Cleaning to Prevent Pests

Crumbs, grease and spills are food for mice, ants and cockroaches. Wipe worktops and the hob after cooking, sweep or vacuum the kitchen floor daily if you can, and don't leave dirty dishes out overnight. Pull out the cooker, fridge and washing machine occasionally to clean behind and underneath – it's where crumbs and grease collect out of sight, and where mice often travel.

Clean inside the toaster crumb tray, under the microwave and in the cutlery drawer. Our kitchen deep cleaning checklist covers the hidden spots.

Food left accessible is an invitation:

Empty kitchen bins regularly and use bins with lids. Rinse food packaging before recycling it. Wash the kitchen bin, the food waste caddy and the outside wheelie bin regularly, especially in summer – see how to clean a wheelie bin. Keep outside bins closed and away from the back door if possible.

Fruit flies breed in over-ripe fruit, food waste, drains and damp cloths. Remove the source – fruit bowl, caddy, a bottle of wine left open – clean the drain and plughole, and wash cloths. A small dish of cider vinegar with a drop of washing-up liquid traps adults. They usually disappear within a week or two once the breeding source is gone.

Ants follow scent trails to sweet and greasy food. Wipe away trails with soapy water or diluted vinegar to remove the scent, clean up spills and crumbs, and seal food. Find and seal entry points around windows, doors and skirting boards. Ant bait stations, placed along trails, are usually more effective than sprays because ants carry the bait back to the nest.

Mice can squeeze through gaps the size of a pen. Cleaning reduces food sources, but sealing entry points – around pipes, under doors, where cables enter – is what keeps them out. Declutter storage areas, lofts and garages, where mice nest in cardboard and fabric.

Signs of mice include droppings, gnawed packaging, scratching noises at night and greasy marks along skirting boards. Clean droppings carefully: wear gloves, spray them with disinfectant and wipe them up rather than sweeping or vacuuming, which can spread dust. For an infestation, call a pest control professional or your council's pest control service.

Clothes moth larvae eat wool, cashmere, silk and feathers, especially in dark, undisturbed places. Vacuum regularly under beds and furniture and along the edges of carpets, wash or dry clean clothes before storing them, and store woollens in sealed bags or boxes. Our guide to reducing dust at home helps too, because larvae feed on fibres and debris in dust.

Cleaners don't treat pests, but a thorough deep clean – pulling out appliances, cleaning inside cupboards and degreasing the kitchen – removes what attracts them and is often recommended after pest control has dealt with an infestation. Businesses that handle food have specific hygiene obligations; see restaurant and pub cleaning.