Wherever your property is based as a homeowner there are routines to ensure you prevent pest problems in your home. Even when you are away document the routines to ensure housesitters know how to maintain your property and to check for possible signs of pests entering your home. Read on to learn our top tips for pest prevention in the home.

How to Prevent Pest Problems Before You Leave Home

Preparing for a trip usually means packing bags, confirming reservations, and arranging care for pets or plants. Home maintenance can slip down the list, especially when the property will not be completely empty. A trusted house sitter may be staying there, but they should not have to discover an avoidable pest problem after you leave.

Pests are drawn to practical things such as food, water, shelter, and easy access. A few overlooked crumbs, a leaking pipe, or an open gap near the garage can give them what they need. A careful pre-travel routine helps protect the property, prevent pest problems and makes the house sitter’s job much easier.

Check for Pest Activity Before Packing

Walk through the home before you begin cleaning. Look inside pantry cabinets, beneath sinks, behind appliances, and around basement or garage walls. Warning signs may include droppings, gnaw marks, damaged packages, ant trails, shed insect skins, unusual odors, or scratching sounds inside a wall.

Correct identification matters because different pests require different responses. The 2025 Bugs Without Borders survey gathered information from 375 pest management professionals and found that 90 percent had been called to treat suspected bed bugs that turned out to be another pest. Carpet beetles, flies, and cockroaches were among the common sources of confusion.

Avoid applying a random spray before leaving town. It may not address the actual pest, and the house sitter could be left dealing with continued activity. If you notice repeated sightings or clear evidence of an infestation, arrange professional Billings pest control before your departure. An inspection can identify likely hiding areas and entry points while there is still time to act to prevent pest problems.

Remove Food That Could Attract Pests

The kitchen deserves more than a quick wipe before a long trip. Clean countertops, sweep floors, and check beneath the toaster, stove, refrigerator, and other appliances to help you prevent pest problems while you’re away. Crumbs and grease often collect in places that are rarely reached during ordinary cleaning.

Store flour, cereal, rice, pasta, snacks, and baking ingredients in containers with secure lids. Thin bags and cardboard packages can be damaged by rodents or pantry insects. Check potatoes, onions, fruit, and bread that may spoil while you are away. Refrigerate, use, or discard anything unlikely to stay fresh.

Empty trash cans throughout the house, including small bins in bedrooms, bathrooms, and offices. Rinse recycling that held food, juice, or sweet drinks. Wash dishes and clear the garbage disposal so food residue does not remain in the sink area.

Pet food also needs attention. Store it in a sealed container and leave clear feeding instructions for the sitter. Ask them to wipe the floor and clean bowls after meals.

Deal With Water and Moisture

Pests do not rely on food alone. Leaking plumbing, damp cabinets, and standing water can support ants, cockroaches, rodents, mosquitoes, and other unwanted visitors.

Inspect faucets, toilets, washing machine connections, water heaters, and the pipes beneath sinks. A small drip may seem harmless, but it can continue for days while you are away. Repair leaks and dry any damp materials before leaving.

Outside, empty water from buckets, plant saucers, toys, watering cans, birdbaths, and uncovered containers. Check that gutters and outdoor drains are clear. If a house sitter will maintain a birdbath or outdoor pet bowl, ask them to refresh the water regularly rather than simply topping it up.

Indoor plants should be watered according to their needs, not soaked as a precaution. Excess water sitting in saucers can create unnecessary moisture around windows and floors. Manage plant hydration carefully to help prevent pest problems around your plants.

Seal Common Routes Into the House

Walk around the outside of the property and inspect the areas where pests are most likely to enter. Look at door frames, window screens, utility openings, foundation cracks, vents, and the bottom seal of the garage door.

Replace torn screens and worn weatherstripping. Make sure exterior doors close firmly without visible light around the edges. Small gaps around pipes and cables can be sealed with a material suited to the surface. Larger openings or structural damage should be checked by a qualified professional.

Trim branches and shrubs that touch the roof, siding, or windows. Move firewood, cardboard, and garden supplies away from exterior walls. These items can provide shelter and make it harder to notice activity near the foundation.

Do not block a wildlife entry point if you believe an animal may already be inside. Contact an appropriate professional instead of trapping it within the structure.

Prepare the Yard and Waste Areas

Outdoor conditions can affect what happens indoors. Mow overgrown grass, remove fallen fruit, and clear piles of leaves or plant debris near the house. Secure compost and garbage containers with tight lids.

Check around porches, sheds, decks, and play equipment for wasp activity. A small nest near a door or walkway may become a bigger concern for the sitter, delivery drivers, or visiting neighbors.

Outdoor eating areas should be cleaned properly before departure. Wipe tables, remove food scraps, and store cushions when appropriate. Grease around a grill or outdoor trash bin may continue attracting insects and animals long after the last meal. Clean all these areas and food based equipment to prevent pest problems.

Give Your House Sitter a Pest Checklist

A house sitter can help catch problems early, but only when they know what to monitor. Walk through the home together and point out places that deserve regular attention.

Area	What the sitter should check	When to contact you
Kitchen and pantry	Ant trails, damaged packages, droppings	Repeated activity or contaminated food
Pet area	Spilled food, dirty bowls, insects	Pests returning after cleaning
Bathrooms	Leaks, damp cabinets, insects	New moisture or recurring sightings
Garage and basement	Gnaw marks, droppings, strange sounds	Any evidence of rodents
Yard and entrances	Standing water, damaged screens, nests	New nests or blocked access points

Leave the phone number for your preferred pest professional, plumber, property manager, and a nearby emergency contact. Explain whether the sitter has permission to arrange service and what spending limit applies.

Ask them to send a photo when they find something unusual. A clear image can help you decide whether the issue needs immediate attention.

Explain What the Sitter Should Avoid

The sitter should not apply unfamiliar pesticides, combine products, or move bait stations without instructions. They should also avoid spraying sleeping areas, pet bedding, food surfaces, or indoor plants unless a product is specifically approved for that use.

If insects appear, ask the sitter to note where they were found and how often they return. Vacuuming a single visible insect may be reasonable, but repeated sightings should be reported rather than treated through guesswork.

The same rule applies to rodents and wildlife. The sitter should not handle droppings with bare hands or attempt to remove an animal from an attic, chimney, or wall space.

Complete a Final Walkthrough to Prevent Pest Problems

Before leaving, take five minutes to check each room. Confirm that food is sealed, trash is removed, dishes are clean, and wet surfaces are dry. Check exterior doors and windows, then look outside for standing water or unsecured waste.

Make sure the house sitter has keys, written instructions, emergency contacts, and a simple way to reach you. Good preparation does not guarantee that a pest will never appear, but it removes many of the conditions that allow a small issue to grow unnoticed and so helps prevent pest problems in your home.

When the house is clean, dry, secure, and easy to monitor, you can travel with greater confidence. Your sitter can focus on caring for the property and pets instead of managing a problem that should have been addressed before departure.

FURTHER READING

Does having pets invite pests into your home

Found baby wildlife on your property – Here’s what to do

What to look for in an ideal petsitter

Shedding pets – Top tips for cleaning up at home

What is House Sitting: Everything You Need to Know