s sleep. Having a safe, comfortable home base is essential to your whole life. If you can’t sleep, eat, or even just hang around at home, it’ll keep getting harder to stay up on things. The longer you go on fearing your own home, the worse the problem will be. So don’t wait! A Pest infestation isn’t just annoying--it can negatively impact you for a long time. Whether you’re worried about the expense, the danger, or just the lost sleep, give Plunkett’s a call next time you suspect you have a pest problem. We can figure out what you’ve got, where they are, and how to deal with them. Just leave it to us!

BlogThe Real Costs of Pest Infestation

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Sanitation and Health Risks

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