Pests are not only annoying to have in your home but they can be pretty destructive too. They attack your food, leave droppings everywhere, hide in your cabinets and closets, startle you when they run/jump/fly at you, and create a real nuisance in general. So, if you’re living with pests, or in fear of them, it’s time to get them out! How? Well, Simply Maid is here to share some natural home remedies to get rid of those pesky pests!
So, before you call pest control, why not do a little pest control yourself? Take a look at these common household pests and some of the most effective natural remedies to drive them away.
How to Get Rid of House Flies
If not on top of the list, flies are definitely up there as one of the most annoying pests in the house. They constantly sit on your food, regurgitate saliva on it, and then eat it back up (it’s gross but it’s true).
Here are a few ways to eliminate house flies:
- Crush fresh mint leaves and put them into small Ziploc bags; poke some holes into the plastic until you get a strong enough smell of the mint. Place the bags around the kitchen, dining areas, and other places where flies are usually seen.
- Flies often come from drains where they breed; therefore, cleaning your drain pipes from time to time is important. This can be done by pouring boiling hot water down the drain, followed by half a cup of powdered bleach. After about a minute, flush the drain with boiling hot water again.
- Bring in more flowers and herbs that repel house flies such as lavender, marigold, basil, and bay leaves. Planting these in your garden will also help keep flies away from your property!
How to Get Rid of Ants
The thing about ants is that they show up out of the blue! One day your house is ant-free and the next, there’s a whole colony attacking your sugar jar! Fortunately, there are quite a few methods to get rid of ants in your home; you just need to find out which one works best for the ant species you are dealing with.
- A simple soap and water mixture in a spray bottle is helpful in eliminating ants. Simply spray the ants directly, and along the line where they are coming from.
- Since ants dislike the smell of bitter cucumber, it helps to cut slices and place them at entry points.
- Sprinkle crushed cloves into cracks and crevices where ant colonies have formed; this will suffocate the ants and prevent future colonies from settling there.
- Try attracting ants with sugar and borax; mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of borax in half a cup of water, and allow the ants to feast from the bowl. They will eventually die in the bowl or when they go back to their colony.
How to Get Rid of Lizards
Asian house geckos are quite common in Australia but very few homeowners enjoy having them in the house! Unfortunately, if you don’t make their living situation an unpleasant one, they will continue to live in your home rent-free!
Here are a few effective ways to keep lizards away:
- Collect empty eggshells, distribute them into different bowls/containers, and place them in areas where lizards tend to hide in your home. The smell repels them so you won’t have to worry about them coming back as long as you replace the old eggs shells with fresh ones every few weeks.
- Locate the lizards’ hiding places in your home, and put 2-3 onion slices there. Lizards are turned off by some of the properties that onions possess and therefore, try to get as far away as possible which often leads them outside the house.
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches
In general, cockroaches are one of the most common and most-feared pests found in households! There are various types of the insect but they all share one thing in common – they will eat just about any kind of food they can find! For that reason, it’s important not to leave food or edibles lying around, especially overnight.
Any of the following methods will work to keep cockroaches away:
- In a bowl, mix equal parts cornmeal, sugar, and boric acid powder; keep the bowl near cockroach entries or areas where they are generally seen. This mixture is poisonous for roaches when they come in contact with it.
- Like ants, cucumbers also work to repel cockroaches. Put a few slices at entry points and the insects will turn away.
- Soapy water is a simple yet effective pest control solution for cockroaches. Simply spray the insects directly to kill/stun them, or use it around entries to prevent them from coming in.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
One of the most annoying and frustrating pests are bed bugs that wake you up in the middle of the night with their extremely itchy bites! What’s worse, if they aren’t extracted or killed, they multiply very quickly.
To eliminate bed bugs, try any of the following remedies:
- Put your mattress out in the sun for a few hours (be sure to flip it so that both sides get equal sunlight). The heat will draw the bugs out and/or kill them.
- Kerosene oil is also effective in killing bed bugs. Simply apply some to the corners and creases of the mattress (where they generally hide) and leave it. Do this for 2-3 consecutive nights and the bed bugs will be history.
- Deep clean your mattress and wash your bed linen and pillows in hot water to kill bed bugs.
How to Get Rid of Other Pests
Along with the five common pests mentioned above, other insects and creepy crawlies tend to make their way into your home too. To get rid of them, here are some general home remedies that aid in maintaining a pest-free home.
- Keep moths out of your closet with lemon rinds tied in a kitchen towel and hung inside.
- Place hedge apples (the fruit borne by the Osage-orange tree) around areas where there is a high traffic of insects; they serve as very effective, natural insect repellents.
- Sprinkle used coffee grounds near entries and places where insects are commonly seen. The smell of coffee repels many types of pests.
- Fill up small Ziplocs with different ingredients such as peppercorns, eucalyptus leaves, cloves, bay leaves, and lavender; poke holes in the plastics and place them around the house. The scents will quickly drive pests out of your home.
Keep Your Home Clean to Keep Pests Away
Along with the pest control remedies above, the best thing you can do for yourself and your home is to keep it clean to keep pests away! Pests are attracted to dirty places, foul smells, and exposed food; therefore, it is important to clean your home daily, make sure you tackle bad smells in the house and wipe up crumbs/spills immediately while ensuring that food isn’t left out in the open for too long. Additionally, avoid leaving water to accumulate and become stagnant in or around your house as this becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects.
The next time you see a pest in your house, identify it, and then find the best home remedy from this article to get rid of it! Of course, if you just need a clean house to keep pests at bay, Simply Maid can help with that too!
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