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Resolutions Every Homeowner Should Keep in 2019

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Home Care Resolutions For The New Year

It’s a new year and you know what means–resolution time! A time to reflect on the things we did in the previous year and set goals for the new one. While many people will resolve to work out more often or get more sleep each night, us homeowners are always thinking of ways to improve our homes. Here are 5 New Year’s resolutions every homeowner should keep in 2019.

1. Inspect Your Home’s Exterior

Let’s start with the exterior. Over time your home takes on a lot of wear and tear, especially in an ever-changing climate like Charlotte. Paint starts to chip, shingles become loose, holes in the brick begin to form, and roofs start to leak. No one wants to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars repairing the damage that could have been prevented. It’s important to inspect the exterior to as a preventative measure. That way you can avoid serious damage that can cost you time, money, and a major headache.

Simple tasks such as touching up the paint, power-washing the siding, or looking into that broken shingle on your roof are easy ways to keep up on the maintenance of your home’s exterior.

So instead of putting it off, use the start of the new year as a time to get those small updates and repairs completed so you don’t have to worry about them. Plus–your home will look so great with a refresh you will be kicking yourself that you didn’t do it sooner once it’s all complete.

2. Check The Windows

There’s nothing like cracking open the window and letting in the fresh air when the weather starts to warm up. However, while they’re great for letting in the fresh breeze, windows are also the perfect entry point for rodents and bugs. That’s why it’s so important to check your windows and screens at least once a year! Checking your windows and screens at the beginning of each year is a great way to make sure that your screens don’t have any holes and that there aren’t any open gaps in your windows.

Taking the time to inspect your windows while it’s still cold outside will give you ample time to repair any damaged screens or gaps. This way you can get your screens in tip-top shape by spring when the weather gets warm and you want to be able to open your windows without worrying about bugs getting into your home.

3. Give Your Lawn Some Love

Your lawn will go dormant in the cold months of winter. However, it is important to take precautionary steps in order to make sure your lawn survives the winter. Use January as a preparation month to make sure your lawn is prepared for the harsh conditions.

Fertilizing your lawn is a great idea as it lost a lot of nutrients during the hot summer months. The fertilizer will also help sustain your lawn through the winter.

Take a break from mowing. There is less sun in the winter, which means your lawn will not grow as fast. Weekly mowes are no longer necessary, you will most likely only need to mow your lawn a couple of times throughout the winter.

And don’t forget about your plants! If you add 1.5 inches of mulch to your plant beds, your plants will stay warm and protected from the harsh climate. In addition, you will be amazed at how nice they will look with some fresh mulch.

January is a great time to organize and sharpen your tools. You won’t be using them much so you have time to make sure everything is ready to go come spring.

4. Clean Your Gutters

Gutters…they’re gross, they’re messy, and if you don’t take care of them they can cause serious problems. It’s important to clean your gutters at least twice a year. Water damage can occur if your gutters are clogged, as rain collects around the foundation of your home instead of being redirected farther away. This water can then build up around your foundation, basement, crawlspace, and landscaping causing a plethora of issues like mold, leaks, and more.

In addition, an abundance of debris in your gutters can attract bugs, pests, rodents, and mold, which you definitely do not want. So it’s important to get rid of any debris before a critter makes your gutter their new home.

5. Attic and Crawlspace

You know the saying–out of sight, out of mind. Unfortunately, that applies pretty well to our attics and crawl spaces. Because these aren’t areas of our homes that we spend a lot of time in, maintenance in these areas often gets overlooked. With the new year well on its way, this is the perfect time to take a look at these places and see if there is anything that needs to be repaired!

Improper insulation and encapsulation in our attics and crawl spaces can lead to a plethora of issues for the rest of our home. One of those problems being mold and mildew growth–particularly in the attic. The attic is the first part of your house that braces any type of weather or damage, meaning that it gets a lot of wear and tear. Any holes in the roof or improper insulation will allow water into these places, eventually fostering mold and mildew growth.

Now that you’ve added these five home maintenance points to your list of resolutions this year, you can now start the New Year off right! For assistance with any of these things or to learn more about our services, visit our website today. Should 2019 bring your home any sort of issues, no need to worry. Killingsworth will be here for any and all of your home and lawn needs. Schedule an appointment with us now!

Resolutions Every Homeowner Should Keep in 2019

Bedbug inspection

How to Know if Your Hotel Has Bedbugs

Upon entering a hotel room, do you typically reach for the tiny toiletries, take a leap onto the bed, or perhaps start by inspecting for bed bugs? Knowing what to look for is essential. Anticimex Carolinas Service Manager Christian Tweed has shared valuable insights on identifying bed bugs in your hotel room and preventing them from hitching a ride back home with you. And if bed bugs do become an unexpected part of your vacation, remember that Clark’s Pest Control is here to assist!



Q&A with a Pest Professional


How do bed bugs get inside hotels?


Bed bugs are primarily hitchhiking insects as opposed to foraging ones, meaning that they get carried around on people’s clothes and belongings. Someone with an active infestation in their home can easily bring bed bugs to their hotel, but they can also be picked up during travel (airplanes, taxis, and rideshare services) and brought to a hotel room.


What do people misunderstand about bed bugs in hotels?


From a probability standpoint, all hotels will deal with bed bugs at some point in time. If you think about a bed bug’s method of travel, there’s literally nothing a hotel can do to stop them from being carried in. What I have realized is that luxury hotels are more likely to have an aggressive response to dealing with a bed bug case once it’s identified as they tend to have a higher quality of service and a reputation to protect. While this isn’t always the case, it has been my experience more often than not.

Got bedbugs? Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today!

What do you recommend travelers do when they get to their room to check for bed bugs?


Most hotel headboards hang directly on the wall. I start my inspection here before even looking at the bed itself. I have found bed bugs, their exoskeletons, and the telltale black stains they leave behind around the edges of or in the crevices of headboards. If the headboard looks clean, move on to looking over the pillowcases and comforter for any signs or stains. You can dig into the bedding as deep as you want here, but I encourage people to look over the top layer of things at the very least.


What are some lesser-known signs of bed bugs in your hotel room?


The specifics of the black stains they leave behind, which as gross as it sounds, are just digested blood as that’s all that bed bugs feed on. If the stains are on a hard surface, they will be small dots as if left behind by an ink pen and will smear into a brownish gray when moisture is applied. If they’re on fabric, they will usually bleed along the fibers making a small diamond, square or X shape.


If there are bed bugs in your hotel room, can they travel home with you?


They absolutely can, however this is easy to prevent. While staying in a hotel, keep as much of your clothing and luggage off the beds as possible. Storing suitcases in the bathroom might sound odd, but it’s an effective method of prevention.

Don’t tackle bedbugs yourself, call Clark’s at 866-781-4991!

What should you do with your suitcase if you suspect your hotel has bed bugs?


When arriving home from a trip, leave your luggage in the garage or on a porch and bring your clothes in one load of laundry at a time. If the clothes are dirty, wash them like you normally would, if they’re clean then run them through the dryer for at least forty-five minutes. Once your suitcase is empty, vacuum over it meticulously (don’t forget to empty the vacuum when you’re done), or if you’re in the right climate, expose it to heat for a few days by placing it in your vehicle (parked in the sun) or for a few weeks in your attic.


The Clark’s Solution


If you brought bed bugs back to you home, Clark’s is here to help. Our Bedbug Control service is designed to eliminate bedbugs and create a safe, comfortable environment.


A Clark’s Pest Professional will do an inspection and recommend a plan of attack to get rid of bed bugs now and prevent them from hatching in the future. Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today for more information.




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