A sliding glass door is so easy to use. You can open it in no time with little effort. But as easy as it is to use, it also lets insects and bugs through it easily.
These bugs do not come alone. They often carry many diseases with them. You can’t afford to have these small creatures access your home – not even through your glass door.
This guide will show you how to keep bugs out of your sliding door.
If you have bugs entering your home through your sliding glass door, below are some tips you can apply:
- Install a door bug flap on your sliding glass door.
- Locate and seal all cracks and gaps around your sliding glass door.
- Apply a pesticide, etc.
The next few headings will identify and discuss seven practical ways to keep bugs out of sliding glass doors. The later sections will answer common queries about bug infestations.
7 Ways To Keep Bugs Out of Sliding Glass Doors
Here are some strategies that can help keep bugs out of your sliding glass door:
1. Keep Your Surrounding Area Clean
Bugs are attracted to many things, including stagnant water, trash heaps, and an overall dirty environment. To keep the bugs away, you need to remove those things that attract them.
Ensure that the interior of your home is always clean and well-swept. Clean up all surfaces and wipe down any spills or food particles lying around. If you have a trash bin inside your home, you should use a trash bag to pack waste and seal it up.
As much as you keep your indoors clean, you should pay attention to keeping your outdoors clean. Trim your grasses and pick up any waste lying around.
If there is any gutter around, check it to be sure it is flowing correctly. If it is not flowing properly, take out trash and stagnant water in the drain.
With a clean environment, you will barely have any bugs to chase away.
2. Use a Screen Door
A screen door is often made of wire mesh or plastic. It is fixed to a door or window and blocks out any insects.
With a glass screen attached to your sliding door, you can shut the door of your house against bugs.
A screen door does more than keep bugs away. It also allows natural ventilation indoors.
You will enjoy the fresh air coming in through the screen net. So, in the long run, it is a win-win situation.
3. Install a Door Bug Flap on Your Sliding Glass Door
If your sliding door does not close properly, then bugs will fly into your home. If you can see the light from the top, bottom, or corners of your door after closing it, it is not fixed correctly.
Bug flaps are often made of plastic or rubber. You can fix them at the corners of doors and windows — especially glass sliding ones — to keep insects away.
To install them, you need to line the top and bottom of the door with the bug flap. Bug flaps are easy to get and available for purchase in almost all local grocery stores.
4. Seal Up All Cracks Around Your Doors
Some parts of the wall may be neglected when fixing sliding doors. Also, some cracks may develop from the continued use of the door.
To prevent bugs from flying through those cracks, you can use clear acrylic latex caulk to seal up those cracks. Only a tiny amount is enough to close up a crack.
The latex caulk blends easily with building materials and covers all cracks quickly. After applying the latex caulk, wipe the surface with a damp rag.
5. Seal Up Any Openings Around Your Home
Look for peeling walls, broken pipes, open vents, taps, etc. If you find any, fix them immediately.
These channels make it easy for bugs to flock around your house and doors.
6. Use a Pesticide
Pesticides are chemical-based solutions that kill insects and pests. If you are plagued with a bug infestation, applying pesticides on and around their hideouts is an excellent deterrent strategy.
Look out for those areas where you notice their activity and spray the insecticide there. It will kill the bugs around and keep them away.
On the downside, using a pesticide is not a permanent solution to your bug infestation. The pesticide will kill the bugs and keep them away as long as the smell lingers. Once the scent fades, it may return to your home.
You must be cautious when using pesticides if kids and pets are at home. As you probably know, ingesting pesticides can harm them and leave scary side effects behind.
To be safe, you may want to leave this strategy out if you have little children and pets.
7. Turn Out the Light on Your Patio
Most sliding doors are fixed as a boundary between the home’s interior and the patio. In this case, stepping out of the sliding glass door leads you outside.
At night, we often turn on the light bulbs on our patios or verandas to keep the area well-lit. You may not know, but these bulbs do not just provide light. They also attract some creepy crawlers, including bugs.
To keep bugs away from your sliding door, it would help if you turned off the lights on your patio, especially at night. With this, the infesting bugs will stay away.
However, if you cannot keep the lights off totally, you can turn them on at intervals, especially when you have to step outside.
Conclusion
The sound of bugs hitting on your sliding glass door can be annoying. It just goes to show the bugs are trying to enter your home.
Following the tips described above and using the right equipment, you can shut the door of your home against these household pests, and your glass door will be safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Naturally Keeps Bugs Away?
Strong natural scents keep bugs away. Examples include peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, citronella, lavender oils, citrus, lemongrass, etc.
Planting or using these scents around your home will keep all bugs far from you.
What Can I Put Around My Door To Keep Bugs Out?
You can put a bug flap or any foam material around the edge of your door. Bugs will not be able to pass through such.
What Materials Do Bugs Hate?
Bugs do not like materials like concrete. It is pretty bug resistant. If your home has concrete or bricks on its walls, bugs will keep their distance.
