It's fall, and pests are on the move – trying to find a way into your home, where it's safe and warm.

They're not dumb, but they're counting on you to be lackadaisical about home maintenance in Las Vegas so they can cause you all kinds of grief, including:

• Getting into your food
• Spreading their germs and disease (mice can trigger salmonella while cockroaches can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms)
• Chewing on your clothing, drapes, bedding and wires (though they prefer cotton)
• Gnawing at and eating through wood (to keep their teeth sharp)
• Blocking pipes and water lines (because they're thirsty)

You have have to think like a mouse and move like a spider to stop fall pests in their tracks. Begin by being extra vigilant about housekeeping before moving on to some proactive strategies – straight from the pros at First Quality Roofing & Insulation.

Be a merry maid indeed

Cut off pests' food and water supply by:

• Keeping food in the refrigerator, never on the counter
• Putting pantry food inside a plastic or glass container
• Sweeping crumbs from floors
• Loading dirty dishes in the dishwasher promptly rather than stacking them in the sink
• Covering your garbage can at all times
• Wiping sinks dry every night
• Reducing clutter (and eliminating hiding spaces), especially with stacks of paper and clothing

Prioritize home maintenance in Las Vegas tasks

Evidence of droppings or webs can sometimes – but not always – give you a good idea about where pests might be entering your home. Remember that they need the tiniest of openings, so use a magnifying glass, if necessary, as you:

• Plug obvious (and comparably huge) openings, such as where pipes and cable and TV wires lead outdoors. Use latex caulk or pieces of copper scrubbing pads to seal off entry points.
• Seal doors and windows with weather-stripping (which will conserve energy, too).
• Inspect the dryer vent to ensure it isn't forced open or broken off. The seal between the vent and wall also should be tight.
• Fill soffit openings with expanding foam (and then cut off the hardened excess with a utility knife).
• Gain the upper hand on spiders by promptly getting rid of cobwebs (they can appear out of nowhere) and also maintaining a (lower than usual) humidity level of 40 percent in your basement.
• Rake dirt and mulch away from the foundation.
• Keep trees and bushes trimmed back so that they do not come into contact with your house (and form a "trapeze" for pests).
• Set snap-style mousetraps along a wall if you see a surefire sign of mice: groupings of small pellets. Place traps close together in groups of two – the idea being that a mouse might be able to sidestep one trap but not two.

When you're finished, prepare to feel a rush of empowerment. This often happens when you're proactive about home maintenance in Las Vegas. And if you feel empowered now, imagine how you'll feel after you download First Quality's Home Maintenance Checklist.