Aug 13, 2020 10:23 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Most people take a lot of steps to reduce the risk of damage to their homes. This includes things like fitting storm shutters to avoid weather damage, getting doors and windows reinforced, and taking other steps that can help to protect the home.

However, one thing that many people with crawl spaces under the home tend to forget about is protecting their home from animal damage and pests.

As this infographic shows, animals cause damage to house foundation as well as the property itself. This includes many smaller species such as rodents, which often breed and nest in the crawl space if it is not looked after and properly maintained. Once you have pests invading your home, it can lead to many huge problems and can be very expensive to deal with. So, your best bet is to prevent these pest infestations from occurring in the first place, and this means securing your crawl space.

If you have children, they may actually venture into the crawl space as kids often do. As such, it is worth teaching them about the link between crawl spaces and pest infestations. It is also important to teach them about the problems pests can cause, as highlighted further down this article. 

Getting a Professional to Look at Your Crawl Space

The first thing to do if you want to protect your crawl space from breeding pests is to get a professional out to take a look at what is needed. Your crawl space may be damaged and might need some work to be carried out on it to repair the damage. You may want to have the crawl space encapsulated to reduce the risk of breeding pests as well as other problems. A professional will be able to come and take a look to see exactly what needs to be done.

The Importance of Protection

So, why is it so important to secure and protect your crawl space in order to reduce the risk of pest infestations? Well, there are many problems that pests can cause once they successfully invade your home, some of which include:

Hygiene Issues

When you have pests running amok in your home, it can lead to serious hygiene issues around your property. This makes it hard to relax when you are at home, and it can cause a lot of stress as well as leading to very difficult living conditions. On top of everything else, it can lead to very bad odors around your home.

Spread Disease

Many pests carry various diseases some of which are very serious. When they are running around inside and outside your home, it increases the chances of them spreading diseases to you and your loved ones. This can be especially worrying if you have elderly people or very young people in your home, as they are more susceptible to many diseases.

Damage

We all want to ensure we have the highest safety standards in place around the home, and we want to reduce the risk of hazards. Pests can actually cause a lot of damage that can put you and your family in danger. This includes chewing through walls and electrical wiring.

These are some of the reasons you should secure your crawl space and reduce the risk of infestations.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit