A healthy life is a sign of a clean and organized home. A clean house isn’t just ‘nice to have’, it is necessary for good mental and physical health. The common pests such as cockroaches, spiders, ants, and termites, are not only irritants but also damage our property, affect our health, and spread infections. We can try some DIY pest control tips and tricks by ourselves to get relief from the irritations of such pests.
Fortunately, while all pests have unique and distinct behaviors, all pests require food, moisture, and shelter. So, by focusing on these three features, we can prevent many pest problems from our home.
Here are some tips that we can use to control pests and rodents in our home and keep our house clean and disease free.
Fix nets on windows
Fix nets on the windows can prevent pests such as house flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and spiders from coming into the house. These nets not only prevent pests from entering but also help with ventilation. It is a very effective way to keep pests out of the house. Also, we can repair all the doors and windows with more effective measures if necessary.
Maintaining garden
In garden, we should take proper care of areas where the pests like mosquitoes, rats and ants can grow easily. We need to fill in holes or pits where water can accumulate. If we have a water fountain in the garden, we need to clean it regularly. Also, we should prune the plants when needed to avoid wild, bushy growths. The items of external use always need to be kept in the outside the house. Because bringing them inside may unknowingly bring in many pests into the house.
Clean Kitchen and Bathroom
Pests thrive in dirty, damp atmosphere. So we have to be very careful when cleaning our kitchen as well as bathroom. Clean bathroom and kitchen is always pest free for a longer time. We need to wipe the kitchen counters, racks, stove-top and drawers regularly with a disinfectant cleaner so that there are no food particles lying out in the open. We need to clean the pot, drain, sink in the bathroom every alternate day and keep the bathroom and the shower curtain clean and dry.
Store food in airtight containers
Food products that are kept in open place attract the mice or insect pests. Rodents or tiny insect pests can also destroy plastic and paper bags very easily. Therefore, we should store our food products in insect-resistant packaging like hard plastic or glass containers with tight fitting lids.
Dispose of garbage regularly
We need to dispose garbage in every single day. An accumulation of garbage can lead to rat, rodents and cockroach infestation. This gets worse when you find rotten food particles all around the house.
Home Remedies for Pest Control
Instead of using pesticides, we can use some pest control home remedies to keep away the pests from our home. Those expensive, dangerous and heavily marketed pesticides are not only harmful to all living things; they are not always effective over the long term. Here are some simple natural solutions to pest problems by using products that we have around our home.
- To keep ants away from your home, you can use a solution made from 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 cups water and 10 drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil. You can also sprinkle mixture of 1 cup sugar and 1 cup borax powder around your home. Sprinkle borax powder in the kitchen and bathroom cabinets to keep away cockroaches. But avoid sprinkling where children and pets can reach and affected.
- To keep spiders away, slice up some onions and toss them in a bowl of water. Place the bowl where spiders enter your home and they’ll stay away.
- Garlic can be said as natural insecticide for almost every insect from mosquitoes to potato beetles. Grind some garlic with water and apply in the places from where insects might enter.
- You can use boiled water or some lemon juice in the holes, cracks or other entries where ants are creeping into your house.
- You can make a fly paper to use as a flycatcher. Boil water, sugar and corn syrup together. Spread the extra-sticky mixture on brown paper grocery bags and keep aside. The flies can fly in, but can’t fly out. The paper will trap the germ-carrying flies.
- Neem oil prevents fungus growth, and kills insects including spider mites. While it fights many scourges, it’s nontoxic to birds, mammals and most beneficial insects. It can sometimes affect bees so use it in the evening to minimize contact. Neem oil is usually sold in a concentrated form, you need to add water.
- Spread cucumber peels where ants might enter your home. The ants will move quickly from there. Cucumber peeling does not have any dangers of the chemical pesticides.
- For controlling mosquitoes, we can burn citronella candles. You can also use garlic, just peel a few cloves of garlic and then boil them for about 20 minutes. This will produce some very pungent garlic water. Pour it into a spray bottle and squirt it where the mosquitoes are.
- Ivory liquid dish washing detergent can act as a natural insecticide. Dilute with water until it is a 1 or 2 percent solution and then spray on plants.
This pest control tip may not completely eliminate the pest infestation problem, but it surely will reduce the number of pests in your house. By using these simple tips you can live a healthy life. Cleaning after pest control is also very important to ensure your house doesn’t get infested soon.