If you’re a soft-hearted soul who doesn’t like the idea of killing anything unnecessarily and you don’t particularly want to co-habit with insects… this post is for you. It’s also for those who don’t want to use toxic chemicals in their homes. In fact, some of these items are more effective than DEET. No kidding. The ideas below are effective ways for prevention, repelling and chasing seven specific little critters out of your house using very simple methods.

For more great humane ways of removing bugs from your home check out “Getting Rid of Fruit Flies with Kindness” and “How to Make a Humane Bug Catcher“.

Natural Pest Control Supplies

• Caulk (whatever size works for your needs)
• Bay Leaves (crush for use)
• Catnip
• Peppermint Oil
• White Distilled Vinegar
• Cinnamon
• Chalk

The Two Most Important Steps To Keeping Your Home Bug Free

#1 Keep them from getting in.  Plug and caulk all holes you can find. This takes some dedicated sleuthing. Check inside cupboards, especially under the sinks where the pipes enter through the wall. Check that your doors and windows don’t have gaps. You’d be amazed how many bugs you can keep out just by preventing them easy access.  Caulk is super cheap and you can get it in tubes you just squeeze out. This works great for smaller cracks.

#2 Don’t leave food lying around. Food = bugs. If you eat in other places besides the dining room table or kitchen any crumbs left will draw insects. Vacuum regularly and keep your counters wiped clean at all times.

If despite all your best efforts you still have little unwanted visitors, we’ve got some humane and inexpensive ways to get rid of them. All of the methods should work immediately.

 

 

Getting Rid of Roaches

Bay Leaves: Purchase bay leaves in the cooking section. If you buy them as whole leaves you want to crush them up to work best. Just sprinkle the crushed leaves where

the roaches are. Place them under sinks and in corners.

Catnip: Grab some catnip in the local pet section. Sprinkle it in areas where roaches are, again, in corners and under cabinets. Iowa State University scientists found that catnip is 100 times more effective than DEET at repelling roaches.

Getting Rid of Spiders

Peppermint Oil: Spiders will avoid this stuff. Fill a spray bottle with water and add in 10 to 15 drops of oil until it smells very minty. Spray the water in cracks and gaps where the spiders enter. You can also place drops of peppermint oil on cotton balls and put those in areas where spiders enter.

White Distilled Vinegar:Place 3 parts vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle. Spray and saturate counter tops, cupboards, window frames, door frames etc. Let sit 30 minutes and wipe up the extra, leaving the surface still damp. Allow remaining vinegar to dry. SMELL: if you don’t like the smell of vinegar it will dissipate after a few hours.   Respray as needed for your home but this should keep the spiders out a good long while. (Also works for ants. See below.) You’ll quickly learn how often you need to spray to keep your home spider free.

Getting Rid of Ants

Cinnamon: This repels ants wonderfully as it disrupts the pheromone trail they use to navigate. If you sprinkle it around the edges of places they come in and under cabinets, the ants will not cross over it or come into areas surrounded by it.  If you have ants, use it and see what quickly happens!

Chalk: This contains calcium carbonate which repels ants (and slugs). You can use regular chalk sticks to draw a line around any place you do not want them to cross.

White Distilled Vinegar: The same as for spiders. Place 3 parts vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle. Spray and saturate counter tops, cupboards, window frames, door frames etc. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes and wipe up the excess but leave the surface a little damp. Allow remaining vinegar mixture to dry. That’s it! Respray as needed for your home but this should keep the ants out a good long while. You’ll quickly learn how often you need to spray to keep your home ant free. SMELL: if you don’t like the smell of vinegar it will dissipate after a few hours.