How To Keep Spiders (And Other Pests) Out Of Your Holiday Decor

Do you know what would go perfect on your Christmas tree this year? A hundred baby spiders. What? You don't agree? But spiders make great ornaments. They're self-stringing, a little shiny--when the light hits them just right--and, they'll eat all the other bugs you brought in on your Christmas tree. Doesn't that sound festive! Okay. Maybe not.

That's why it is so important to take a few precautions when putting up your holiday decor. The following are what I like to call, "The Twelve Suggestions Of Christmas." You're welcome.

• Always shake your tree, and inspect it for cocoons and webbing, before bringing it into the house. The reason you might get a hundred spiders crawling on your Christmas tree, is because spiders and other bugs hatch from their eggs when they sense spring. Anytime you bring a wood product in from the cold, you have a chance of hatching eggs.
• The same thing can happen if you bring firewood in. If you intend to make some nice holiday fires, be sure to burn any wood you bring into the house within twenty four hours.
• When getting decorations out, look for signs of insect and rodent activity. Roaches and rodents will leave droppings and urine spots. And, rodents, termites, and carpenter ants will leave chew marks on boxes. Other insects, like spiders, will simply squeeze in through cracks. This is especially bad if you're the unlucky family that gets a brown recluse, black widow, or yellow sac spider.
• It is always good to open decoration boxes outside the house, just in case anything has nested in there.
• When the holidays are done, wash fabric decorations before storing them. Roaches, and other bugs, are drawn to bacteria. Unwashed fabrics are like a magnet for pests.
• Clean plastic or metal ornaments with an alcohol wipe or soapy water, for the same reason as you washed your fabrics.
• Store decorations in a plastic tote. This is the single best way to keep all bugs and rodents out of anything you store.
• If you have an artificial tree, shake it out, wipe it down, and store it in a plastic bag. This will get crumbs off, and make the tree smell clean, instead of dirty and inviting.
• Don't store food decorations, if possible. Food attracts pests. If your food ornaments hold sentimental value and you don't have plastic storage totes, store those food items in a plastic zip lock bag, before tucking them into your boxes.
• Keep storage areas dry and well ventilated. This is a good way to keep bugs aw ay all the time.
• Pick up clutter. A cluttered basement or attic will make bugs and rodents feel safe.
• Get year round pest treatments. If your home is inspected and treated year round, you'll have less trouble with bugs and rodents getting into anything you have stored in your attic, basement, or garage.

There you go, the Twelve Suggestions Of Christmas. Sorry they didn't rhyme, but hopefully you learned some things that will help you keep those nasty bugs and rodents out of your holiday plans.