Our homes and gardens are sometimes “graced” by common uninvited guests. The sight of pests in your home can be a great nuisance. This is not to forget that all pests bring in shame, destruction, disturbance, and diseases. Imagine inviting a friend over for lunch or dinner, your house is super clean, but as you two are chit-chatting enjoying your meal, a cockroach or mouse decides that it’s their time move around… what a disgrace! From spiders to mice, mosquitoes, ants, and cockroaches, none of these are pleasant to sight in your home.
And even though there are certain contributing factors of pest infestation – such as lack of proper maintenance and sanitation, no home is bullet-proof when it comes to pest plagues. Taking preventive measures in advance is advised but when you have a major infestation, experts at Washington pest control say that it is essential to consider the most effective way to get rid of them as soon as possible, which is by hiring the best pest control professional before the situation gets out of hand. Even though you can handle minor infestations on your own, major ones require a professional to handle it. Nonetheless, here are some of the most unusual but effective ways to get rid of pests using a pest-by-pest approach.
Fleas
Fleas can be very tricky to get rid of, especially in warm areas, but there are numerous natural ways to deal with them. Lemon, for instance, is a good solution that can be used to make a citrus spray, which can then be used to drive fleas away. Additionally, rosemary powder (made from rosemary plant) works perfectly to control fleas. You simply have to grind dried rosemary and peppermint to create a powder that you can then sprinkle around your home and keep fleas off. Alternatively, you can also opt to plant flea repelling plants around your home. Fleas happen to hate the smell, oils, and chemical ingredients from these plants, which makes them effective in keeping the jumping pest away.
Lastly, you can try vinegar, whose smell is not pleasant at all to fleas. To get rid of them, you can use vinegar to wash your fabric and spray the areas you suspect are affected.
Garden pests
When you think of the investment you have made in your garden, you wouldn’t sit and watch as your plants are being destroyed. Garden pests can cause great damage. However, using some chemicals to get rid of these pests might result in the plants being unfit for consumption. While safer chemical alternatives are available on the market, natural approaches tend to be the best on this note. It might seem a bit unusual, but blended onion and hot pepper, mixed with warm water can work wonders in eradicating pests from your garden. You only need to spray this concoction often until you are sure that the pests are gone.
Weevils
When cereals and grains are left uncovered, weevils will always find their way there. Weevils are not harmful but you definitely wouldn’t want to have them as part of your meal. Apparently, weevils don’t like the sun they instead, they like cool places. When they are exposed to the sun for a few hours, they die and the lucky ones get to crawl away. Also, unbeknownst to many, treating your grains with cloves can be an effective way to get rid of weevils and keep them away from your food as they don’t enjoy the smell that comes from these leaves.
Ants
Kitchens are the target places for ants and when they do, they sneak in great numbers. They come in for food and water and when you leave leftovers laying on the sink, it is enough to attract their attention. What many may not know, however, is that ants hate cinnamon. Simply spray some cinnamon, lemon juice, or peppermint to the affected area and before you know it, the ants will be gone. To prevent reinfestation, always keep your kitchen clean and sanitized, and ensure that you always dispose of your waste appropriately.
Getting rid of pests effectively does not necessarily mean you have to use commercial products such as pesticides. Natural methods can also work perfectly. If you happen to treat your place with pesticides, allow enough time for the product to work and avoid the treated area at all cost. This way, the chances of being harmed are minimal as the research states, exposure to these kinds of chemicals is a leading cause of diseases such as cancer. So go ahead and use some of the above tips when dealing with pests in your home.
