Thanksgiving is a special time of year. It’s a day for gathering with family, expressing gratitude, and enjoying a feast so grand it takes days to prepare. It’s also a time for that one uncle to tell the same story he tells every year and for your cousin to ask you deeply personal questions at the dinner table. While you can't prevent your relatives from creating a few awkward moments, you can absolutely help prevent uninvited guests of the six-legged variety from crashing your party.
With all the delicious food, dropped crumbs, and the general hustle and bustle, Thanksgiving is a pest's favorite holiday. The rich smells of turkey, stuffing, and pie are like a dinner bell for insects and rodents. But don’t worry. You can send pests packing before they even think about sampling your sweet potato casserole. These tips will help you keep pests away from your home and out of the mashed potatoes this fall.
How To Help Keep Pests Away This Thanksgiving
1. Keep Food Covered
Flies, cockroaches, and rodents are not picky eaters. To them, your carefully prepared Thanksgiving meal is an all-you-can-eat buffet that’s too good to resist. Leaving dishes uncovered on the counter or table, even for a short time, is an open invitation for pests to stop by for a taste. A fly can land and transfer germs in seconds, while other pests might not be so bold but will gladly take advantage of an unattended dish.
To keep your feast safe, make sure all food is covered when it’s not being served. Here's how:
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Use airtight containers for flour, sugar, and dry ingredients.
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Use aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or fitted lids to cover pots and pans.
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If you’re serving buffet-style, use chafing dishes with covers.
These simple steps creates a physical barrier to keep pests out and ensures only your intended guests enjoy the meal.
2. Clean It Up
During the chaos of cooking and serving a large meal, spills and messes are inevitable. A splash of gravy here, a few dropped cranberries there, it all adds up. These small spills might seem harmless, but to pests like ants and cockroaches, they are a treasure map leading directly to your kitchen. Residue on countertops, crumbs on the floor, and sticky spots from spilled drinks are powerful attractants.
Be proactive with your cleaning by following these steps:
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Keep a damp cloth or sponge handy to wipe down counters and surfaces immediately after they’ve been in contact with food.
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Do a quick sweep (vacuum and mopping) of the kitchen and dining room floors after the meal has been served to get rid of any dropped morsels.
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Inspect hidden areas, such as under the stove or behind the refrigerator, where food debris might accumulate.
By eliminating these convenient food sources, you make your home a much less appealing target for hungry pests searching for their next meal.
3. Throw It Out
After the feast, the cleanup begins, and your trash cans will likely be overflowing with food waste. Turkey carcasses, vegetable peels, and scraped plates create a pungent, irresistible meal for pests like rodents and raccoons. If left in an unsecured bin inside or just outside your home, this garbage can attract pests from all over the neighborhood.
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Make trash removal a priority after your meal. Empty indoor trash cans often, especially after meal prep or cleanup.
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Bag up all food waste securely and take it out to your main outdoor garbage bin as soon as you’re done cleaning.
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Ensure that your outdoor bins have tight-fitting lids to prevent pests from getting inside.
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If possible, store your bins away from the immediate vicinity of your house to limit any potential attractors near your foundation or doorways.
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Clean and disinfect bins to remove food residue.
4. Put It Away
The Thanksgiving meal often continues long after the main event, thanks to delicious leftovers. Unfortunately, pests love leftovers just as much as you do. Storing leftover food improperly is like setting out a welcome mat for them. Cardboard to-go boxes, paper bags, or loosely covered plates can be easily chewed through or accessed by determined pests like mice and cockroaches.
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Once everyone has had their fill, put all leftovers away promptly.
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Use airtight containers made of glass or hard plastic to seal food securely. These containers not only keep your food fresh but also create an impenetrable barrier that pests can't get through.
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Store leftovers properly in the refrigerator to keep them safe. This protects your next-day turkey sandwich and prevents your kitchen from becoming a late-night diner for pests.
5. Stop the Stench
The wonderful smell of a Thanksgiving dinner can linger in your home for hours, or even days. While this might be pleasant for you, these strong, savory odors can travel a surprising distance and act as a powerful beacon for pests. Scents from the kitchen can easily waft outdoors, signaling to nearby rodents, cockroaches, and other creatures that a food source is close.
After you've cleaned up, take steps to neutralize any remaining food odors.
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Run your kitchen's exhaust fan while cooking and for a while afterward.
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You can also use odor-neutralizing sprays or air purifiers to help clear the air.
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Simmering a pot of water with cinnamon sticks and citrus peels can also help mask food smells with a scent that is pleasant to you but not necessarily attractive to pests.
6. Seal Entry Points
Your home may seem secure, but pests are experts at finding their way inside. Rodents and insects can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps around windows, doors, and utility lines. Take a thorough walk around your property to identify and seal any potential entry points. Pay close attention to the areas where pipes and wires enter your house, as these are common weak spots. Even a tiny crack in the foundation or a gap under a door can be an open invitation for pests seeking shelter and food.
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Inspect weather stripping and door sweeps and replace them if worn.
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Seal cracks and holes in walls, floors, and foundations.
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Install screens on vents and windows if they’re missing or damaged.
Preventing access is one of the most effective ways to help stop pests before they become a problem.
7. Watch for Moisture Build-Up
Many pests, such as cockroaches, silverfish, and even some types of ants, are drawn to and thrive in damp environments. During the flurry of Thanksgiving cooking, humidity levels in your kitchen can rise significantly due to boiling pots, running dishwashers, and steamy ovens. This excess moisture can create the perfect breeding ground for pests.
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Use exhaust fans to reduce moisture.
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Check under sinks and appliances for leaks or drips.
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Dry up spills immediately to avoid attracting pests seeking water sources.
8. Inspect Decorations and Firewood
Festive decorations stored in attics, basements, or garages can become unintended shelters for pests like spiders, rodents, and insects seeking refuge from the cold. When it's time to decorate the dining table, these critters can easily hitch a ride into your home. Before you bring out the decor, take the time to inspect each item carefully outdoors.
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Shake out artificial trees, wreaths, and garlands, and examine boxes for any signs of pest activity, such as droppings or gnaw marks.
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Inspect and shake out decorations before bringing them indoors.
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Store decorations in sealed plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes.
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If you’re using a fireplace, keep firewood at least 20 feet from the house and check logs for pests before bringing them inside.
Don't Let Pests Ruin Your Thanksgiving Holiday
Pests are not on the menu this Thanksgiving, and we want to help you keep it that way. By following these tips, you can significantly help reduce the chances of an unwanted pest encounter during your holiday celebration.
If you're dealing with a persistent pest problem or want to help your home be protected year-round, professional help is your best bet. Contact your local Orkin branch to learn more about how our experts can help you prevent pest populations in your home this holiday season and beyond.
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