How to Keep Bugs Away Using Natural Methods

Having bugs in and around your home is not only unsightly, it can be unhealthy. Bugs can carry and spread diseases, and bite and sting you or your family. Bugs can find their way into food containers on our kitchen counters and in the pantry. They can even infest our clothing, furniture and bedding.

Most people automatically grab some type of pesticide to rid themselves of pest infestations without considering the long term effects of the toxic chemicals they're being exposed to. Using pesticides is harmful to both humans and animals. When you spray a can of pesticide such as Raid, small particles of the chemical are likely to get into our lungs. When spraying pesticides outside, the synthetic ingredients don't break down fast enough to prevent them from leeching into the soil and water. So the soil we grow our food in is full of toxic chemicals, making the the food we eat that is grown in that soil potentially full of toxic chemicals. The same goes for the water in lakes and streams where we get the fish we eat, if the water is full of toxic chemicals then the fish and sea animals are most likely contaminated with toxins.

So the next time you see creepy crawly bugs or pests trying to invade the inside or outside of your home, think twice before reaching for a toxic pesticide. Consider using one of these alternative natural methods to kill those bugs rather than using harsh toxic chemicals found in most commercial pesticides.

Ants
You can use essential oils such as lemon for general household pests such as ants and you can sprinkle baby powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper in areas that you spot ants. For some reason the ants will not cross over into these ingredients. If you notice ants in your kitchen you can put a single bay leaf in kitchen drawers, up in the cabinets and even in the canisters of flour, sugar, tea etc.

Fleas
For fleas in your home try sprinkling baking soda or sea salt onto the carpets and then vacuum the carpet and empty the dirt catcher out into a bowl of hot soapy water. Once the fleas hit the water they die. Do this regimen daily until no fleas are seen.

Flies
To shoo flies away all you need is a few slices of lemons placed in several spots in your home. You can use lavender oil or peppermint oil and soak a damp cloth with either one or place the cloth on a window sill. Keeping your pet's feces picked up out of the yard will help keep the flies away and keeping your garbage can shiny and sparkling clean will help too. Keep an airtight lid on the garbage can after it is cleaned too. Keeping lavender or rosemary plants in your home will also help deter the bugs.

Mosquitoes
For mosquitoes you can use mint to repel mosquitoes. Place a few leaves of fresh mint on windowsills and plant some into a planter and sit them around your patio. Catnip plants are also a great natural mosquito repellant. Orange and lemon peels and garlic are also a great natural choice to repel not only mosquitoes but ants and flies too. Replace the orange and lemon peelings as they dry out with fresh ones. There is also a plant which is called a Mosquito Plant that does a great job on repelling mosquitoes. It is for use indoors as well as outdoors.

Cockroaches
For cockroaches you can soak a sponge with peppermint oil and place this in the cabinets in your kitchen as well as your bathroom. Place one on windowsills throughout your home. To use peppermint as a spray treatment you can add two to three tablespoons to a quart of warm water and then spray in the areas you have noticed the bugs crawling. If you don't have any peppermint oil, keep a spray bottle of soapy water handy and spray it directly on the cockroaches to kill them.

Visit the following websites to learn where you can purchase eco-friendly products to care for your lawn, landscape and everything inside of your home: buygreen.com; greenandmore.com; greenpeople.com.

Kill pesky bugs, not the environment!