Natural Ways to Keep Common Home Bugs Away

No matter how we clean our home we can not 100% keep our home free from insects and bugs. Like in our home. Last summer, when my son was on vacation and there's no left at home, we experienced ants problem. I swear, a single grain of rice can attract them then they were everywhere.

Although it's an old wives tale that ants building a nest near the door to your house is a clear sign of financial security in the future, ants infestation is not pleasant scene at home right?

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Aside from ants, other common bugs/insects at home especially during summer are spider, bed bugs, cockroaches, beetles, centipedes, crickets, flies and mosquitoes carrying Dengue other deadly disease. It's very scary especially if there are children at home. We can't just spray insecticides to keep those bugs away.

That's why I always look for natural ways to keep these common home bugs away. Let me share some tips.

Keep the home clean

Keeping the home clean is the first and foremost thing to do when we want to get rid of these common home bugs. Dust off and wash all surfaces with soapy water regularly to keep those insects from being familiar at home. Vacuum regularly especially the carpet, sofa and beds. Change bed sheets regularly and sun dry the bed foam at least once a month.

Always keep those areas where food are being kept or eaten free from spills and left over food. Spilled food even as tiny as sugar are bug attractant. Do not stock newspaper, magazine, boxes, paper bags and the likes are cockroaches love the smell of paper so it will be their breeding ground.

Eliminate stagnant water

Disrupt and prevent mosquitoes from breeding by eliminating all the stagnated water around and inside your house. This will greatly reduce the number of larvae and pupae that develop into adult mosquitoes.

Citronella

Citronella is a natural insect repellent. It's lemony grass-like plant that bugs absolutely hate. Recently I get addicted to candles and essential oils like citronella. Aside from it keeps the home from smelly odor, it also repels bugs like mosquitoes and flies. I just bought essential oil burner like this.

Bagong trip... #essentialoils and #scentedcandles #cintronellaoil #homeandliving #home #homesweethome @chemist_dad

Next time, I will buy citronella scented candles too.

White Vinegar

White vinegar is especially effective if you have ant problem. It's strong smell send immediate eviction notice and can mask ant's scent trails too. Put some white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray on those areas where ants like to hang out, then wipe up the using using damp paper towel. Aside from this, vinegar is also known as natural disinfectant for cleaning floors, sink and other part of the house. I also use white vinegar to strip off detergent build ups on clothes.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is not just for bread but also helpful in keeping the bugs away. Sprinkling cinnamon around the house can keep the bugs out. 

Onion

Slice onions, put them in a bowl of water and bugs will run away.

Cucumber Slices

Ants also hates cucumbers. Slice a cucumber up and leave it laying on kitchen counters or places they like to hang out to keep them away.

Turmeric

Turmeric is great for driving away spiders. Just combine 2 tablespoons of the powder with water to make a paste. Apply the paste to cotton balls and put them in areas prone to spiders. Don't apply the paste directly to furniture, wall or floor as turmeric stains are difficult to remove.

Citrus Peels

Citrus peels aside from its lovely smell can drive spiders away. Rub down the citrus peels to areas where spiders are frequent visitors.

Those are just natural ways to keep common home bugs away. But if you are experiencing insect infestation, you need the help of an expert like Insight Pest Solutions. By the way, just want to share this graphic showing the problematic bugs in the greater Boston area.

Again, remember that cleanliness is the key to a bug-free home. So always keep your home clean.

Happy bug-free day!

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Keeping Our Home Safe from Bugs and Mosquitoes

Did you know that Mosquito is the number one man killer?

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Before, I thought that during rainy season the population of mosquitoes is higher. But did you know that during summertime, the population of insects and bugs is greater? This is because the warm temperature with the growth of new plants around, allow the bugs to fulfill their life cycle. They can thrive with the environment temperature because they are cold blooded and that they are more active during summer. Their larvae grow faster and that's the peak of mating. 

In our country, it's the dengue-carrying mosquitoes that most of us are afraid of. But when I read about the history of mosquitoes, there are other deadliest diseases that mosquitoes carry. And as I already said, mosquito is the number one killer of man, killing over one million people each year.

As much as we hate them at home, we cannot totally get rid of them. But we can make our safe from bugs. Here are some tips to keep our home safe from bugs and mosquitoes.

Keep our home clean. Cleanliness is always the key to keep the bugs and insects away. We must clean our home everyday and do at least twice a month general cleaning. If possible hire expert services like that of industrial cleaning services uk, at least once a year to have your entire home clean. Throw away things at home that you are not using and do proper segregation. 

Change bedding regularly. This to avoid bed bugs. We must change our bed sheets and pillow case regularly. As much as possible, sun dry washed bedding.

Keep water container closed. Did you know that mosquito loves clean water more than the waste dirty water? But just the same, don't stock water at home as much as possible. Because mosquitoes need water to complete their life cycle.

Avoid perfume. Yes, especially those with citrus, sweet and flowery smell. Bugs love those scents so instead of leaving, they will be enticed to stay inside your home.

Use insect or bug spray. If you already see insect infestations at home, you may use insect spray. As much as possible, use insect spray that is safe or natural and unscented. Speaking of natural insect spray, Daddy A is thinking of extracting the citronella oil from our Lemon grass plant at home. But if you have Citronella plant at home, it is much better. Also, there are insect repelling plants like Neem tree that you can plant at home.

Use safe insect repellent lotion. If there are infestations already, we may use insect repellent lotion especially with the children and old people at home, who have low resistance. And like the insect spray, make sure to use natural and safe insect repellent lotion.

Stay healthy. If we are healthy, we will have greater resistance against the killer diseases the mosquitoes are carrying. So we must keep our safe healthy by taking in more vitamins.

Those are just some of the tips on how to keep our home safe from bugs and mosquitoes. Like what I have said, we cannot keep our home totally free from bugs and mosquitoes but safe, yes :)

Keep safe always guys!

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