As employees likely spend more time in the workplace than in any other place, it is essential that workplaces are kept clean and safe. Prevention takes precedence when it comes to pest control.

Below are some easy steps to help keep your office space pest-free.

Train your staff
What do you do when a drink spills or food gets on the floor? Prevention starts from understanding that pests are likely to invade your premises. A single breadcrumb can encourage ants into a building, whilst spilled drinks can bring flies into the office.

Cleanliness is imperative. Ensuring that your office is clean at all times is a perfect remedy for eliminating the threat of pests. If you leave your office dirty, rats, cockroaches, ants and other pests are likely to enter your premises.

Cleaning the office before departing is generally sufficient to keep rats, mice and other pests away. If you deny them access to any food remains, they will instinctively relocate to places where they can fend for themselves.

The clean-up procedure is simple:

• Ensure that there are enough litter and dustbins.
• Seal foodstuffs and lock them away tightly.
• Clean spills ASAP.
• Empty litter and dustbins.

Seal entry points
Ensure you close windows and doors whenever you are away. Doing so ensures that rats and other pests cannot access your commercial space. In addition, pest-proof your premises. Ensure there are no cracks and open spaces that will encourage pests into the premises.

Conduct professional cleaning
Cockroaches, rats, fleas and other pests prefer to live in dirty environments. Dusty places encourage all manner of bugs and allergens. Disorganised workplaces give pests hiding places that they can use as a breeding ground.

Professional cleaning and organisation of the commercial space can help destabilise pests. It can also stop them from establishing colonies in the office.

Get a general pest inspection
Some pests can hide very well. Rats tend to hide whenever there are people around them. A professional inspection expert knows what to look for, where to look and what do with whatever they find. A typical rat’s nest will indicate that rats are already breeding. Black marks behind curtains and furniture could point to a roach infestation. You have to deal with such infestations decisively.

Inspect and remove
Regular inspection can help discover the problem before it escalates. If you see any sign of pests, you should institute an office-wide inspection, clean up and removal. Most pests can be removed using locally available pesticides. You can also use repellents for ants, houseflies and such small pests.

Destructive pests such as termites must be removed immediately from the premises. Removal can include the destruction of the colonies and nests, fumigation and quarantine where possible. Other pests can be removed using traps and poisoned bait.

Prevention, inspections, and pest removal are important aspects of ensuring that your office is a clean and safe space. Prevention is much cheaper and better. If there is an infestation, always seek professional treatment and removal.

This article was originally published by The Olive Press and is reproduced with kind permission.