In my home, I have a yearly battle with ants. We are blessed to live on a property with lots of mature trees but with the lovely shade around our house comes lots of ants. Years ago, I called the exterminator to see how we could get rid of the pesky ants. I was surprised by what he told me. Trim your trees so they don’t hang over the house. It is totally possible to get rid of household pests naturally!
Although, each season brings its own insects and household pests non-toxic eradication is possible. Spring and Summer bring ants, Summer…mosquitoes, and Autumn…field mice. The household pests you encounter depend on two factors, where you live and what season you are in.
How To Get Rid Of Household Pests Naturally
Ants: Trim the trees around the house, don’t leave food out, and make sure to wipe your floors and counters so no residue of food is left. However, If that does not work try this natural ant deterrent. Clove and Peppermint essential oils, fresh garlic, and ground pepper. Find out where the point of entry is and apply.
Cockroaches: I have never had this problem and I am so thankful that they are not common in Ohio where I am from! Spray the point of entry with catnip boiled in water or catnip sachets. Borax dissolved in water also makes another natural insecticide. Try dried bay leaf, garlic oil, and believe it or not dry cucumber.
Dust Mites: The only way to get rid of these pesky creatures is to vacuum and dust daily and wash all bedding in hot water over 140 degrees F. For instance, you may have to add boiling water to the washing machine to achieve this temperature. *Please be careful when handling boiling water and keep children away.
Fleas: Pet owners have to deal with these awful insects. Start with your pets and use a flea comb daily and put a teaspoon of vinegar in your pet’s water daily. (Start with less than a teaspoon and increase weekly until you get to one teaspoon.) Washing your pets frequently will help too! Make a Cedarwood essential oil spray for anything your pet lays on. I add 20 drops of Cedarwood essential oil to 2 cups of water to make the pet bedding and furniture spray.
Mice: This one is easy. Get a cat or two and they will solve all your problems. If cats are not an option, wash your floor weekly with soap, water, and 5 drops of Peppermint essential oil.
Mosquitoes: I have had great success using a product called TeraShield Spray. I put the oil directly on my skin as a bug spray. (Make sure to test the oil on a small spot of skin to make sure you are not allergic.) I also put it on my clothes. Garlic water is also very effective if not a little stinky. But if it is all you have to use it! Rub basil leaves on your skin and the smell will keep the mosquitoes away!
Moths: One time I had a bag of birdseed in the house, as a result, when the weather turned warm we had moths everywhere! It wasn’t very good! I did, however, learn a lot from this little incident. For one thing. If you bring any grain or flour into your home freeze it for 24 hours and it will kill any bug larvae in bags. There are many different kinds of moths some attack food and some clothing. The following herbs and essential oils work on all kinds of moths.
- Cedar chips
- Cedarwood essential oil
- Bay leaves
- Lemon essential oil
- Dried lavender
- Lavender essential oil
- Rosemary
- Rose petals
Ticks: There are over 800 varieties of ticks. Yikes! All I have to say is the word tick and I get the creepy crawlies. You can, however, deter ticks in a natural way. First, use common sense and don’t walk in tall grassy areas. Check your pets daily for ticks. One of the best ways to keep ticks away is to use Tyme and TerraShield essential oil, diluted in coconut oil if you are using these on your pets.
YOUR TURN…
How do you get rid of household pests?
Blessings,
*This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting The Peaceful Haven!
*These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. essential oils are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Pregnant or lactating women and persons with known medical conditions should consult a physician prior to the use of essential oils.
We have a constant ant problem, from the trees as well. I had heard peppermint oil was a deterrent so last year I made up a spray bottle of witch hazel and peppermint oil, but it didn’t bother them at all. I’ll try these others.
Ants must be a big problem in our area…if only people would wipe the counters at my house I think we could really reduce the issue! 🙂
Thanks for sharing on Let’s Get Real Friday Party. My husband just got a tick bite this morning. No idea where it came from.
Thanks for your comment Karen…funny my Mom had a tick bite on her yesterday too!
Awesome read, Janelle! 800 varieties of ticks? Wow. I never knew such. Sometimes bugs like these has some patterns on how they actually bite. If it just happens to become a nuisance for a long time, i would recommend a pest control service soon! Thank you for this, Janelle! 🙂
Wow, this is certainly very helpful! thank you for sharing some natural solutions!
So glad you found it helpful Selene! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I think everyone has had to deal with at least one of these household pests in their lives, so this is really good information to have handy! Chemical repellents can be really harmful to pets and children as well, so I like that these are all non-toxic solutions!
Thanks for stopping by Heather! I use all of these non-toxic solutions myself with good results.
I was searching for tips on how to get rid of household pests naturally, and I found this blog. I find this very helpful and informative. I appreciate this one. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Wow these are great tips for getting rid off household pests naturally! We have a ant problem so this is really helpful! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you found this helpful Ryan!
Thank you, thank you, for these tips! I have an infestation!
You are so very welcome!