Insects always seem to find a way into your home, no matter how hard you try to stop them. Locating the bugs’ entrance points is not easy, and often like finding a needle in a haystack. They only need the smallest opening to get inside where they will begin to multiply. Bugs come inside for many reasons, but mostly for refuge from the outdoor elements and for food. If you have an infestation, there are natural ways you can try to get rid of them before resorting to pest control.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Organic Lesson says that making a bug trap using apple cider vinegar is extremely effective in trapping fruit flies and gnats. To create the solution, mix apple cider vinegar with a couple of drops of dish soap, sugar, and some water. It will attract the gnats, causing them to fall into the solution and drown. Place the trap in any problematic areas of your home, such as near your fruit bowl in the kitchen.
Apple cider vinegar has the opposite effect on ants and spiders and will deter them instead of attracting them. Use it to wipe down surfaces that see high ant traffic.
Peppermint oil
Peppermint oil is a natural way to repel all types of pests, from insects to small mammals. It smells fantastic, so you can use it to give your home a nice scent and keep out the bugs. Mix a solution of about 10 drops of peppermint oil per 8 oz of water and spray it anywhere that could be an access point for pests. Target all your doorways, windows, and vents, which are the most common places where bugs find their way into your home. Peppermint oil is known to deter mosquitoes, ants, spiders, fleas, moths, and flies.
Neem oil
Neem oil is a miracle substance known to kill more than 200 species of bugs, but yet it isn’t harmful to humans or other types of wildlife. If you have pets, you don’t want to use any substances or chemicals that could harm them. Neem oil is an excellent option since it can get rid of just about any insects you can name, but with no side effects to you or your pets. You can spray it on your plants inside to keep insects at bay.
Lavender
Besides just creating an atmosphere of calm and relaxation in your home, lavender is great for getting rid of bugs. Flies, fleas, moths, and mosquitoes all hate the smell of lavender and will avoid any areas of your home where you place it. Create sachets of dry lavender and place them around your home in the areas that you want to be bug-free. Put them inside your pet’s bed to keep fleas away, or in closets to keep out the moths. You can also make a lavender solution, which you can spray throughout your home. Mix about 10 drops of lavender oil with 8oz of water and put it into a spray bottle. Use it on any problem areas, or even just to spray over your furniture, bed, clothing, and surfaces.