Most of us don’t look for pest prevention tips until we need them. If you’ve discovered a minor (or major) pest infestation and want to stop them from coming back, this is what you have to do.

1. Lockdown on Food

Until you haven’t seen any pests for weeks or months, treat your food like contraband. Buy food in jars whenever you can, and transfer bagged items to mason jars or similar storage containers. Don’t leave food out even for a few minutes. Cook, bag, and store in the fridge. Only take out the food that you intend to eat right away. Wipe down every surface as soon as you’re done using it, and don’t leave dirty dishes out at all. These habits are a pain at first, but once you’ve established them, it will be easier. Remember, any crumb that a pest finds will encourage it to come back again and bring its family.

2. Eliminate Standing Water

Standing water around your house is a breeding ground for bugs. Clean up any puddles and ditches outside your home. Also, check and make sure that water doesn’t regularly pool under your sink or in your bathtub. Easy drinking water will also attract pests. You don’t want their stay to be easy–you want to make any and all pests as uncomfortable as possible!

3. Seal Up Your House

Any cracks in your walls will contribute to pests getting in. As pest prevention tips go, starting with sealing your home is an excellent idea. Foam insulation or even spackle can be used to seal over any cracks, nooks, or crannies you find. Closing up every easy way to get into the house is key to keeping those pests out!

4. Completely Eliminate Any Infestations

Once you have pests, you need to completely start over if you want to stop them from coming back. It’s a long, slow process to starve out every generation that’s currently inside your walls. Insects may have already laid eggs that will hatch into new generations when you think the pests are finally gone. You’ll probably need to call on professional help to be sure that you’re getting a clean start without any lingering pests. Professionals can be sure that they’re all gone, and can even assist you with cleanup or figuring out how they got in in the first place.

5. Clean Up Storage

Once you’ve tackled the usual suspects of food, water, reproduction, and entry to the house, there’s one more thing you have to do. Go into any storage areas and rigorously clean them. Storage areas are largely undisturbed. They allow pests to breed, nest, and grow without being disturbed. Cleaning up your storage area and regularly looking for signs of infestation are two pest prevention tips you can take to the bank.

Pest prevention tips when you’ve already had an infestation take you back to basics. Lock down your food. Stop stagnant water from forming in or near your house. Seal the walls, and make sure that, when you get rid of an infestation, it’s really gone.