There really are safe ways to rid your house of common pests like roaches, ants and fleas, without the use of pesticides that can be harmful to your health and the environment. Here are some natural, non-toxic ways to control these unwanted guests.
Roaches Away!
How many of us have nearly had a heart attack when we found a 7-foot-long roach in the kitchen? Roaches need food and hiding spaces to thrive — and that’s where you can start getting rid of them. And there are some good non-toxic repellents you can use as well.
- Keep your food well sealed, keep your kitchen trash impenetrable and keep your countertops clean. Store sugar, flour, cereal and pasta in tightly covered containers.
- As for hiding places, do minor home repairs like filling cracks with caulk, sealing openings around pipes and fixing leaks. Also keep your drains clean.
- Vacuum your home well and often. Sponge mopping floors also helps keep roaches away.
- Use boric acid powder to kill roaches. Boric acid is a natural product, but it is toxic to children and pets if eaten, so put it in out-of-the-way places like the tops of your kitchen cabinets and under the sink in the cabinet. The roaches carry the acid to their nests, where it kills the lot of them.
- Did you know that roaches hate catnip? Catnip is not toxic to humans, but if you leave it in the area where cockroaches show up in your house, they'llrun away. (Of course your cats may nuzzle it, but that’s not the issue.)
- Spraying roaches with soapy water kills them, so keep a spray bottle around for sneak attacks.
- Non-toxic roach traps are commercially available.
Ants in Your Pants?
It’s no secret that ants are attracted to crumbs and debris on countertops, so keeping your counters clean is your first way to keep ants at bay. Wipe up sticky spots and cover any bottles or dishes that have food residue in them. Then follow these steps to further deter the creepy little critters.
- Like roaches, ants don’t like soapy water. Keep a small spray bottle handy and spray the ants when you find them.
- Boric acid is also good for getting rid of ants. One blogger recommends this mixture to rid your house of ants: 1 cup of warm water with 1/2 cup of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of boric acid. Soak cotton balls in the solution and place them near any ant trails in your home.
- Ants apparently do not like cucumber. Place cucumber slices or peel in the kitchen or at the ants’ point of entry.
- Ants are also deterred by mint and cloves. You can leave a few tea bags of mint tea near areas where the ants are most active.
- Block the invasion at the source. Trace the ant trail to where they come into your home, and set any of the following items there, which ants will not cross: baby powder, cayenne pepper, citrus oil, lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds. Heck, mix them all together and you’ve got a powerful anti-ant cocktail.
No More Fleas Please
Fleas can be the scourge of both human and animal alike. Some natural options do work, but they require a bit more work and maintenance than slapping some Frontline or Advantage on the pooch or kitty (but they’ll certainly thank you for the effort). Here are several tips for killing the fleas outright.
- Boric acid-based products stick to the fleas, killing them when they clean themselves. These products are generally sprinkled on flooring or furniture and then vacuumed. The particles are so fine that much of it adheres to the carpeting or upholstery fibers after vacuuming — safe for pets but bad news for fleas. Wear a mask, though — those small particles can be a problem if you breathe in too many during application.
- Diatomaceous earth (DE) is the fossilized remains of diatoms, the microscopic hard-shelled algae that fill our oceans and lakes. It is generally found as a sedimentary rock that is ground up into a fine powder. Why is it bad for fleas? Well, those old diatoms had very sharp little shells — so sharp that, when ingested, they puncture the innards of our flea tormentors. Or, the DE particles stick to flea outer shells and puncture them instead, resulting in termination by dehydration. Use the kind sold for gardening, not for pools. Wear a mask and gloves when handling to protect yourself from the dust, which can be irritating.
- Nontoxic flea traps are available commercially.
- Flea control nematodes can be used in outdoor areas.
These approaches will reduce the flea populations, but you’ll still have to practice good household and animal hygiene. Make sure to vacuum and wash all bedding and linens to get rid of the eggs and larvae. Also, give your pet a 5 to 10 minute bath. Even relatively mild soaps get rid of most fleas, but don’t repeat too often or your pet will scratch from dryness, not fleas! In a bit of time, natural products and good hygiene will rid your house of these awful critters.
Low Impact Living, Inc. 2007-2008