Natural Pest Control For Home

Households pests of all sorts are distressing but we can get rid of them quickly and easily with simple natural pest control measures.

And I have for you here a complete quick reference guide to natural pest control in your home covering DIY :

• Repellents
• Sprays
• Traps
• And Killers.

The guide covers all sorts of pests from ants and mice to moths and fleas so do bookmark or save it for instant reference when you need it.

All the pest control methods can be made easily with just a few basic supplies so you don’t have to buy highly toxic pest control products.

I do hope these natural pest control tips work for you. Do shout if you have questions.

Natural Pest Control Index

To get rid of a specific pest fast click the links below or keep reading to discover the basic supplies you need for effective natural pest control …

1. Ants
2. Bed Bugs
3. Carpet Beetles
4. Cockroaches
5. Dust Mites
6. Fleas
7. Flies
8. Lice
9. Mice
10. Mosquitoes
11. Moths
12. Rats
13. Spiders
14. Squirrels
15. Wasps
16. Weevils

Basic Household Supplies For Natural Pest Control

You can get rid of household pests easily with just a small stock of basic everyday household supplies :

1. Diatomaceous Earth
2. White Vinegar
3. Dish Soap
4. Rubbing Alcohol
5. Apple Cider Vinegar
6. Baking Soda
7. Salt
8. Powdered Sugar

You probably have most of these in your home already but if not, they’re worth stocking as many are super useful in in natural cleaning recipes and natural health remedies.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is an incredibly useful natural pest control ingredient you may not have.

It is a natural fossil powder you can use as DIY pest control for ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, pet fleas and flour weevils. It also helps with backyard chickens!

Food grade diatomaceous earth is pet safe for cats, dogs and all other vertebrates. Just not for insects.

If you don’t have any, I would get some so you have always got it to hand for pest infestations.

Food grade diatomaceous earth is safe to eat but if using lots e.g. for bed bugs, carpet beetles wear a mask so you don’t breath in powder.

Natural Pest Repellents

Once you’ve got rid of pests you can use these natural pest repellents to prevent them coming back :

• Peppermint
• Lavender
• Cloves
• Cedar Wood
• Bay Leaves
• Lemon

They keep pests away but make your home smell great naturally.

Ants

Always act fast on the first sight of ant in your home. Where one ant comes, hundreds will follow!!

The key steps to get rid of ants are :

1. Squish ants : squish any ants you can immediately and put their bodies in outdoor trash bin.
2. Wipe up trails : wipe over anywhere they’ve been with cloth dipped in hot dish soapy water.
3. Block scent : spray or wipe white vinegar over key entrances.
4. Create barrier : when vinegar dry put diatomaceous earth down as barrier at entrance points.
5. Set traps : mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 of powdered sugar in a jar lid or similar and place outside your barrier.
6. Destroy nests : pour several kettle’s worth of just boiled water over problem ant nests outdoors.

Diatomaceous Earth Barrier

If the ants are entering via a small hole pile a spoon of diatomaceous earth on top of the hole. If coming over the doorstop place an inch wide line of diatomaceous earth along the length of the doorstep.

Ant Killer Trap

The baking soda in your trap will kill the ants but the powdered sugar disguises the taste so they are more likely to take the powder back to the ant nest to kill more ants.

For more tips read this big guide on getting rid of ants naturally.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs hitch lifts into our home when we’ve been travelling but also move around apartment buildings.

The first signs of bed bugs are clusters of bites and blood or rust coloured stains on bedding.

Key steps to clear bed bugs are :

1. Hot wash bed linen : launder all bed linen at 60c/140f or higher. 40c/105f will NOT kill eggs.
2. Hot wash cottons : hot wash any dirty cotton clothes at 60c/140f.
3. Freeze dirty laundry : wash and dry other dirty laundry at max temperature you can then put in plastic bags in freezer for 48 hours.
4. Vacuum beds : thoroughly vacuum mattresses, bed frames, under beds and rugs.
5. Powder mattress & carpets : sprinkle diatomaceous earth or baking soda over mattress, carpets and rugs. Leave for 10 hours ideally then vacuum up.

If you have a steam cleaner, steam mattresses, carpets, curtains & rugs in bedrooms after vacuuming.

Best Bed Bug Repellents

There are a range of natural repellents for bed bugs but some e.g. neem, tea tree, pepper won’t smell nice on your bed linen!!

So the best bug repellents to use are:

• Lavender
• Peppermint

Lavender is great as it helps us sleep and also repels clothes moths.

To scent bedrooms with lavender :

1. Store bed linen with lavender bags
2. Iron bed linen with lavender spray
3. Spray room with lavender spray
4. Hang dried lavender in room.

Carpet Beetles

Damaged thinning areas in woollen carpets, rugs and blankets can be a sign of carpet beetle larvae.

Clothes moths also eat these items but usually leave individual holes not a whole area of damage.

Key steps to clear carpet beetles are:

1. Cover carpets with diatomaceous earth : sprinkle diatomaceous earth over carpet or rug spreading it out for as much coverage as possible. Leave over night to kill larvae then vacuum.
2. Cover with baking soda : if you don’t have diatomaceous earth use baking soda in same way.
3. Vacuum edges : vacuum with a nozzle around base / skirting boards paying attention to damaged areas of plaster and wood where adults beetles skulk.
4. Spray edges with vinegar : combine half a cup of vinegar with half a cup of lemon juice and spray or wipe around base boards and edges of floor to kill adults.

Best Carpet Beetle Repellents

Good carpet beetle repellents are:

• Cloves
• Peppermint
• Cypress wood

For a quick DIY repellent infuse a teaspoon of cloves with 2 teaspoons of dried cinnamon in a pan of water for 15-20 minutes. Strain liquid and add to a spray bottle. Use as a room spray or to mop hard floors.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are attracted into our homes by all sorts of strong human smells both fair and foul!!

To get rid of cockroaches :

1. Vacuum areas with roaches : vacuum with nozzle any area roaches seen PLUS areas they hang out e.g. under and on top of cupboards, behind dishwasher.
2. Wipe & spray roach areas : wipe with dish soap & hot water, spray with mint or lavender water.
3. Make cockroach killer traps : combine 1 spoon of diatomaceous earth (or baking soda) with a 1/2 spoon of powdered sugar in jar lids and place wherever seen.
4. Barrier entrances : put heap or thick line of diatomaceous earth by any access holes or cracks.

To keep cockroaches away lightly dust diatomaceous earth on top of little accessed kitchen cupboards.

For more tips read this big guide on getting rid of cockroaches.

Dust Mites

Most homes have dust mites much of the time but they are a problem for anyone with dust mite allergies.

Dust mites like warm, humid, dusty environments with organic matter e.g. dead skin cells in the dust!

To reduce dust mites in home:

1. Ventilate rooms : try to ventilate rooms daily to cut humidity and risk of mold which attracts mites.
2. Hot wash bed linen : don’t be seduced by low temperature washes for bed linen. 60c/140f is needed to kill off dust mites PLUS bed bugs and pinworms!!
3. Use mattress protectors : launder them regularly.
4. Bash cushions : dust builds up in cushions so need a real bash weekly, outdoors if possible.
5. Steam clean rugs & curtains : if you have a steam cleaner use regularly on rugs & curtains.
6. Damp wipe when dusting : use a slightly damp cloth to dust so you trap dust not swish it around.

Keeping on top of vacuuming in your cleaning routine is also key to keeping dust mites at bay :

Vacuuming Routine

1. Vacuum dust magnets : target spots e.g. radiators, light fittings that attract dust.
2. Vacuum under beds often : declutter under beds so easy as possible to vacuum weekly.
3. Vacuum under furniture : if you can’t get vacuum under furniture damp dust with an extendable microfibre duster.
4. Vacuum upholstery : try to do fortnightly and weekly if you have pets who sit on them.
5. Vacuum mattresses : vacuum mattresses when changing beds.

Fleas

Fleas live not only on our pets but also in carpets, soft furnishing and bedding so to get rid of fleas we need to tackle these as well our pets.

To get rid of pet fleas :

1. Shampoo pets : shampoo pets with your pick of flea shampoo and fine comb to remove fleas & eggs.
2. Keep pets out whilst cleaning : isolate pets as much as you can whilst clearing home of fleas.
3. Hot wash pet bedding : wash on 60c/140f if possible or wash & dry as hot as possible then freeze for 48 hours in plastic bag.
4. Cover carpets with diatomaceous earth : spread diatomaceous earth (DE) over carpets in pet accessible rooms. Leave 8 hours then vacuum. Use baking soda or salt if no DE.
5. Cover chairs with DE : spread on chairs & sofas pets sit on. Leave for 8 hours and vacuum.
6. Hot wash your bedding : if your pets go on your beds launder bedding at 60c/140f.
7. Cover mattress with DE : spread DE – or baking soda or salt – over mattress. Leave 8 hours then vacuum thoroughly.

The big challenge with getting rid of pet fleas – and head lice – is you may not clear all eggs first time.

So for the next 3 weeks :

1. Keep pets in kitchen
2. Shampoo & comb weekly
3. Hot wash pet bedding weekly
4. Vacuum carpets & upholstery thoroughly weekly.

To be super thorough you could spread diatomaceous earth again over carpets, chairs and beds 10 days after first treatment.

Natural Flea Repellents

Key natural flea repellents are :

• Cedar wood
• Lemon
• Lavender
• Mint
• Rosemary

Look out for pet shampoos or sprays with these fragrances or make your own DIY spray to scent pet bedding and floor around it. I would use natural herbs not essential oils which may be toxic for pets.

Flies

The quickest way to get rid of flies is with super simple homemade :

• Fly Traps
• Fly Spray

DIY Fly Trap

For the best DIY fly trap you need :

• Glass jar
• A4 scrap paper
• Sticky tape
• Dish soap
• Apple cider vinegar (ACV)

To make the fly trap :

1. Half fill jar with water
2. Add a few drops of dish soap
3. Add teaspoon of ACV
4. Make a paper cone to fit in jar sitting just above liquid
5. You may need to trim it or lose a little liquid so there is a gap between cone & water

DIY Fly Spray

To make quick fly spray :

1. Combine in small spray bottle :
   • 1 tablespoon dish soap
   • 1/2 cup vinegar or rubbing alcohol or cheap vodka
   • 1/4 cup water
2. Spray at flies especially when they have landed on windows
3. Don’t spray towards people or pets

For more tips read this big guide on getting rid of flies naturally which also covers drain gnats, cluster flies and blow flies.

Lice

It is near impossible to get through childhood without head lice and nits as they are pretty much endemic.

Unfortunately harsh head lice shampoos can harm our scalp and make us more liable to infection.

To get rid of head lice gently but effectively you just need :

• Hair clips
• Fine tooth comb
• Olive or coconut oil
• Shower cap

To remove lice and eggs follow this routine in the evening :

1. Prep Hair
2. Fine Oil Comb Sections
3. Overnight Oil Mask
4. Head Lice Follow Up

Prep Hair For Lice Treatment

Brush hair well to remove tangles so fine comb goes through easily.

Fill bathroom sink with cool water.

Fine Oil Comb Sections

• Take small section of hair.
• Comb through small blob of oil right through from scalp to end.
• Rinse comb in basin to remove lice and nits, check comb clear .
• Comb & rinse section twice.
• Take another section & repeat.
• Work all way round head clipping sections out of way as needed.

Overnight Oil Mask

• Comb big blob of oil through hair.
• Make sure all hair covered.
• Pop a shower cap on to sleep in and put a towel over pillow.
• Wash and rinse hair thoroughly in morning and blow dry hot.

Head Lice Follow Up

Over the next 2 weeks :

• Spend 5 minutes every evening fine combing hair with water over the sink in case any missed eggs have now hatched.
• Repeat full treatment weekly.

For more tips read this big guide on natural lice remedies.

Mice

Mice are attracted in by even the tiniest whiff of food so we have to be super zealous about dirty dishes, crumbs and leaving food out.

To get rid of mice in your home and keep them out you need to use the best DIY :

• Mouse Repellents
• Mouse Traps & Bait
• Mouse Poison

Natural Mouse Repellents

Spray entrance points and rooms mice are in with smells mice hate :

• Peppermint
• Lavender
• Lemon juice
• Cloves & cinnamon

Also use these fragrances to wipe counters and surfaces. You need to repeat twice daily for 2 weeks and clear garbage and food waste religiously daily.

Best Mouse Traps

You need to set up set-up multiple mouse traps :

• At right angles to entrance points
• Reversed on escape routes.

Live capture traps on escape routes can be the most successful to trap mice even without bait.

But the best mouse trap baits are:

• Peanut butter
• Cereal
• Seeds
• Soft cheese

DIY Mouse Poison

If you can’t clear mice with live capture traps you can make DIY poison with :

• 1 spoon of baking soda or salt
• And twice as much bait e.g. soft cheese to disguise the baking soda.

Put the poison out in jar lids or small shallow tubs under cupboards which pets can’t reach.

This poison has less toxicity that commercial mouse killers but you should still keep it away from pets.

For more tips read this big guide on how to get rid of mice.

Mosquitoes

The best way to keep mosquitos away is to make your home smell great with fragrances they hate :

• Mint
• Basil
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Lavender
• Cinnamon
• Lemon
• Lemon balm

You can use these as natural mosquito repellents by :

1. Planting in patio pots
2. Creating a mini kitchen herb garden
3. Infusing in water or rubbing alcohol for a DIY air freshener spray
4. Brewing up a pot of herb tea
5. Throwing herbs on BBQ or fire bowl.

The key way to prevent mosquitos breeding in your garden is to avoid any standing water :

• Put pumps in pond
• Cover water buts
• Add dripper to bird bath

You can kill mosquitoes with the DIY fly spray we used for other flies.

For more tips read this big guide on natural mosquito repellents.

Moths

Clothes Moths

Clothes moths can cause so much expensive damage but you can get rid of them and stop them coming back without toxic chemicals.

The key is to kill larvae and eggs on the things they actually feed on i.e. :

• Wool & silk
• Dirty laundry
• Bedroom dust.

To get rid of the moth larvae and eggs fast follow these steps :

1. Freeze vulnerable clothes : put wool & silk clothes in plastic bags in freezer for 72 hours.
2. Hot wash dirty laundry : wash any dirty laundry you can at 60c/140f, wash rest as hot as possible then freeze for 48 hours.
3. Nozzle vacuum clothes storage : get right into corners of drawers, wardrobes & laundry basket to clear dust larvae & eggs lurk in.
4. Thorough vacuum bedrooms : focus on areas you don’t get to speed cleaning e.g. under beds & furniture, on top of wardrobes, behind radiators.
5. Store vulnerable clothes : keep wool & silk clothes in moth proof storage bags with repellents.

The best great smelling natural moth repellents to use in your home are :

• Cedar wood
• Lavender
• Cloves
• Sage
• Rosemary
• Mint
• Thyme
• Bay Leaves

Use these fragrances in DIY sprays when damp dusting and fill mini bags or a knotted hankie with dried herbs to put in clothes storage.

For more tips read this guide on getting rid of clothes moths fast.

Pantry Moths

Pantry moths can do huge damage to dried food and we do have to be brutal getting rid of them but can easily stop them returning.

Key signs of a pantry moth infestation as well as the moths themselves in food cupboards are :

• Bad smell in pantry cupboards
• Webbing on shelves & food.

Getting Rid Of Pantry Moths

To get rid of pantry moths :

1. Stock up on storage : you need jars, tins or strong plastic tubs to store all items. Larvae can eat thin plastic and paper packets.
2. Kill moths with DIY spray : spray any live moths with mix of vinegar, water & dish soap as for flies.
3. Chuck out open packets : it feels like a waste but eggs may have been laid in any open packets.
4. Check unopened packets : check unopened packets for signs of entry holes and throw these out.
5. Freeze unopened food : put remaining unopened packets in plastic bags in freezer for 72 hours.
6. Vinegar wipe shelves : remove everything else from pantry and wipe shelves with hot soapy water and then white vinegar.

Preventing Pantry Moths

To stop pantry moths returning :

1. Securely store food : store all food in strong e.g. glass containers. This will also protect food from ants and flour weevils.
2. Hang bay leaves : hang a few handfuls of bay leaves in little fabric bags or an open glass jar to repel moths who hate smell.
3. Hang traps away from pantry : buy pheromone traps for pantry moths and hang in kitchen area but away from food storage to trap moths without drawing to food.

Rats

Rats in our home are unbelievably distressing and they are one of the few pests many of us need help getting rid of but we need to be very careful what “experts” do.

Avoid Rat Poison

Many pest control firms use poison which can be a disaster as the rats die under floorboards and behind walls causing a hideous stink for weeks. We can end up paying again to lift floors etc to remove dead rats!

So ideally chose use rat traps or pest control people who use traps.

Best Rat Traps

The best rat traps are traditional cages and bait traps which can be used to remove rats away from your property without the hideous stink!

Rat Repellents

Rats like mice are repelled by peppermint but it is worth using these stronger repellents because rats are such a health hazard :

• Pepper Spray
• Garlic spray

To make the sprays

1. Heat 0.25 gallon/1 litre of water
2. With 2 tablespoons of chilli flakes / chopped chilli / bashed garlic
3. Simmer for 15-30 minutes
4. Leave to cool & soak for 24 hours
5. Strain into spray bottle
6. Spray round entrance points.

You can also use the spray to help keep foxes away from chickens.

The spray is strong so keep away from other pets, eyes and skin.

Spiders

Spiders in our home do help us get rid of ants, flies, roaches & wasps. But some spider bites can be poisonous or get infected so we don’t want them in our home.

To get rid of spiders :

1. Vacuum corners : it’s easy to skip corners speed cleaning but need to vacuum corners and cobweb prone areas with nozzle fortnightly
2. Damp dust with repellents : lightly moisten an extendable duster so you can damp dust all levels of room with smells spiders hate e.g. peppermint, lemon.
3. Remove eggs : lift spider egg sacs from window frames etc with a palette knife and put them outside or if you’re terrified of all spiders, spray eggs with salty water or mix of vinegar and dish soap.
4. Create entrance barriers : if spiders keep coming in via old windows, you can lightly dust frame with diatomaceous earth.

Squirrels

Squirrels can do a surprising amount of harm in attics damaging wooden beams, making holes in the roof and destroying stuff we have in storage.

To keep squirrels out of your attic :

1. Install motion lights : install motion lights on roof and in attic to deter them if they get in.
2. Put radio on timer : for extra repellent you can put a small radio on timer in the attic.
3. Block entrances : if you can’t permanently block entrances in the eaves right away cover with rodent proof mesh.
4. Mesh cover vents : if you think squirrels are entering via vents cover them with mesh.
5. Secure storage : use strong plastic or metal storage boxes rather than wood or cardboard.
6. Hang natural repellents : hang large bunches of dried lavender, rosemary and peppermint in attics to repel squirrels long term.

You can use live capture traps for problem squirrels but you need to check them every single day. Dead squirrel in the attic smells hideous!

Wasps

Many of us are scared of wasps but we can clear them quickly with DIY :

• Wasp Spray
• Wasp Repellents
• Wasp Traps

Wasp Killer Spray

For a quick DIY wasp killer spray combine in a spray bottle :

• 1/2 cup of vinegar
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of dish soap.

This spray can also be used to get rid of flies and with a little added lemon juice for cleaning showers!

Wasp Repellents

You can also make a quick wasp repellent spray combining any of these herbs with rubbing alcohol / vodka and water :

• Lavender
• Mint
• Rosemary
• Chamomile
• Sage
• Thyme

Wasp Traps

Wasp traps should only be used outdoors in gardens and backyards which are already attracting problem numbers of wasp because of e.g. fruit trees, backyard chickens.

You can make a trap easily with these DIY wasp trap instructions.

Seek professional help to get rid of wasp nests in your home.

If you do get stung use these quick wasp sting remedies to ease pain.

Weevils

Weevils are a small (ant size) beetles who eat various dry pantry goods but are most attracted by flours.

Adult weevils can appear in open and unopened flour bags because the flour we bought contained weevil eggs or because adult weevils ate through paper bags.

If you spot adult weevils :

1. Ditch all flour : it seems like waste but bags that appear clear may contain eggs, the alternative is to freeze flour sieved free of adult weevils for 72 hours to kill eggs.
2. Wash shelves : in food cupboards with hot water and dish soap.
3. Wipe shelves with vinegar : this helps to destroy scent trails

If you’ve had weevils in your flour follow these steps to prevent them from coming back :

1. Freeze new flour : freeze new flour for 72 hours to kill eggs.
2. Store flour securely : store all bags of flour – open and not – in sealed containers.
3. Put bay leaf in storage : keep a bay leaf at the top of each flour jar.
4. Put down diatomaceous earth : at entrances to cupboards in which you have flour stored.
5. Keep repellents in pantry : keep bay leaves or cloves on shelves next to flour to hide scent.

And there you go, all the quick natural pest control tips you need to get rid of and to prevent :

1. Ants
2. Bed Bugs
3. Carpet Beetles
4. Cockroaches
5. Dust Mites
6. Fleas
7. Flies
8. Lice
9. Mice
10. Mosquitoes
11. Moths
12. Rats
13. Spiders
14. Squirrels
15. Wasps
16. Weevils

I hope these tips help. Do bookmark or save them for quick reference later.

For more in depth pest control tips check out these guides :

• How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches
• Get Rid Of Clothes Moths Fast
• How To Get Rid Of Mice
• Get Rid Of Flies Naturally
• Get Rid Of Ants Naturally

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Original Images Under Creative Commons : Dust Mites, Young Squirrel by Gilles Gonthier