Extended Vacation Checklist

Kevyn Juneau, IPM Florida

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If you are leaving your apartment for a vacation longer than two weeks or are spending a semester off campus please use this checklist to help the Department of Housing and Residence Education prevent pest infestations in your apartment.

___Notify the Department of Housing and Residence Education's pest control with the dates that you will be away from your apartment. waynew@housing.ufl.edu. While you are away, the pest control technician will occasionally check your apartment and remedy any potential pest problems. Clean refrigerator

___Discard all perishable food from the cupboards, counters, and refrigerator. Pests can eat open food in your apartment, while food left in the fridge will rot. Discard food into the outdoor garbage receptacles rather then pour it down the drain or garbage disposal. Examples of perishable food include open snacks such as cookies or potato chips, any fruit or vegetables, leftovers, and milk.
Take out trash

___Empty the trash. Trash provides food and harborage for pests. After you empty the trash, rinse the trash container with soapy water.

 

___Close and lock all windows. Locking your windows assures they are closed and sealed. No pests can enter your apartment through locked windows.
Clean all dishes

___Clean all dishes. Do not leave dirty dishes in the apartment when you leave. Dirty dishes provide food and water for pests.

 

___Close drain plugs in the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and tub. This helps prevent drain traps from drying out and pests from coming into the apartment from the sewers.
Tape up holes

___Place packaging tape over the overflow holes in the bathroom sink and tub. This also prevents the traps from drying out and pests from coming into the apartment from the sewers.

 

Plastic wrap your toilet___Place plastic wrap over the toilet if you will be away for the semester. The water in the toilet evaporates if the toilet is not used for a long period of time. This allows pests to enter your apartment. Plastic wrap helps prevent evaporation of the water and keeps pests from entering your apartment.

 

Unplug electronics___Unplug all non-essential electronics, such as the television, computers, and radios. This not only saves electricity, it reduces the number of warm hiding places for pests that may enter your apartment while you are away. If you turn off the power to the entire apartment, make sure the refrigerator and freezer are empty because any food left in them will rot. Also, leave the refrigerator and freezer open slightly to prevent mold growth.

We hope you enjoy your time away from campus.