By Jennifer Noonan
No need to use chemicals—instead, use these herbal, fruity, or soap-laden solutions for problems with pests like ants, mice, and mosquitos.
Scare Off Spiders with Citrus
Spiders are not fond of citrus. In a spray bottle, mix water and unsweetened lemon or lime juice. Wipe your countertops with the mixture or spray down doorways and windowsills. You can deter spiders in your garden by spreading around lemon, orange, or lime peels.
Keep Pests Away with these Nontoxic Ideas
Chemical-formulated insect and rodent repellents aren’t just bad for the critters, they’re also harmful for you and your pets. However, avoiding toxic ingredients does not mean that flies, spiders, mice, and other pests get to take up residence in your house. Keep your house pest and chemical-free with these natural remedies.
Block Flies with Basil
Flies hate the smell of basil. To discourage them, place pots of basil at doorways and windowsills and on the kitchen counter. Don’t have enough sun for potted basil? Put dried basil in a small muslin pouch, rubbing it occasionally to keep the scent strong.
Avoid Ants with Vinegar
Use a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water to wipe down countertops and other surfaces—anywhere you’ve spotted ants. For best results, repeat this several times a day. Doing so destroys the scent trails that ants use to navigate.
Eliminate Fruit Flies with Dish Soap
Trap fruit flies with this simple approach: Fill a glass three-quarters full with vinegar or cider vinegar, then add six to eight drops of dishwashing liquid, and fill to the top with warm water. Gruesomely effective.
Repel Fleas with Salt
Alternately salting and vacuuming your floors will kill flea eggs. But since fleas have a three-day reproduction cycle, you have to be diligent: Salt every day for nine days and vacuum every third day. Don’t forget to empty the vacuum every time, or the live ones will crawl right back out again!
Diminish Dust Mites with Cinnamon Oil
Cinnamon bark oil has been shown to control dust mites. Mix several drops into a 50/50 solution of water and denatured alcohol. Spray bedding, carpets, and any other places where dust tends to collect. Added benefit? Your house will smell like cookies!
Deter Deer with a Bar of Soap
Who could call Bambi a pest? A gardener. Many have had luck deterring deer with a bar of soap, like Irish Spring. Hang it or spike it to a stake near things that deer like to eat. Alternatively, sprinkle shavings or small chunks on the ground.
Battle Roaches with Borax
Use the classic laundry powder 20 Mule Team Borax to expel roaches from your house. In small containers, mix equal parts borax and sugar, and then leave them around windows, cracks, baseboards, and anywhere else you’ve spotted the bugs. The sugar attracts the roaches while the borax dehydrates and poisons them.
Keep It Clean
This isn’t really a trick, but keeping a clean house is one of the best natural ways to keep pests out of your home. Get rid of dark hide holes that can attract spiders and be sure to regularly wipe down surfaces where food has been to keep ants away. Using a natural cleaning product can pull double duty: it’ll keep your house clean and repel insects at the same time.
Get Rid of Breeding Areas
The foundation of your house is right by the ground and makes a perfect area for bugs to be fruitful and multiply. Not only is the foundation a good breeding area, it also serves as an entrance point for tiny critters. Keep piles of mulch, leaves or grass clippings away from the home.
Firewood stacks also make a great hiding place for pests, so keeping your wood stored properly away from entrances to your home will go a long way towards reducing the pest population. Keep grass trimmed near entrances to reduce the number of areas pests can hide in.
Bugs are a part of nature, but that doesn’t mean they have to be part of your home. With a few natural pest control tricks, you can keep your home pest-free in a way that’s safe for your family and easy on your pocketbook.