You might not think about it that often, but the crawl space beneath your home is more than just a structural component of your house. There are often electrical wires, pipes, and HVAC lines that run through this space, and you may even use it for storage. When you discover that you have a pest infestation in your crawl space, this seldom-used space is likely to be at the forefront of your mind. PestLock is your Top Rated Local® pest control company in NW Oregon & SW Washington and we are happy to provide you with industry-leading crawl space restoration services that will lock pests out for good. We perform environmentally sound pest control with your safety in mind, and we would love to help you rid your crawlspace of unwanted pests. Request your free pest inspection today!
Why Is Crawl Space Restoration Important?
Your crawl space provides several functional purposes. First, it helps circulate water, air, and electricity throughout your home. In fact, nearly 40 percent of the air in your home comes from the crawl space. You want that air to be as clean as possible, and that means that your crawl space should be clean and well-maintained. Some pests can cause damage to electrical wiring that can pose a fire risk, and other pests can endanger the structural integrity of your home.
Your crawl space also provides easy access for any repairs that may need to be made to the first level of your home. If the space is overrun with insects, pest, and nests, you might have a hard time accessing the areas you need to, and you may have trouble convincing a repairman to do the work on your behalf.
Pests are often attracted to crawl spaces because of the water and shelter they provide. The space is often small, warm, and dark, providing pests with the perfect spot to nest and breed year round. Crawl space infestations can occur during any time of the year, but they are often more common during the fall and the winter as animals seek to escape the cold, moist weather outdoors. Many pests reproduce at a prolific rate, and that means that a small infestation can quickly become very hard to treat.
Combined with the health risks and potential of structural damage, you don’t want your crawl space to go untreated for long, and it is critical to find an experienced, reputable local exterminator. Thanks to the crawl space cleaning and restoration services that we provide, you can rest assured that this area of your home will be clean, sanitary, and pest-free.
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COMMON CRAWL SPACE PESTS
In order to best know how to protect your crawl space from an untimely infestation, it is important to know what types of pests like to make themselves at home in this damp dark place and the danger they pose
Mice and rats are one of the most troublesome of crawl space pests. House mice and deer mice both prefer to build their nests in dark, undisturbed locations, and they are also prolific breeders. Likewise, Norway rats and roof rats breed year round and prefer similar nesting conditions. Rodents have a nasty habit of chewing through wires, they carry several dangerous parasites and diseases, and can easily infest your home once they are in the crawl space.
Thanks to our warm, humid climate, subterranean termites and dampwood termites are very common here in the Pacific Northwest. Untreated wood is particularly vulnerable to attack by these wood-destroying organisms, and they love to nest in areas that are moist and protected. Their numbers increase rapidly during an infestation, leaving the structure of your home vulnerable to damage.
Homeowners don’t often associate ants with any type of danger. However, a carpenter ant infestation can cause significant damage to the wooden structural components beneath your home. Although they don’t actually eat wood like termites do, carpenter ants destroy wood as they remove it with their front mandibles to make their nests.
In addition to rodents, termites and carpenter ants, cockroaches, spiders, and small animals are also common crawl space pests. Once spiders and cockroaches enter your crawl space, they are likely to enter your home. Raccoons, skunks, and other small animals can cause extensive damage to your crawl space and be very difficult to remove.
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WHAT IS INCLUDED IN OUR CRAWL SPACE RESTORATION SERVICES
When you call a professional crawl space restoration team, you deserve to know what work they will complete and how it will lock pests out of your crawl space. Our five-step crawl space restoration services lock pests out, restoring the space beneath your home into a clean, pest-free area. PestLock’s five-step crawl space cleaning and restoration services include:
Step #1: Free Pest Inspection
Before we begin our work, our trained exterminators will complete a thorough inspection of your crawl space, free of charge. This enables us to familiarize ourselves with your crawl space and determine what pests have inhabited the area. We’ll even take photos to show you what we saw.
Step #2: Crawl Space Cleaning
Pest infestations cause dirty, unsanitary condition in your crawl space. We remove pest feces, items contaminated with urine, and other hazardous materials that have been affected by pest-related contaminants. We then clean and sanitize the area thoroughly.
Step #3: Sealing Entry Points
You want to lock pests out of your home, and this part of our crawl space restoration services ensures that possible entry points are blocked off. Our exterminators will thoroughly inspect the space from top to bottom and seal any cracks, crevices, and holes.
Step #4: Replace Vapor Barrier and Subfloor Insulation
Reducing the humidity in your crawl space is an important part of the cleaning process. Vapor barrier and subfloor insulation are designed to keep the space dry, but they may have been damaged or contaminated by pests. We remove and replace damaged and contaminated vapor barrier and subfloor insulation from your crawl space. This provides a fresh layer of protection against humidity, which will help deter unwanted pests.
Step #5: Cleaning and Sealing Air Ducts
Pests love nesting and hiding in HVAC ducts and plumbing pipes because they provide a warm, secluded environment. Our technicians will clean these areas and seal your air ducts to keep pests from coming back in the future. Our experts remove nests and other debris from the air ducts in your crawl space that have collected over time. This enhances airflow and enables your HVAC system to run in a clean and efficient manner.
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Benefits of Crawl Space Restoration
If you don’t use your crawl space very often, then it might be tempting to put off calling a pest control expert for an inspection. Some homeowners even try to ignore their infested crawlspace with the hopes that the rodents, termites, carpenter ants, or other pests will eventually move on to another location. The truth of the matter is that these troublesome creatures will continue to lurk beneath your crawl space as long as there is an adequate supply of water, food, and shelter. That could be a very long time, and since the pests will likely destroy your crawl space or invade your home before they move out, it is unlikely you will win the war against unwanted pests without professional crawl space cleaning and restoration services. Some of the benefits of our services include:
Improved Air Quality
Nearly 40% of the air in your home passes through your crawl space first. If there are pests living under your home, that means the air has passed over them, their nests, their feces, and their urine before entering your home. This is a health concern, and it can compromise the quality of your indoor air. Crawl space cleaning and restoration ensures that the space beneath your home is as sanitary as possible, allowing you to breathe clean, fresh air inside your home.
Moisture Control
We experience incredible amounts of moisture and humidity in the Pacific Northwest, but too much of this beneath your house can be a recipe for disaster. In addition to attracting unwanted pests, excessive amounts of moisture beneath your home can cause troublesome mold and mildew to form. Crawl space restoration makes controlling humidity levels easier.
Less Risk of Infestation
When you have reputable crawl space restoration services completed, you can rest assured that pests have been locked out of your home. By cleaning and sanitizing the space beneath your home and replacing vapor barrier and insulation, we’ll rid your crawl space of any trace of an infestation. Sealing entry points will ensure that they can’t come back, and we’ll provide periodic monitoring to ensure our work has been successful.
More Efficient HVAC
Your crawl space plays an important role in regulating the temperature and airflow within your home. If mice and rats have moved in and created nests within the space, the potential for blocked vents and ducts increases. During our work, we will remove obstructions and clean the area. That means that your HVAC system can operate as efficiently as possible, saving you money in the long run.
Additional Storage Space
Have you avoided using your crawl space for storage because you were worried about what was lurking in the dark space under your house? Perhaps you have even avoided using it as a storage space because of an active infestation. Once your crawl space has been cleaned, sanitized, and restored, it will be transformed from an dirty mess to a pest-free space, providing you with the essential storage space that you have needed.
Crawl Space Cleaning and Restoration FAQs
We understand that you may have questions about our crawl space cleaning and restoration services, especially if you are considering hiring us. Check out below some of the frequently asked questions we’ve received.
If you don’t see your question above, please call us! We are more than happy to answer any questions you may have and address any concerns related to your crawl space. We are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 503-342-8303 for Portand customers and 360-210-7433 for Vancouver customers. You may also contact us online 24 hours a day.