When getting rid of pests, you need to be strategic when using your insect spray. Don’t just spray it anywhere, think about where they come from like the windows, cracks or under electronics. Don’t use the cheap sprays either, get natural or good quality sprays that aren’t harmful to humans or pets as they’re the best option.
The good news is, there are ways to completely get rid of those unwanted pests without constantly exposing your loved ones to pesticides. Here are 7 tips for safely getting rid of those pests.
Keep Everything Clean and in Place
The first rule in getting rid of pests is to keep your home clean. I know pests are lurking in your kitchen, however, keeping your kitchen clean will prevent the issue from escalating. Don’t leave your garbage unsealed or uncovered. If there are food residues, keep it in the refrigerator. If there are cracks or rotted wood, fix it.
Do you have overgrown plants nearby? Then it is time to give it a trim!
Use Natural Ingredients
Are you tired of seeing those ants crawling in your food in the morning? To get rid of ants, you can use lemon juice, cinnamon or peppermint to deter them. Spray lemon juice or cinnamon oil on any cracks or openings and it will mess up an ant’s sense of tracking.
You can also spray peppermint oil on your windowsills to keep them completely out.
Use Diatomaceous Earth
What is diatomaceous earth? This is a powdered substance from the fossilized remains of phytoplankton. It is harmless and non-toxic to humans. It is toxic for pests and bugs.
To use diatomaceous earth, you just have to sprinkle it in areas where you normally find bugs or pests. It is like sprinkling salt in your food. There is no need to put a pile of diatomaceous earth powder in a single area. A small amount is enough to keep those bugs away.
Diatomaceous earth is effective in killing spiders, bed bugs, and ants. It takes up to 3 days for this to work effectively.
Show Off Your Skills in Making Homemade Bait
What if you cannot find diatomaceous earth on the market? Then make your bait!
If you have Borax and sugar, you can mix these two ingredients and make a trap. Place your Borax and sugar mixture in the ant’s path and let them enjoy it. Borax is an ingredient that kills ants yet to take the bait, you need to sweeten it, hence the sugar mixture.
If the sugar mixture doesn’t work, you can add honey or replace it with peanut butter. This bait takes days to work but the effect is unquestionable.
Make DIY Traps
If you are dealing with cockroaches and fruit flies, Borax and sugar mixture won’t work. What will work is a DIY trap that can make your home bug-free.
Using an empty bottle, make a trap for cockroaches. Fill the bottle with soapy water. Place it in areas where cockroaches are often lurking. Cockroaches are attracted to water and once they crawl into the soapy water, they will get drowned.
If watery soap doesn’t work, you can also use Borax and sugar mixture. Borax is known to be toxic for roaches while the sugar is used to lure them.
To ensure that roaches are not coming back, make sure to seal water leaks, cracks, and holes at home.
Use Bay Leaves or Cloves
Have you seen an unsealed cereal or flour opened by pests like weevils? This is one infuriating moment! You are planning to make pancakes for your kids only to find out that it has been ransacked by weevils.
It is easy to stop weevils from ransacking your grains and seeds in the kitchen. They hate the smell of bay leaves and cloves so placing it around your stocks of grains and seeds will keep them away.
Take Advantage of Baking Soda
Baking soda is one of the easiest ingredients to find in any kitchen. If you have baking soda, you can add chopped onions to it and make your home roach-free.
This corner is one of the most effective ways of kicking roaches away. Place it in dark areas where roaches often lurk. Reapply your solution daily to make it more effective.
With these 7 tips to get rid of pests in your home, you no longer have to purchase commercial chemical pesticides. These products often contain harmful ingredients that are not safe for humans and the environment.
Still, if your problem with pests persists, it is best to contact professional pest control service providers like Surekill Ltd. Make sure to ask them to use environmental friendly chemicals though in dealing with your pest issue.