Recommendations To Help Keep Your Home And Property Free Of Termites

Termites and their damage to your home can be unnerving and expensive, as they eat through the wood materials that make up your home's structure and interior features. With the right diligence and proactive protection measures, you can keep your home protected against termite attacks and also make essential professional repairs after you discover a termite problem. Here are some recommendations that you can use to help keep your home free of termites and their extensive damage.

Take Care of Moisture 

Moisture is a big factor in the potential for termites to invade your home, as they need it to survive. Moisture along with a good supply of wood in the structure, exterior, and interior of your home will provide a buffet of termite delicacies that you don't want to make available. Keep your home dry of any water and moisture, whether it is from a leaking pipe, excess condensation in the bathroom, or a wet foundation around your home's exterior. Check around your home for any moisture problems and dry them out as soon as possible. Use a dehumidifier in your home to remove excess moisture, which you can usually install with your home's air conditioner and heating system. Otherwise, a stand-alone mobile dehumidifier is a great option to use in your home and move from room to room.

Check the exterior of your home and its foundation for any pooling of or excessive moisture, such as from drainage that originates from your roof. Install additional gutter downspouts and diverters to deliver water draining off your roof to another point in your yard to keep the foundation soil dry. Also check around your exterior windows and door frames for any intrusive moisture, especially around wood framing materials. If you notice any termite tubes, wood damage, or wood dust particles that can be from termite activity, arrange for a professional termite inspection. In fact, you should make an annual termite inspection a regular part of your home maintenance, especially if you live in a termite prone area.

Be Proactive in Protection

A woodpile in your yard may be the main part of your home's heating source and essential for your home in the winter, but make sure you don't allow it to become a termite risk. Place your firewood well away from your home and don't stack it up next to the side of your home or the garage.

When you are adding in any new wood structure to your home or yard, you can apply termite protection to the wood that lasts for many years. Before you paint or stain the wood, apply a coat of Borate with a brush. This layer will soak into the wood treating the wood against termite infestation. Once the treatment has dried, apply a coat of paint or stain.

To learn more about termite control, contact a company like Consumer Termite Control Inc.