pests, be gone! make your home critter free

How To Make pests, be gone! make your home critter free

• 1

  Flies hate the smell of basil. To discourage them, place pots of basil at doorways & windowsills & on the kitchen counter. Don't have enough sun for potted basil? Put dried basil in a small muslin pouch, rubbing it occasionally to keep the scent strong.
• 2

  Cats love catnip. Mosquitoes? Not so much. According to Science Daily, catnip repels mosquitoes more effectively than DEET. Grow it in your garden or apply undiluted catnip oil to the skin for up to two hours of protection.
• 3

  Spiders are not fond of citrus. In a spray bottle, mix water & unsweetened lemon or lime juice. Wipe your countertops with the mixture or spray down doorways & windowsills. You can deter spiders in your garden by spreading around lemon, orange, or lime peels.
• 4

  Use a 50/50 solution of vinegar & water to wipe down countertops & other surfaces—anywhere you've spotted ants. For best results, repeat this several times a day. Doing so destroys the scent trails that ants use to navigate.
• 5

  A pair of barn owls & their brood can eat over 3,000 mice in a nesting season. Attract them to your property with an owl box, if a quiet rafter or tree crook is not available. Should the food supply be dependable, the same owls may return season after season.
• 6

  Wasps are incredibly territorial & will not build a nest within 200 yards of another one. So build or buy your own fake nest! It’s like a scarecrow for wasps. Hang one in the front yard & one in back & you’re done.
• 7

  Alternately salting & vacuuming your floors will kill flea eggs. But since fleas have a three-day reproduction cycle, you have to be diligent: Salt every day for nine days & vacuum every third day. Don’t forget to empty the vacuum every time, or the live ones will crawl right back out again!
• 8

  Cinnamon bark oil has been shown to control dust mites. Mix several drops into a 50/50 solution of water & denatured alcohol. Spray bedding, carpets, & any other places dust collects. Added benefit? Your house will smell like cookies!
• 9

  Trap fruit flies with this simple approach: Fill a glass three-quarters full with vinegar or cider vinegar, then add six to eight drops of dishwashing liquid & fill to the top with warm water. Gruesomely effective.
• 10

  Who could call Bambi a pest? A gardener. Many have had luck deterring deer with Irish Spring soap. Hang it or spike it to a stake near things that deer like to eat. Alternatively, sprinkle shavings or small chunks on the ground.
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