Everyone wishes to have a home where they can fully relax and take their minds off any troubles.
Photo by Fabricio Trujillo from Pexels
However, no one would enjoy their home if they frequently see pests lurking around, especially in broad daylight. With that, they may end up being stressed rather than calmed in their own homes.
An ideal home is a place free of pests to guarantee its hygiene and safety. There are plenty of benefits of having a clean home, and you should try to incorporate the same practice in your household. While chemical cleaners might help, leaning toward more natural ways would be great, especially if you have kids who are sensitive to chemicals.
Moreover, listed below are some natural ways to keep pests out of your apartment:
- Use A Water-Vinegar Mixture
Vinegar is one of the most popular natural ingredients with cleaning properties that you can use in your household. Besides helping clean your clothes from stains and dirt, vinegar is also helpful with repelling ants from your home. This way, you can prevent them from coming inside your apartment, minimizing the risk of ant bites, along with contaminating your food in your pantry.
To create vinegar cleaning mixture, fill half a spray bottle with vinegar or apple cider vinegar and fill the other half with water. Mix and shake to combine the two ingredients, and you can spray them in areas where you’re most likely to see ants in your apartment. It could be on your kitchen cabinets, countertops, or the legs of your table to prevent them from climbing up. However, you might need to reapply once in a while as the effect will eventually wear off.
- Apply Citrus Peels
Before you throw out the skins of your oranges and lemons, you should use them to prevent mosquitoes, ants, and spiders from coming inside your home. While they can keep your home free from pests, they can also help to keep your home smelling fresh and citrusy, making your home easy on your nose.
You can use citrus peels to prevent pests by rubbing them on specific areas of your home like the siding of your entryway, windows, cabinets, or bookshelves. However, you need to be careful about the material of your surface, as you don’t want to bleach them out.
- Remove Standing Water
If you usually pre-load your tub with water so you don’t have to wait for minutes for it to fill when you want to take a long bath, you should cut the habit immediately. Ideally, you should just fill your tub every time you want to bathe since they can be a home to diseases and mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes often breed in still water, which can easily allow them to repopulate and increase their number in your household. With that, you should remove every standing water in your home, no matter how large or small they are.
If you notice any still water in your home, even if just a puddle, wipe them clean right away.
- Use Peppermint Oil
Using essential oils is getting more popular each day as it can provide plenty of benefits to one’s health and household. With that in mind, you should consider getting yourself peppermint oil, as it can help repel most pests away from your apartment. By using peppermint oil, you could also leave your home with a minty scent that’ll feel clean and relaxing. Moreover, you can use peppermint oil in three different ways:
- You can soak a cotton ball with peppermint oil and place it where you can usually see pests in your homes, such as your kitchen cabinets, near the window, doorways, or your shelves.
- Apply the peppermint oil directly to the area. However, you need to be careful as applying too much can trigger headaches, especially if you use the entire bottle in a single area.
- Dilute the peppermint oil with water and place it in a spray bottle. You can use the mixture to spray problem areas in your household to repel any pests. To create a mixture, add ten drops of peppermint oil per 16 oz. of water.
Peppermint oil can help deter ants, mosquitoes, spiders, flies, moths, and mice away from your home. It’s a great all-in-one product that’ll help keep your home pest-free.
- Clean Your Apartment Regularly
One of the best and most natural ways to keep pests away from your home is by cleaning it regularly with soap and water. You can choose to create your soap using natural ingredients to remove any dirt in your household thoroughly.
As you clean your apartment, make sure you keep it dry and dry out any sign of moisture, as mold could develop from this. Moreover, you should also throw your trash regularly and keep your trash bin properly closed all the time. For maximum effectiveness, create a cleaning schedule wherein you rigorously clean your apartment every week. While this may be stressful, this will help guarantee a clean and safe home.
Conclusion
No one likes pests inside their homes, especially that they can cause damage and major health concerns. With that in mind, you should always look for ways to prevent having them in the most natural ways possible. This way, you don’t have to worry about any chemical reactions and worry about your and your family’s health.
Jenny Davis
Jenny Davis is a professional interior designer. She has been in the industry for 8 years. She shares her knowledge about designing and home improvement through guest blogging. During her free time, she enjoys painting, knitting blankets, and cycling.