Natural Pest Repellents

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Repel Insects & Mice Naturally

Every year I get spiders, ants and bees in my house. The spring of 2013, I also had mice. Even though there are six cats and one dog living in my house along with two people, I saw four baby mice. Yikes! Yes the cats got them and killed them when they could. I found two dead mice one morning. That was not a pleasant thing to wake up to, trust me.

I studied some ways online about how to repel pests naturally. I didn’t want to put poison down in case the cats got into in or the mice would eat it, then the cats might bite into the poisoned mice and get poisoned themselves, and i definitely didn’t want that to happen. You can’t put traps down with pets around either, because they will find them. My cats find everything new around the house. Nothing is hidden or sacred when you have cats!

I’m sharing some things I learned here in hopes that it will help someone else keep mice and insects at bay.

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons free public use photos.

Things Mice Hate

These are some things I’ve learned about keeping mice at bay. I’ve tried two of them, and I have not seen any more mice (fingers crossed that they’ll stay away).

*Place bowls of vinegar around your home. Mice hate the scent. I placed cotton balls or rags in bowls, poured white vinegar in them and placed them in cabinets and in places where they wouldn’t get knocked over.

*Mice supposedly hate the smell of peppermint. Buy some peppermint plants, dried leaves, use tea bags or drops of oil on cotton balls. You can also clean your house with peppermint soap! This also makes your house smell wonderful! It’s a natural air freshener, as well as a mouse repellent.

*Provide owl boxes and the owls will naturally take care of mice in your yard, woods and barns!

Help Repel Mice Around Your Home with These Products

Heinz White Vinegar Distilled, 128 ozCHECK PRICE Now Foods, Peppermint OilCHECK PRICE Dr. Bronner – Castile SoapCHECK PRICE Stovall 6H Screech Owl BoxCHECK PRICE

The Ants Go Marching

Things Ants Hate

*Clean your counters and floors with a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water. This cleans up the ant trails and helps to control where they go.

*Place cinnamon sticks around your home.

*Place garlic cloves where you have seen ants.

*Pour black pepper on ants and watch them scatter. This should lead you to their entry spot, which will help you block where they are coming into your home.

*Mint destroys an ant’s smelling capabilities, so spread mint leaves, clean with peppermint soap, place mint plants around your house and so on. You can also put pure extract on cotton balls and place them around your house.

Help Repel Ants with These Products

Indus Organic Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks, Premium Grade, Freshly PackedCHECK PRICE Tone’s Ground Black Pepper – 18 oz shakerCHECK PRICE

Flee Fly Flee

Things Flies Hate

HOUSE FLIES
*Place a penny in a baggie with water and hang around your house (I have not tried this but hear it works)

*Place basil plants by your doors and even on your counters and window sills.

FRUIT FLIES
*Place apple cider vinegar with a drop of Dawn dish detergent in a bowl in your sink. It will attract the fruit flies and they will drown.

DRAIN FLIES
*Pour 1 cup of ammonia down the drain (I know this isn’t natural, but it works to get rid of those pesky drain flies). Follow with a cup of very hot or boiling water. This will also freshen your drains!

Get Rid of Pesky Fleas

Natural Flea Repellents for Your Home

Not for your pet!

*Sprinkle salt and baking soda on your carpets daily for nine days. Vacuum every 3rd day. Do this regularly and it will help keep fleas out of your carpets.

*Place a drop or two of Dawn dish soap in a small bowl of water under a light and fleas will be drawn to it and will drown.

Natural Products That Repel Fleas

Morton Iodized Table Salt – 4lb. boxCHECK PRICE ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda – 13.5 lb. bagCHECK PRICE Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid, Original Scent, Blue, 24 Ounce (Pack of 2)CHECK PRICE

Go Away Bees!

Keep Wasps Away

*Lay cabbage leaves around areas of your home where wasps come in. We used some in our attic and our outside shed. It really keeps wasps away!

*Cucumber slices will keep bees away from your food when you eat outside.

Bzzzzzz

Other Natural Pest Repellents

–Plant or place containers of catnip around your home to keep mosquitoes at bay.

–Use lemon or lime juice with equal amounts of water in a spray bottle and clean your counters and floors to keep spiders away. They don’t like citrus. You can place orange peels, etc. outside of your home or spray the citrus water outside, too.

–Cinnamon bark oil will help keep dust mites out of your home. Mix 50/50 with water in a spray bottle and spray carpets, mattresses and upholstered furniture.