No matter how well you clean the counters, the ants come back like clockwork. While ants do not usually pose a threat, they can be a reason for valid annoyance. Some ants can also carry bacteria and germs into your food and cause a health hazard.

Texas weather and small kitchen habits contribute to recurring ant problems. The warm and rain-prone atmosphere makes it an easy way for ant infestation. Texas rain and its fluctuating weather can provide both warmth and soil moisture, which leads the ants towards indoor spaces. 

Therefore, let us look at the six proven, eco-conscious cleaning strategies from Vella’s experts that go beyond sprays and traps to actually prevent ants from coming back, for good.

Why Ants Keep Coming Back

Ants can use the pheromone trails to easily find their way back. 

This pheromone is not easy to clean up, which makes it a challenge to prevent continuous ant infestation. So, what is the solution?

Look out for hidden ant colonies in your home. Ant colonies in Texas homes can be found in any cracks in the walls, doors, or behind windows. Eliminate them at their roots to prevent any further attack. 

Pheromone trails are left behind to guide other ants to food sources. This is why it is also important to clean up food particles and cover up overripe fruits.

How to Get Rid of Ants Without Harsh Chemicals

While getting rid of ants is hard, it does not mean you only need harsh chemicals to deal with them. Instead, here are some natural remedies that work just as effectively, without the side effects.

Natural elements like vinegar spray can help to clear scent trails. Use a mixture of baking soda, sugar bait, and lemon peels near entry points to ward the ants away.

While store-bought traps and sprays are easy and convenient to use, and are great for providing quick results, they are only good for temporary fixes. This is why you can often witness the ants coming back. To effectively eliminate them, you will need good-quality pest deterrents. Eco-safe pest deterrents are a great start. 

Daily Cleaning Habits That Prevent Ants from Coming Back

Cultivate the habit of tidying your space daily for improved results with less effort. Use citrus-based cleaners to thoroughly wipe down counters, ensuring that crumbs and any pheromones left by ants are completely removed. 

It is important to build regular kitchen cleaning habits. Sweep under furniture and kitchen appliances as well, at least twice a week. These are the areas that get overlooked easily. To avoid contamination, store food, especially sugar, flour, and cereals, in sealed containers.

Empty garbage daily and seal compost bins around your house. If you have pets, clean their pet bowls every time you feed them. Taking these necessary steps will maintain cleanliness in your house, and therefore ant invasion will be under control.

The Ants You Don’t See: Hidden Entry Points to Seal ASAP

Ants can hide easily in the nooks and crannies of your house that you don’t even know about. This is why it’s important to identify the typical entry spots like baseboards, windowsills, backsplash gaps, and under sinks. Now you can use pest deterrent gels to ward them off.

Use caulks to seal the entry spots and block their access. Weather stripping can be used for the same purpose as it can help to create airtight barriers around doors and windows. While using pest deterrents, use food-safe deterrents as they are naturally sourced and effective.

Pro tip: Check indoor plants, as soil often hosts ants.

Seasonal Cleaning Tips to Prevent Ant Infestations Year-Round

To prevent ant infestations all year round. Focus on consistent cleaning and eliminating factors that attract them, such as food and moisture, and deep clean at least every week or every other week.

• Spring: This is when you can deep clean the pantry and seal baseboards and close other entry points. This is the time when ants begin to make their space. Preventing that early on will help cut off an ant infestation completely.
• Summer: Make it a habit to empty outdoor trash bins regularly and wipe off patio furniture.
• Fall: Inspect your window screens and store sweets and other food items properly.
• Winter: Vacuum behind appliances and check for indoor nests in warm spots to begin preparing for springtime.

Tired or too busy to do it yourself. Rest up, Vella’s got you covered. We offer our cleaning services across Texas, including Austin and Fort Worth. Check our services and make your bookings. 

FAQ: Your Top Ant Control & Prevention Questions Answered

1. What scent keeps ants away naturally?

Scents of fresh citrus or peppermint are a good ant deterrent. You can keep black/red (cayenne) pepper sprinkled around. Keeping natural household items like citrus fruits, peppermint oil, lavender, or thyme spread around is also effective.

2. Are DIY ant traps safe around pets?

If you want to keep your pets safe around DIY ant traps, it’s better to use non-toxic agents. You can also get non-toxic cleaning agents, preferred by professionals at Vella.

3. Should I clean before or after using bait?

Cleaning before using bait is more effective, as the remaining food debris or other dirt can distract the ants. It is also recommended to wait after cleaning and before applying bait.

4. Can ants live in walls?

Ants can dig their way inside walls as a means for protection, breeding space, and to store food. It is usually common for ants to build their nests in walls. If you find any cracks or wall cavities, seal them immediately.

5. When should I call a professional?

DIY methods can only go so far. It is better to call professionals as soon as you notice an ant infestation, as they can grow rapidly. Professionals don’t only clean the place, but they also provide you with enough assistance on how to prevent further invasion.

Getting rid of ants isn’t about one big clean. It’s about forming consistent cleaning habits that keep ant or any insect infestation at bay. 

Schedule a Vella eco-deep clean now! 

You rinse the glass, wipe down the fixtures, and clean the tiles, but how do you know your shower is clean? Dirt, soap scum, mold, and bacteria may be lingering in areas that most individuals neglect. Your shower may look clean, but it doesn’t always mean it is. 

Today, we’re sharing 7 pro tips for shower cleaning straight from our team of professional cleaners in Texas. If you desire a deep-cleaned, fresh-smelling, mold-free shower, this blog is for you.

What Does a Truly Clean Shower Look Like?

A clean shower is not just what you see. It’s all about the unseen. Yes, the tiles were shining, and the glass was visibly cleaned.  But have you checked the grout lines? What about behind the bottles in the corner? Or under the drain cover?

Signs your shower isn’t fully clean include a lingering musty odor, darkened silicone caulking, soap scum buildup, and mildew migrating into corners. Sanitising the shower involves scrubbing deeper than the surface and reaching all the hidden areas in which bacteria and moisture thrive, Grout lines, drain covers, the bottom of shower curtains, and shampoo bottle rings. They all need attention.

Shower Cleaning Tips Most People Get Wrong 

Let’s be honest: we all make a lot of mistakes cleaning showers. Probably one of the biggest ones? Using the wrong product on the grout. Some cleaners can attack tile sealants and cause discoloration. Instead of those fierce cleaners, we pre-spray with a natural degreaser, like Branch Basics, which cuts through buildup without hurting stone or tile surfaces.

What’s another mistake? Not rinsing. After scrubbing, when cleaning, always rinse everything off completely after reaching for whatever you use to avoid soapy residue and streaks.

Water type also matters. Hard water leaves mineral staining on surfaces that just soap won’t help to clean. In this case, you want to use vinegar spray. But don’t ever use bleach as it will just kill the mold on the surface without preventing it from returning.

How to Clean Shower Tiles, Glass, and Fixtures

We use a straightforward process to efficiently clean shower surfaces:

• Pre-spray with a natural degreaser such as Branch Basics and 
• Allow it to sit for 10 minutes
• Use a stiff grout brush to clean tiles and grout, and a microfiber cloth for fixtures.
• Rinse in warm water, and dry all surfaces with a clean towel.

For stubborn grime, we grab Bon Ami. It’s a non-toxic cleaner that picks up moldy stains and scuff marks without scratching your tile.

For a clogged showerhead, we wrap it with a bag of vinegar overnight, no equipment required. And for glass doors? A quick once-over with a squeegee after each shower prevents water spots from occurring. Then we give the glass a more thorough cleaning each week with Sprayway Glass Cleaner.

How to Prevent Mold and Mildew in Your Shower

Preventing mold is key, particularly out here in Texas, where humidity is present. Rule number one? Dry your shower.

After a shower, crack the door open and leave the vent fan on for a minimum of 20 minutes. In bathrooms devoid of a fan, a small dehumidifier should work wonders.

To keep our bathrooms mold-free and fresh in scent, we maintain simple, daily habits. We spend about a minute wiping down the walls and fixtures with a microfiber cloth to get rid of the excess moisture that molds grow on. 

We also ensure we move any bottles away from the floor corners, as water underneath them can cause mildew. Loofahs and sponges are kept in open-air caddies so that they can be thoroughly dried between applications instead of hanging wet.

The daily is supplemented by a weekly checklist, the rest of our mold-busting playbook. After each shower, we squeeze glass and tiled surfaces to minimize lingering water. Every month, we clean the shower curtain and liner to prevent mold growth on the material. 

We also gently scrub the grout with Bon Ami to prevent deposits from accumulating, and clean around the drain cover and where its rim is prone to gathering grime. 

Need assistance with a start? Check out our blog on seasonal mold-prevention services for Texas homes. We offer our deep cleaning service across Texas, including Fort Worth and Plano. 

What About Stubborn Stains, Soap Scum, and Mineral Buildup

Stains aren’t equal. Here’s what we do with the difficult ones:

• Soap Scum: Make a paste with baking soda and water. Apply a soft brush or sponge, then rinse thoroughly.
• Mineral build-up: No worries! Just spray the affected spot with white vinegar and let it chill for about half an hour. After that, take a microfiber cloth and give it a gentle scrub.
• Mold in grout: Saturate with oxygen bleach and scrub it in. Let it sit, then rinse. Don’t steam clean, it’s not included in our process and shouldn’t be used on every surface.

A quick tip: Avoid using steel wool or any harsh acidic cleaners on natural stone. They can mess up the surface, leaving scratches or etches that you won’t be able to fix. Trust me, you don’t want that!

FAQ: Your Top Shower Cleaning Questions, Answered

1. How frequently should I clean my shower?

Weekly light clean, monthly deep clean. If you are sharing a shower or are in a damp house, you might want to clean your shower even more.

2. Vinegar on Natural Stones: Yes or No?

No. Vinegar will harm the natural stone. Use pH-neutral products like Branch Basics on those surfaces instead.

What is the best product for mold?

Bon Ami works great to scrub mold out of grout lines. The best natural prevention is to dry out your shower after every single use. 

4. Are disposable wipes safe for glass?

They’re nice to have on hand, but not necessarily streak-free. Sprayway is our favorite product for a shiny finish, leaving no residue.  

5. Do I need to clean my shower head? 

Yes! Vinegar soak your shower head every month overnight to avoid build-up and to keep your water pressure up.

Vella: Professional Shower Cleaning in Texas

A clean shower is not a luxury anymore; it’s essential to a healthy home.  The right tools and habits will always take down mold, mildew, and scum. If you don’t have time or want that truly deep refresh, you can book a professional clean with Vella. Our brilliant housekeepers will put the sparkle back in your Texas showers each day!