Living in a college dorm room can be a life-changing experience. You’re finally away from home and have a place all to yourself to study, have friends over, and simply enjoy yourself. However, it can also be less than glamorous when keeping it tidy and pest-free is concerned. What are some of the most common pests to look out for?
- Bedbugs
- Mosquitoes
- Flies
- Ants
- Cockroaches
- Silverfish
- Ticks
According to recent data, 75% of college students stated that they are unprepared to clean their dorm rooms or apartments. 53% of them cited lack of motivation as the main reason why they aren’t compelled to keep their rooms tidy. When pests are concerned, making sure that the space you live in is sanitary is extremely important. Here’s what you can do to prevent common college dorm room pests from infesting your living space.
Clean Your Surfaces Regularly
Whether you’re a minimalist or someone who likes to surround yourself with furniture and accessories, make sure to keep your surroundings tidy. Make it a habit to dust your dorm room once a week to the tune of your favorite Spotify playlist to make it more bearable. Likewise, grab some cleaning supplies and clean your floor, windows, kitchen, and bathroom.
Paired with some music, a podcast, or a friend to help you out, that’ll not only help keep your room pest-free but also give you a good workout. Pests come in all shapes and sizes, and they hate cleaning supplies. Do yourself a favor and keep all of your surfaces clean to minimize the risk of an infestation. Moreover, your allergies will improve due to a lack of dust in your room, especially during the night, when you’ll sleep more soundly than before.
Change and Wash Bedding & Towels
Most dorm rooms come equipped with their washrooms, so keeping your bedding, sheets, and towels shouldn’t be an issue. The same goes for your clothes which you should never let linger for more than a week before washing them. While it is a chore to wash your clothes and bedding, it’s a great way to ensure that everything that touches your skin is completely sanitary.
Don’t make it a habit to take showers or cook and then leave moist towels around your dorm room. If your dorm room doesn’t have a dedicated washroom, you can look for laundry services around campus or take your laundry home over the weekend. Always keep your bedding and towels dry and freshly washed, and you won’t be such an attractive target for various dorm room pests.
Store Your Foods Properly
Whether you cook your meals or bring food from home to your dorm room, you must store it properly. Foods are a major pest infestation risk, especially if you don’t refrigerate homemade goods. Store your foods in the refrigerator and always make sure that you’ve sealed them properly.
Once you’ve opened a can or a jar of something, keep at it until you’ve eaten it. Dispose of expired foods as quickly as possible and properly wash the containers. Food management is an important part of making sure that common college dorm room pests steer clear of you. Likewise, you’ll feel much better knowing you’ve eaten your foods on time instead of letting them go bad.
Don’t Leave Windows Open for Too Long
Opening your doors and windows to air your dorm room is a great idea – until you start doing it too often. Windows are a major hazard when it comes to pests because they can easily fly into your room, even if you’re on the third floor. To avoid that, only open your windows when you’re present in the dorm room.
You can also install a mosquito net, which will help deter some of the pests from sneaking into your dorm room. Never leave your windows open when you go home for the weekend or plan to stay out of the dorm room for an extended period. Assume the worst might happen and simply close all the doors and windows before leaving the room at any time.
Raise Awareness About Dorm Room Pests
Preventing a dorm room pest infestation is a group effort, and it concerns everyone in the dormitory complex. Depending on how large your dorm room complex is, you might already have issues with pests around the building. Talk to your group of friends about it and see if you can help them take preventive measures to ensure a cleaner, more sanitary environment.
You can write and print public announcements and tips on dorm room pest prevention (with the approval of your dorm room’s management). While you do that, you can use Lets Grade It to get your academic assignments written and formatted on time. This will ensure that your college assignments are done properly and that you’ve done your best to raise awareness about dorm room pests with other students.
Consult Your Dorm Room’s Janitor
Before you take matters into your own hands and contact professional pest control services, you should consult your dorm room’s janitor. The person or the team in charge of maintaining the dorm room might be fully aware of any issues regarding pests.
They can help you keep your room pest-free and give you practical advice on how you can proceed. Also, they might be able to help you clean your room properly with the right chemicals and cleaning supplies without you having to worry about it. Talk to the janitor or the dorm room’s management before you take any serious pest control measures on your own to keep things transparent.
Keeping your Dorm Room Pest-Free
You’ll need to work on keeping your dorm room pest-free around the clock. Keep cleaning your living space, use cleaning supplies to dust your room, and air your room only when you’re there. Also, make sure that your friends and dorm room neighbors do the same so that you can avoid an infestation.
Even if your room is clean and tidy, the dorm room across the hall might have serious issues which will seep into your room as well. Avoiding common college dorm room pests is a team effort – do everything you can to prevent the issue from escalating.
Bio: Michael Carr is a professional editorial writer, blogger, and copywriting expert with years of experience writing personal and professional development content. He excels at writing text in academic formats like essays, case studies, and research papers. In his spare time, Michael likes to reflect on his writing career and find new ways to become a better version of himself.