5 More Easy Ways to Get Rid of Indoor Bugs

A few weeks ago I posted some recipes for frugal, green, DIY pest control. Now, FNC iMag has provided 5 more easy ways to get rid of indoor bugs, all of which happen to be easy, cheap, and green.

1. Get rid of standing water. (This includes recycling, garbage, and glasses of liquid; mosquitoes especially prefer to breed in standing water.)
2. For ants, spray white vinegar around door and window frames. (Ants don’t like the smell of vinegar.) 
3. Put out a small dish of white wine. (Fruit flies are attracted to sweet things, so better to have them in a small dish of wine on the counter than in your plants and fruits.)
4. Instead of buying moth crystals or moth balls, hang chalk in your closet.
5. To keep roaches at bay, peel a cucumber. (Place the peels on the kitchen counter or by the tub to deter roaches.)

5 Recipes for DIY, Green, and Frugal Pest Control

Summer is officially here, which means that bugs of all persuasions (let's take a moment and shudder a collective ick) are out in full force. Most bug repellents and pest control sprays are laden with chemicals (and unsafe to use by kids and pets) and fall on the pricey side. Whole Living magazine included 5 recipes in their June 2011 issue for do-it-yourself, homemade repellents.

For Ants: 

• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tbsp Borax

Sprinkle in kitchens and bathrooms (alas, this one must be kept away from kids and pets, however).

For Bedbugs:

• 1 tsp of peppermint oil
• 1 tsp of rosemary oil
• 2 cups of water

Spray on the mattress and the floor surrounding the bed. (To me this sounds like the perfect aromatherapy mix for the bedroom, too!)

For Flies:

• Cloves
• Eucalyptus
• Clover blossom

Tie in a sachet and hang from the ceiling.

For Mice:

• 1 tbsp peppermint castile soap
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 8 cups of water

Spray along the baseboards in your house.

For Roaches:

• 2 tsp of tea tree oil
• 2 cups of water

Spray in kitchens and bathrooms.

For a list of store-bought, non-toxic pest repellents, visit www.wholeliving.com.