Home is everything we want it to be – our little safe haven. Nothing will decimate that sense of autonomy quite like a line of ants on the kitchen counter – or worse, a cockroach scuttling under the fridge. I had a mom visit once, for a few months and she was in the bathroom when a spider crawled across the floor. It was like she needed to burn the house down and move! That night she slept with a cotton ball of peppermint oil next to her bed, for real.
Sure, you can call an exterminator—been there, spent too much—but that’s often not necessary. Half the time, there are some super simple things you can do first, that do not require you to spray a ton of chemicals all over your house or write a $200 check for someone to tell you that it was the crumbs. (which is rude, but fair).
So before you start to freak out, here are 11 dead-easy and tried-and-true methods to keep them out of your home. No hazmat suit needed.
1. Water Roach Trap
Cockroaches need water to survive, so a water roach trap is the easiest way to capture them. Simply fill a jar with water and leave it in an area that’s prone to roaches. Once the roaches climb in the jar, they will be unable to get out.
2. Roach-Proof Your Home
Speaking of roaches, there are a few things you can do to make your home unappealing to them. Roaches thrive in dark, damp places, so ensure that you air out your house regularly and deal with any water leaks. Get rid of excess debris or boxes of junk, as these make perfect homes for roaches.
3. Roach Spray
And one more tip about roaches: They absolutely hate strong smells. Fill a spray bottle with Listerine and a few drops of peppermint essential oil. Spray the solution along baseboards, under furniture, under your kitchen sink, and any other places you’ve seen roaches in before.
4. Cinnamon Ant Deterrent
Ants despise strong smells, especially that of cinnamon. Use powdered cinnamon or cinnamon essential oil to coat cotton balls, then place the cotton balls along your windowsills, near door frames, and anywhere else you suspect ants are getting in from.
5. Seal Cracks
Ants get into our homes through any cracks and crevices that lead from the outside in. Go around your house with caulking and seal any cracks or holes that you suspect ants may be getting in from.
6. Kill Fleas With Salt
A favorite hiding spot of fleas? Your carpets. Sprinkle your carpets with a generous amount of table salt. After one or two days, vacuum up the salt. The salt dehydrates the fleas and will kill them.
7. Do Some Spring Cleaning
In order to get rid of fleas for once and for all, spend a few days washing everything fabric in your house. From furniture, to linens, to carpets, to drapes, wash everything thoroughly to kill any existing fleas and their eggs.
8. Pet Prevention
And one more thing: Fleas generally come into our homes through our pets, so ensure that you are giving your pets flea medication as advised by their vet. You can also buy pet-friendly flea shampoos to make sure fleas are taken care of right away.
9. Fruit Fly Trap
Fruit flies come into our homes through open doors, windows, and sink drains. Trap and kill them by mixing together some apple cider vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish soap in a bowl or jar. Cover the top with saran wrap, then poke holes in it. The fruit flies will climb into the jar but will be unable to escape.
10. Citronella
To keep pests away from your outdoor spaces, make a spray using water and a few drops of citronella essential oil. Spray your patio furniture and deck with the solution. You can also buy citronella candles, although they’re not quite as effective as the oil.
11. Cream of Tartar
Okay bear with me, this one sounds totally made up until you try it—but cream of tartar, that random white powder hiding somewhere in your spice cupboard, can actually keep ants away. I only even heard about it because my aunt, who basically uses natural remedies for everything (she once cured a rash with cornstarch and blind optimism) swears it works better than any spray.
You basically just dust a little bit of it around the edges of your picnic table, your porch, wherever you’ve seen ants. Just a light line; ants apparently don’t like crossing it for some reason. There are no chemicals, no weird smells, and you are not unintentionally spraying your food or your dog. It’s so incredibly low-effort and surprisingly effective… if you can find where you last put the jar.
And while I love these little tricks to manage bugs that are visible (like the ones climbing all over the counter at 9 p.m. when all you wanted was a snack), in the long run, the best part is stopping them from getting in at all! That’s the part that I always forget until spring rolls around and I’m suddenly revisiting my ant issue like it’s an annual tradition.
Long term is all about prevention. Calking tiny gaps, sealing up odd little holes in baseboards, etc., not leaving pet food out overnight ahem (my partner still forgets). If you’re thinking a little deeper and want to pest-proof your space properly, rather than just react each time something skitters across the floor, I’ve a guide you can check off that brings you through everything to do. It’s definitely worth doing before the next “surprise, we live here now” bugs show up.
