If you have a creepy infestation, who’re you gonna call?
No one, really. You can do it yourself with Natural Green Remedies.
Nobody appreciates an unwelcome visitor, whether it’s your mother-in-law knocking at your rental homes’ front door or a colony of ants marching from the kitchen towards your outdoor space.
Ants, flies and the dreaded cockroach, this article will give you 5 tips on how to keep your house pest free and green, green, green.
Ants
The first top tip for avoiding ants is to make sure you do not keep food out and exposed on your kitchen counter. Even though it is a common, maybe obvious fact we sometimes forget the simplest of things.
Now if you are well-aware of this and still have ants in your home but do not wish to get out the stinky bug-killing spray, why not spritz some Peppermint Essential Oil onto your kitchen counter or spray some Organic Lemon Juice around the openings of your doors and windows. These two products keep ants away and keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
Another great ingredient that wards away ants yet smells so wonderfully of Christmas is, Cinnamon. The comforting smells of Cinnamon might have you singing Christmas Carols but it totally annoys ants and sends them packing. Try lighting Cinnamon candles after you’ve cooked, this will ward away cooking smells and scare away the ants.
Houseflies
We hate flies and flies seem to love us, but there are a few things they hate too. Any of the following will shoo your flies away and keep your hands off the fly swatter. Eucalyptus, Green Apple, Cucumber, Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne Pepper all work in the same way to keep flies out of your vicinity. Try spraying water that has been naturally infused with these products around the house. Neither of them smell too bad, especially the Cucumber and Green Apple, maybe keep the Cayenne Pepper as your last resort.
Another technique that can keep your rental’s terrace free from those pesky flies is simply filling a bowl or bucket, depending on the intensity of your infestation, with soapy water. Flies are attracted to water but once they make their way to the soapy surface, their tiny feet can’t cut it on the slippery and soapy water edge. Cruel but effective and totally non-toxic.
Cockroaches
This is by far the worst critter on the list. Why we hate them so much is beyond me but by God do we despise them. Remember, Malta is a hot country and the rate of productivity is much higher than in colder climates, so once July strikes be ready for some evenings spent with a broom in hand and army boots at the ready. Why not prevent this? Cockroaches like small crevices so take their small spaces and place small Ground Clove filled bowls under your kitchen cupboards, bookshelves or even your wardrobes and prepare for a Cockroach free summer.
It goes without saying but make sure that you keep your rental home clear form clutter and as clean as possible to ensure that these not-so-little guys won’t find a place of refuge in your home.
Fleas
Not the biggest problem in many homes but sometimes a nuisance that could result in a flea-bomb if not tackled straight away. Fleas live in the dust of the corners of your rental homes so make sure vacuuming is done on a monthly basis at the least, if an infestation strikes, try weekly.
Usually found on our pets but they can easily find their way to our carpets and sofa if we are not careful. Let’s focus on the obvious once again: when finding a stray kitten lurking just outside your new penthouse, you are by no means to blame for taking it in but make sure you take all precautions when doing so.
Give the kitty a wash with diluted Organic Lemon Juice, watch the eyes and other sensitive areas, this will sting in the same way it does an open wound. Your dog could resist the White Vinegar wash but for a cat, I would refrain. Lastly, sprinkle some salt in the corners of your home, this will stop the flea eggs from hatching.
Slugs
Common in outdoor areas like the drains in your garden or on your front door step. These slimy fellas come out at night and drag their way across our yards leaving a slimy trail across our walls and on our plants.
Getting rid of these guys is not the most humanitarian act, but there is a vicious option and a friendly one to consider. Choice number one is the brutal melting of these shell-less snails using salt. All you need to do is clean up the goo by washing it down the drain, your rental will be green with this method.
The next method might have you envying the snail but by golly does it work. Placing a bowl full of beer will immediately attract the sucker into the brew with its hops aroma. The slugs simply drink, drink, drink and eventually drown with a full belly and a smile on their mollusc faces.
These simple, organic steps can help to keep your home bug-free, happy and healthy. Not only would your home be void of any insects but you will never have to spray your homes with toxic chemicals and waste your money on a one-purpose product.
Your rental home is where you will make memories, you don’t want to remember the bugs that lived there but rather the remedies that freed your home from creepy infestations.