We’ve all been there – the army of ants coming from who knows where, attacking the piece of peanut butter and jelly sandwich you didn’t pick up during lunch the day before. Or that gigantic spider lurking under that pile of laundry in the basement. Then there are those unmentionable little beasts that strike fear into the hearts of every apartment dweller – ROACHES.
My particularly nemesis are tiny black ants that periodically invade my kitchen as soon as the weather warms up. I want them gone ASAP, but at the same time, I don’t like using the toxic bug killer I used to reach for. I have young kids at home, and I choose to go a more natural route because I hate the idea of chemicals being used in my home where we sleep, play and eat.
There are some natural solutions for household pests that are just as effective as the toxic chemicals, and some are really good deterrents as well. You only need to reach as far as your kitchen cupboard.
1. Garlic
1. GarlicLeave a few peeled cloves in cupboards, on shelves and in corners to help deter pests from taking up residence. Periodically replace the cloves when they dry out.
2. Cayenne
Sprinkle ground cayenne pepper around the the perimeter or anywhere ants are getting in.
3. Cinnamon
Ground cinnamon and its essential oil are both effective against pests. Sprinkle the ground cinnamon anywhere that pests are seen or apply pure undiluted cinnamon essential oil to the areas with a cotton swab.
4. Coffee grounds
Sprinkle the grounds along areas where ants are entering the house or on their nests outside.
5. Bay leaves
For moths and other cupboard pests, tape bay leaves to containers or lay them on shelves. Replace when the scent fades.
6. Cucumber
Slices on counters or other places will help to repel ants.
7. Citrus
7. CitrusLemon and orange essential oils are great pest deterrents. Make a natural spider deterrent spray by combining 5 drops essential oil, 5 drops soap and 1 quart water. Pure undiluted lemon juice can be spritzed around cracks. Place lemon and/or orange peels in cupboards, on book shelves,and other places where spiders and other pests like to lurk. Lemon peels are also supposed to be effective for moths in closets along with cedar.
8. Vinegar
Wash floors and other areas with vinegar or leave small open containers in infested areas to deter the bugs. Add essential oils for added benefit.
9. Cornmeal
Works the same as coffee grounds. Sprinkle around the perimeter to deter ants from entering the home.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils seems to be the most effective natural solutions for household pests. The best part is that they smell so nice while they do their job to repel pests.
10. Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus leaves and essential oil are great in cupboards to deter pests.
11. Tea Tree Oil
Add tea tree oil
12. Peppermint
Essential oil and dried mint leaves will help against most household pests, especially ants. Mix 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil
OTHER THINGS TO REMEMBER
- Keep things tidy and cleaned up – prevention goes a long way.
- Natural bug repellants need to be applied more frequently, but as just as effective as other pest control methods
- Borax works amazingly for ants and roaches, but it can be dangerous to use around small children. I choose not to use it, but it does work really well when mixed with sugar at attracting and killing pests.
What about those small bugs that look kind of like potato bugs not sure if that what they are but the mint oil seem to work on everything but them?
Amazing remedies for a stay-at-home mom just like me! Please keep up the excellent work you’ve been doing.
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Ants: Plain old table Salt.
Dilute with water & spray. I also sprinkled it outside of door frames & windows. Plug up any holes you find with silicon.
This worked the best, as I had already tried peppermint oil, tea tree & vinegar.
Also, spiders don’t like peppermint oil. And if you have any rodents just use some peppermint oil on cotton balls & toss around where you see them. They HATE the smell.
Better natural products than poison.
I have these miniscule black bugs in my kitchen. They are so small I cannot tell what they are. They do not behave like ants. And they don’t seem to be attracted by food. I think I found the source-a crack in my countertop tile! Help!! Any ideas?
Hmm. I wonder what they could be. I did have some little dark bugs in my kitchen and bathroom a few years back in a different home. They turned out to be Springtails – so annoying! But it’s due to excess moisture, mold, and mildew, which was indeed the problem. Good luck! You ca read more about them on this post: https://www.orkin.com/other/springtails/
i have been struggling with ants hoping the cucumber trick will do!
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I had lots of cockroaches running around my kitchen. I heard that cockroaches hated the smell of bay leaves. So I crushed the leaves and sprinkled it in every corner. Must say this was effective. I suggest this method for anyone who wants to get rid of cockroaches.
Will any of these work on those yucky small house roaches?!?!!? Please help, we are not infested, but I’ve come a crossed one or two in the last month or so.
I would try googling it to see. Some of these are supposed to help with roaches, but I’m not sure about the small ones. Sorry!
Great post! Definitely going to give some of these a try!
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Freshana.com
To keep rodents out of my attic I keep a light on and a radio on talk radio. No more mice, squirrels or birds. They have chosen a quieter residence.
Toutes ces petites infos sont top, merci ! :)
Oh no! Spiders are absolutely NOT pests! Au contraire, they gobble up those ants and moths and other actual pests!
I planted some mint a few places around the house just to see what will happen. I prefer to use oils, except for the big bugs. I will bring out the super chemicals if I see any water bugs around.
Yesssssss! This is awesome. We currently have an ant infestation and, while we stopped the big fat guys from coming in by sprinkling some corn starch outside, we’ve got a million tiny little ants climbing all over the counters. For some reason I even feel weird spraying the organic ant spray there, but I’m definitely going to try some peppermint oil!
You have probably dealt with those minuscule greedy little pests who are attracted to the scantest smear of oil or fat or tiniest amount of something sweet – did you try the peppermint oil. I did and was very successful. Read my story here: http://closetfashioncontentanalysis.blogspot.fr/2015/10/essential-oils-in-my-closet.html
this is months later but i feel i have to chime in because i’m already preparing for the warmer weather. i’ll use some of these tips for sure but want to share my recipe for ants. using an empty cleaned glass jar or plastic milk container, mix the following:
3 cups warm/hot water
1 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons boric acid
mix well
using small empty containers (think small yogurt or baby food), i fill with cotton balls and then fill with mixture dribbling some on the sides. it draws the ants in – they LOVE it – kills some and it’s meant for them to take back to the nest. i place them in spots i know they come in (still haven’t found the darn source) and change it once a month. i find it keeps them concentrated instead of all OVER my kitchen. why bother hunting a crumb when the good stuff is right there lol
good luck.