Before reaching for the bottle of insecticides to combat pests, it's worth thinking about and employing eco-friendly alternatives....
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Pests come in many shapes and sizes. None of them are ones that we want around. However, most methods of getting rid of pests and keeping them away can be hazardous to the environment.
Traditional methods are full of chemicals that leach into the ground, end up in our water supply, and even poison our homes. There are a things you can do to get rid of pests and to keep them from coming into your home all while remaining environmentally friendly.
Homes come in a wide variety of states of cleanliness. Some are pristine and others quite messy. This often has to do with personality, habits, and time restraints. No matter what state your home is in right now, aim for a thorough cleaning.
You want to make sure that you get up any dropped food, hiding moisture, or places that bugs and other pests might find desirable. Cleaning is the best thing you can do to help get rid of all sorts of pests and to keep them away in the future.
While many pests are amazingly adept at getting into tiny spaces, if you are looking for them you can prevent a good number of pests from coming in. Seal any cracks, around windows, and make sure that you are weather proofing around your doors. This will help keep out bugs, spiders, and even rodents.
While some pests are the type you can ignore and some aren't you should consider what to do according to what you can live with. If it doesn't bother you to have a beetle or two in your house try to ignore them or scoop them up and toss them outside when you see them. On the other hand, if you have a pest that is causing harm you won't want to ignore it.
Consider whether or not it is causing you, your family, your pets, or your home any problems. Bugs that bite, that carry diseases, or that consume building problems should be gotten rid of.
Vinegar is a great way to get rid of a number of pests. You can use it in your cleaning water, spray it around your house, and get great results using it instead of other house hold cleaners. The great news is that the smell only lasts until the liquid is dry, for people any way.
Borax is a great way to kill a lot of different kinds of pests. You can make a mix of borax and sugar. Use about 10% borax and 90% sugar. Sprinkle it in areas of pests that are likely to eat it. This includes ants and cockroaches who will gladly take it back to their nest with them.
Slowly increase the amount of borax you mix in so that they are taking more and more borax back to the nest with them. The borax scratches the exoskeleton and causes them to dry up and die.
Many spices and herbs deter a number of pests. These include black pepper, peppermint, cinnamon, and basil. You can get essential oils of these plants and spray at the entry points to your home to deter them. You can also sprinkle ground versions into areas that these pests are likely to use to come into your house.
Your left over coffee grounds can be used as a barrier to your house. It will help keep out a number of pests, especially ants. All you need to do is collect the leftover coffee grounds and spread them out along the border of the house. This will discourage them from crossing that barrier into the house.
Soapy water is often something most pests don't like. Many are killed by it and a spray bottle that has soapy water is a good thing to keep near by to eliminate any bugs that pass into your space. You can also spray it around where pests are seen to scare them away. The smell alone will keep them at bay.
Pests are never fun, but eco-friendly ways of getting rid of them do work. You may need to be patient. However, you can save the planet without having to live with pests that really bother you.
Article provided by Lavender Pest Control