Let's take a look at some of the best cleaning practices that will deter bugs from coming into your home. 1. Sweeping and Mopping - It is important to sweep and mop your kitchen floor on a regular basis. Food crumbs and other tasty morsels tend to fall on the floor and get forgotten about or hidden under cabinets.
Mix up a natural bug spray.
The combination of white vinegar and water is a great natural bug spray. Not only will it kill bugs on the spot and work to repel the others, but it's an all-natural cleaning solution for countertops and floors.
Answer: Common spring cleaning chores like dusting, vacuuming and cleaning out closets can help reduce pests in and around your home. Dirt and dust can provide food for cockroaches (insects that eat just about anything). Plus, extra clutter can make it more difficult to find signs of pest activity.
They don't discriminate between clean and unclean homes. However, vacuuming and washing bed linen regularly can help keep the bed bug numbers down. Also, less clutter provides fewer bed bug hiding spots.
Repair any holes in drywall and caulk gaps around floor molding where insects can invade your home from neighboring units. Patch holes and loose edges on window and door screens. And be sure to keep windows and doors closed if they do not have screens. Repair gaps around pipes, air conditioners, and dryer vents.
Create a fly and wasp repellent.
Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning says that you can use full-strength Pine-Sol as an insecticide or a 4:1 Pine-Sol to water solution spray for staving off wasps and other stinging insects—just steer clear of honeybees!
Keep insects away with peppermint oil. Before you reach for the chemical-laden bug spray and store-bought insect repellents, there's a natural solution you can try—peppermint. Insects hate peppermint.
Rosemary, thyme, basil, and mint have scents that bugs dislike. Mosquitoes, cockroaches, and stinging insects try to avoid these herbs.
Insects have heat-responsive neurons that tell the insect whether it needs to move along to a better climate. However, unlike mammals, the cold won't cause an insect physical discomfort. It may seem like hot and cold temperatures make them uncomfortable, but in reality they're just acting on instinct.
That being said, if you only have the occasional cockroach, then Lysol might be enough to take care of your small infestation. Because Lysol has weaking killing power, but Lysol's smell can repel roaches, it might be enough!
Insects are attracted to food and shelter, and piles of garbage provide both. By removing piles of garbage, you will have a cleaner home and eliminate an attractant for pests. You should immediately clean up trash, tie up and secure trash bags once filled, and promptly take them to outside bins.
Although Fabuloso is non-toxic for humans and pets, it causes significant damage to insects and bugs. Its acidic formula and strong scent keep roaches away from your home and can even kill them on direct contact.
In most types of vinegar, the pH level is 2.5. Especially the white distilled type of vinegar is commonly used as a cleaning agent in homes on various surfaces. It also has antimicrobial properties. You can deter bugs, especially spiders, from entering your home with white vinegar.
Answer: Pests want what we have — food, water and shelter. Many pests such as roaches and even rodents can fit through tiny cracks and crevices in search of these resources. This can happen no matter how clean your house may be.
Yellowish, pinkish, or orange (sodium vapor, halogen, dichroic yellow) are the least attractive to most insects.
No rinsing required, except on rubber or asphalt tile. For extra tough jobs, use full strength and rinse immediately. For painted surfaces, test a small area first. Not recommended for use on unfinished, unsealed, unpainted, waxed, oiled or worn flooring.
For tough jobs, use full strength and rinse immediately. On wood surfaces, do not allow puddles of product to remain. Pine-Sol® is not recommended for use on marble, aluminum, or unsealed, waxed, oiled or visibly worn wood.
Most dryer sheets contain the ingredient linalool, which can be found in plants like lavender, basil, and coriander, all of which naturally repel common garden pests. Similar studies found that this ingredient is also useful for repelling bugs like mites, weevils, beetles, and German cockroaches.
If you want the best chances of avoiding spiders and insects, getting an apartment at least 20 floors up is recommended. Remember that cleanliness still matters. Even if you live on the highest floor in the building, you can still get spiders and insects in your apartment if you don't keep it clean.
Entomologists have been saying for years it's not possible to have a completely bug-proof home; now there are numbers to back that up.