Spring means lots of things — unpredictable weather, that awkward stage of your wardrobe where you constantly have to wear a jacket and T-shirt, and, our least favorite of all — bugs.
Those little critters that you got a break from all winter are coming to life again and looking for a cozy place to call home. And your house looks pretty cozy to them! Check out some homemade bug repellants below so you can keep the bugs out of your house this spring.
Create a Barrier
There are two natural ways to keep critters from entering your home in the first place: garlic and coffee grounds. You may love your morning cuppa joe and some garlic bread with your dinner, but most critters can’t stand the stuff.
- Going the coffee ground route? All you need to do is spread used coffee grounds in areas where you think the pests are coming into your home.
- Likewise, if you decide to try garlic, simply mix some ground up garlic with water and apply the mixture wherever it seems that your unwelcome house guests are finding their way inside.
Sneaky Kitchen Critters
Fruit flies aren’t necessarily harmful, but they sure are annoying. The easiest way to get rid of them is to create a simple trap:
- Grab a bowl, put a little bit of apple cider vinegar in there, and then add a tiny drop of dish soap. Cover all of that with some plastic wrap and then poke a few small holes in the wrap. The flies are lured in by the sweet vinegar, and then once they’re in, they won’t be able to fly back out. It’s effective and easy to make!
Seeing ants in the kitchen is never fun, but there are quite a few ways to get rid of them. Here are two natural remedies worth trying.
- Have pets? Put cornmeal out in the affected area. Ants can’t digest cornmeal, but they’ll try, so after a few days, the whole hive will die.
- Don’t have pets? Boric acid is a great alternative that works a little faster. Just dissolve 1 tsp of boric acid in 1 cup of sugar water (8 tsp of sugar plus 1 cup of water) and then place it by the ants’ favorite spot. If they don’t seem to like that, use the same amount of sugar water and cut back to just a half a teaspoon of boric acid.
Cockroaches are especially sneaky kitchen critters, and there are a number of things you can do to get rid of them.
- If you have pets, the easiest way to get rid of them is to spray peppermint oil in places that you see the roaches, and then place a sticky trap near pipes or water sources. A pet-free home can also use boric acid to get rid of cockroaches. Just mix equal amounts of flour and boric acid, then add a quarter of the amount of powdered sugar. Add a little water to make a dough, and then roll it into a marble-sized ball and position them wherever you’re likely to see cockroaches (think dark corners, behind appliances, and so on).
- When you see a cockroach, simply spray it with a mixture of water and a couple of drops of blue Dawn dish soap. The soap suffocates the cockroach and the water immobilizes them, so you can scoop them up with a paper towel and dispose of them.
You’ll notice that we’ve recommended only using boric acid if you don’t have pets. The truth is, it’s possible that boric acid won’t necessarily harm your pets if they ingest it, but it’s a relative gamble, so we’d advise you steer clear if you have furry friends.
Still Seeing Critters?
Get on the phone with us and we can offer advice or point you to a quality exterminator if the problem is large enough. Once the critters are gone, we can help with duct cleaning or carpet cleaning to make sure they’re really all gone.
