Eco Monday: pests

It seems like as Spring is arriving (someplaces earlier than others), there are a lot of pests that arrive with it. Roaches and ants seem to come out to play as the winter starts to melt and there is a suggestion of warmer weather. You can keep these pests away using natural ingredients you probably already have in your home. Borax (20 Mule Team Borax can be found in your groceries laundry aisle in a green box), ground cinnamon and chili pepper can be combined and put in a shaker jar to use when theses pests show up. Investigate where they pest seem to be coming in and sprinkle the pest potion in that area as well as wherever they seem to be hanging out. Be sure there isn't anything around that's somehow inviting them in -- food scraps, standing water or silver engraved invitation, etc. It's a great chemical free way to keep pests away. Happy Spring!

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!