How to Prevent Pest Contamination in Food
If you have ever found insects in food such as flour, sugar, rice or pasta, you are probably frustrated trying to find a way to prevent pest contamination. Storing food in plastic containers is one way to help keep bugs out of your food. But relying on sealed food containers to prevent insects is like relying on a bandage to keep yourself from getting cut. A more thorough approach to preventing pest contamination in food is to follow a few steps based on the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) publication "Healthy Housing Reference Manual."
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Challenging
Instructions
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1
Thoroughly clean your kitchen. As simple as that sounds, a clean kitchen is one of the best deterrents for keeping pests out. For instance, to keep roaches at bay, the NCEH recommends routinely cleaning and sanitizing shelves, floors and under appliances.
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Keep your kitchen clean. If you spill some sugar, immediately sweep it up. If you drop an egg on the floor, promptly mop it away. Wash your dishes every night before bed; don't leave them for the morning.
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Seal pet food in airtight containers and only leave enough out for regular feeding. Fluffy and Ranger might not like it, but the NCEH suggests not leaving bowls of pet food out overnight.
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Seal up crevices in your kitchen. Use expanding foam sealant (found at your local home improvement store) to fill cracks and other spaces where household pests might gain entry.
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De-clutter your kitchen. Bugs and rodents love places to hide and nest. Remove their hiding places by clearing away stacks of paper, piles of laundry and other messy clutter.
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