When your home is infested with a variety of pests, your immediate reaction will be to buy a pesticide from the nearest store to kill them off. But many of these pesticides are dangerous for human beings. And if you have kids in your home, then using pesticides is very risky since they can ingest it when crawling on the floor. To avoid such risks, we list below some simple natural remedies that can be used to get rid of a variety of pests infesting your home.
- Ants
To keep the ants at bay, find out where they are coming from and sprinkle some coffee grounds in the region. You can also use mint leaves instead of coffee grounds since the ants are repelled by the smell of mint. And if you find an ant hill nearby, pour over some soapy water and kerosene on it. This will scatter the ants and force them to move away from your home.
- Cockroachesa
Soapy water is also a great solution for keeping the cockroaches away. Pour come soapy water in a spray bottle and spray it on the cockroach when you see them. This is a good way to get pests out of your house. The obvious downside to this is that you will spend a lot of time chasing the roaches. An alternative way is to mix up some boric acid with sugar and sprinkle it in the regions where these pests often gather. When the roaches eat the mixture, they will die off.
- Mosquitoes
Natural oil extracts of eucalyptus, mint, lavender etc. are very effective at repelling mosquitoes. Mix them up and spray it around the home to keep the insects away. You can also burn a few incense sticks made from these ingredients. The smoke will also work to repel the mosquitoes.
- Stink Bugs
Mix up some soap and warm water till bubbles are formed. Pour this mixture into a bowl and keep it under a desk lamp. Leave it like that for a few hours. The lamp will make the water shine and the bugs will be attracted to it, flying right into the bowl. The stink bugs will get trapped inside the soapy mixture and will eventually die away.
- Houseflies
Houseflies are a very common pest that can infect your home. You can get rid of them using a trap that uses natural ingredients. First, mix up some water and sugar. Take a jar and pour the mixture into it. Place a paper funnel right on top of the jar with the wide side facing upwards. The flies will be attracted to the smell of the sugary water and will fly into the jar. Once inside, they won’t be able to fly out.
- Spiders
Find out where the spiders are and spray a mixture of water and vinegar on the pests. Spiders usually cannot tolerate the smell of vinegar and will move away from the spot. Many of them will also die out instantly.
- Gnats
To get rid of the gnats, prepare a mixture of vinegar and soapy water and keep it at some distance from food. Since the gnats are very attracted to the smell of vinegar, they will come to the bowl and fall into it. But since they mixture is soapy, these pests will not be able to get out from the bowl. The creatures will simply die inside the utensil.
- Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can seriously hamper your comfort by making it very difficult to sleep. And there is a safe, natural way to get rid of these pests – camphor. Just light some camphor in a bowl and let it smoke your room while keeping the door and windows closed. After about half an hour, open the door and you will see that the bed bugs have died.
- Fruit Flies
A great way to get rid of the fruit flies is by using a simple ‘trap’. Place some apple cider vinegar in a bowl and cover it with cellophane paper. Then, take a toothpick and poke a few holes in the paper. Leave it like that in the open. The fruit flies will be attracted to the smell of the apple cider vinegar and will try to get inside the bowl through the tiny holes on the cellophane paper. But once they enter the bowl, many of them won’t be able to find the holes to exit and will remain trapped inside. And the only thing you will have to do will be to exterminate them.