If you are a homeowner, you likely understand that a regular cleaning both inside and outside of your house is needed if you want to keep your property free of potential pests. But it's especially important to keep up with household cleaning and maintenance tasks during the summer when pest activity tends to increase. Here are three tips to keep in mind if you want to keep your home pest-free throughout the warmest months of the year.

Get the Entire Family on Board with Kitchen Cleanup

Summer is a busy season for ants and other critters and it's also the season your family might start using the kitchen more often. If you like to grill, you might find yourself opening and shutting the patio door on a more frequent basis as you move between your kitchen and the grill in your backyard. Even if you do your best to clean up after yourself, all it takes is one trail of crumbs left by your kids to encourage a few ants to make your house their new home. Encourage clean habits by putting some cleaning spray and a stack of paper towels somewhere quite visible in the kitchen and let everyone know it is their responsibility to wipe down their area after they are finished cooking or eating.

Beware of Overgrowth

Summer is also the season you will need to keep the closest eye on your yard to keep pests from creating a new foothold on your property. Be merciless when it comes to weeds and get your grass cut on a regular schedule. Be sure to spend extra time trimming any trees or bushes that are close to your house.

Schedule an Annual Inspection

For best results when it comes to keeping pests at bay, the start of summer is a great time to hire a local pest control company to come and take a look at your property. You don't have to have an active pest problem for such a company to help you out. A pest professional will be able to look at your house and yard and give you a heads up on any potential problem areas like standing water or firewood that is not stored properly.

If you want to keep your home free of pests this summer, be diligent about your yard work and about how your family is cleaning up and disposing of trash after every meal. Contact a pest control company, like Affordable Pest Control, now for more best practices and to schedule an annual inspection.