Lifehacks to Get Rid of Pests

The average human eats eight spiders in their lifetime while sleeping. While the truthfulness of this Snapple fact has long been disputed, it sparked a fundamental fear in many of us. Having pests of any kind in your house is never fun. Whether it's spiders, fruit flies, rodents, or some other treacherous creature, when a pest invades your home, you feel like you’ve lost all control. However, if you find yourself in a dire situation where you need to get rid of pests, there are some simple lifehacks to get rid of pests and help you conquer your home as your own again.

One of the best lifehacks to get rid of pests is to make a garlic spray. While many of us know about the health benefits of garlic, what people don't tend to know is that there are many insects that can be controlled using garlic. Some of these include beetles, termites, whiteflies, and ants. You can make a natural garlic spray on your own by crushing four or five garlic cloves in a food processor, mixing them with dish soap, and then diluting it with some water. Place your mixture into a spray bottle and you’re finished! This is an easy recipe, however, because it's all natural, its potency may not last forever. So, be sure to use your garlic spray quickly. This garlic spray can be applied to your plants to keep pests away as well.

Another one of the best lifehacks to get rid of pests is to use diatomaceous earth, or what some people call DE. This is both a safe and effective bug killer because it kills the bug by dehydrating them to death. Diatomaceous earth is also safe for humans and wildlife, so it’s one of the best lifehacks if you have small children or pets in the home.

Peppermint has many uses, including getting rid of pests, because it has a great scent for humans, yet almost all pests hate it. Cockroaches, mice, and spiders are all pests that will be averted by the smell of peppermint. Simply take some peppermint oil, mix it with water, and put it in a spray bottle. Spray this around your home, near doorways, or on your plants to keep pests from imposing on your area.

While there are some lifehacks to get rid of pests on your plants, there are also plants that work as pest repellents all on their own. Plants such as marigolds, lavender, rosemary, basil, and catnip will repel bugs, mostly because of their strong smells. So, if you don’t want bugs in your garden or near your home, consider strategically placing pest repelling plants throughout your other greenery to keep the mosquitoes and other pests far away.

Like peppermint, lemon eucalyptus oil can be diluted with water, placed in a spray bottle, and used as one of the best lifehacks to get rid of pests. Again, pests of all sorts do not like strong scents, and citrus scents work particularly well to get rid of bugs. Lemon eucalyptus oil spray is also a natural alternative to bug spray that can be used safely on the skin to repel mosquitoes and other bugs. It smells great to humans, so you won’t have to worry about the nasty smell of bug spray on your skin any longer.

Vinegar is an excellent lifehack to get rid of pests, because it works with many different pests, including ants, aphids, spiders, and flies. Vinegar destroys ants' scent trails, so they will not cross that area anymore. It leaves both a sour taste and odor that spiders do not enjoy. Flies love the smell of vinegar, so if you place a bowl of vinegar with a few holes in it, the flies will fly in to get to the vinegar and won’t be able to get back out. Whether you choose this method or to make a vinegar spray for other pests, this is one natural solution that is very effective.

Both borax and baking soda are great lifehacks to get rid of pests of many different kinds, including cockroaches, ants, fleas, rodents, and silverfish. You can line your entryways with either borax or baking soda and fill any holes or cracks in the walls to keep small pests out. The borax works as an insecticide and will kill many pests if they ingest it. However, you need to be careful with spreading borax around your home if you have animals, because it can be harmful.

This is a great coffee lover lifehack, as it puts the waste that your favorite morning beverage creates to good use. Because coffee grounds have such a potent smell, many pests will catch the scent and head the other direction. Some pests that coffee grounds help to repel include mosquitoes, wasps, and bees. One simple method to make the coffee grounds work as a repellent is to take your used and dry grounds, place them in a bowl or on a plate, and burn them like you would incense. Not only will you repel pests with this method, but your entire home with smell like fresh coffee. Yum!

Many essential oils can be used as lifehacks to get rid of pests the same way both peppermint and lemon eucalyptus oil are used. If you happen to have a different essential oil lying around the house, try diluting it with water and placing it in a spray bottle to repel pests. The main trick for many of the pest repellents listed here is the smell of the repellent. Pests are sensitive to smells that many humans are not. So, anything with a strong scent has a good chance of keeping pests away.

Lastly, one of the most important lifehacks to get rid of pests is simply to keep your home, especially your kitchen, as clean as possible. Don’t leave food out, sweep your floors regularly for crumbs, and wipe down surfaces periodically. This is the best way to both prevent bugs and get rid of bugs.

All these repellents should be effective in helping you reclaim your home as your own. We wish you luck in your quest to beat the pests!