03 July 2008

natural solutions for uninvited guests

I have read in the Etsy Forums lately about bugs. Summer always seems to come along with it's group of pests -- ants, and roaches! Ewww! Here are a couple natural ways to "take in the Welcome mat" when it comes to bugs.

Ants do not like ground cinnamon.
If you see them in a specific area like your kitchen counter, try sprinkling the counter with ground cinnamon. Leave them for 15 minutes and I bet most of them are gone - just to be sure - leave the cinnamon there overnight. Wipe up cinnamon the following morning. That should do the trick. If you have a picnic coming up, toss the ground cinnamon in your picnic basket -- you won't be sorry! Before you put out your picnic blanket and basket sprinkle the area with cinnamon. (Please be sure it is just cinnamon. If you use cinnamon-sugar, you will send a mixed message.)

Roaches. They make my flesh crawl.
I live in Texas and I swear we have more roaches per person than any other state! Ewwwwww!! Before I move into a new space, I use a big spoon and put a border of 20 Mule Team Borax (most stores have it in the laundry section as it also works as a detergent booster) around the base boards. It helps keep the roaches away and it is not a poison. At the bottom of their webpage you can download a booklet of other uses.

Using cinnamon and borax, you can make a mixture for your house that is not harmful to pets or children. It is a non-verbal way to tell the ants and roaches to stay out! I use 1 cup of Borax to 1 tbsp of cinnamon. You can mix this up in a bowl and use a spoon to put it around the perimeter of your rooms at the base board (this mix seems to work best with carpeted rooms). You can also use this same mix in cabinets and cupboards so those little pests have no where to hide!!

Bye Bye bugs and good riddance!

4 comments:

Rosebud Collection said...

What a good recipe..I do have trouble with ants every now and then..will try this..

Mark and Stefani McCune said...

That's so great to hear! With 2 little girls around, the ants find any crumbs they drop.

Stef

Tamera said...

What also works great on exposed bugs is a mixture of dishsoap and water in a spraybottle. It kills all those nasty bugs too. I like your suggestions and will try them in the water closet.

Melissa said...

Thank you for this awesome tip! I absolutely loathe roaches and I've been looking for some way to get rid of those little ants that seem to pop up every once in awhile :)

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