Pests do not belong in your home. And even though you most definitely want them out of your space, you’re still a humane person that cares about the environment and doesn’t want to resort to any overly-toxic and aggressive tactics. Luckily, there are perfectly eco-friendly ways you can keep a pest away from your home:

Keep the space clean

Your messy house is the reason why pests are attracted to it in the first place. Bugs, insects and rodents are all attracted to rotten food and warm piles of debris and mess you might be leaving all over your garden. So before you go buying any pest repellents, clean out your home of all the temptations for crawlers. Make sure to tightly seal all the food waste and throw it out in the trash. In case there are any spills and crumbs on the floor, don’t wait but clean that up immediately. Also, if you have any piles of leaves or trash in the backyard, remove them so that mice and rats don’t have a warm place to make a home.

Seal your home

You don’t want to have any pests in your home? Well, just don’t let them get inside that easily! Seal up possible entry points for insects and other pests by closing all the gaps, holes and cracks you can see in windows, doors, vents and pipes. There’s cheap caulk you can use, but you might also opt for non-toxic filler. Rodents and bugs are very sneaky and can find all sorts of entry points to your home, but by sealing all the holes, you’re at least making it much harder for them to penetrate inside.

Install a fly screen

If you often use a natural mode of ventilation and cooling (as you should), then you know how easy it is for flies, mosquitoes, moths and stink bugs to get inside and go buzzing all over your house. Well, solve this annoying problem with the best retractable fly screens on the market, which offer insect and UV protection while maintaining temperature and natural ventilation. These will look pretty sleek and sophisticated while also being super useful – it’s a win-win situation.

Use vinegar

In case a pest still manage to get inside your home, it’s time for a battle. Instead of grabbing canned sprays, you can make your own natural bug repellent with vinegar. Since bugs really do hate vinegar (it works like a charm), this common ingredient is a cheap, effective, available and eco-friendly way to keep pests away. For a practical spray solution, mix ¼ cup of white vinegar with 2 cups of water and spray this concoction on doors, doorsteps, windows and countertops to repel ants, cockroaches, spiders, etc. If you’re also repelled by the strong smell of vinegar, you can add a few drops of mint oil to make your home smell better.

Grab some plant extracts

Did you know that ants have a strong dislike for cucumber and citrus plants? Did you know that catnip is great at keeping cockroaches away? Neem tree extracts are a great natural weapon against mosquitoes, but so is lemongrass (commonly found in citronella candles and torches). Houseflies hate mint and eucalyptus. Find reliable info on plant extracts and use this natural repellent to your advantage.

Water and soap

Here’s another great and cheap trip to keep cockroaches away from your home – simple water and soap. Sure, cockroaches are very durable and can survive anything, even radiation, but they are very sensitive to soapy water. When sprayed with soapy water, bubbles create a barrier on their skin, preventing them from breathing through the surface of their bodies, causing them to suffocate. So grab your spray bottle, squeeze a few drops of dish soap inside and keep it handy for the next time you see a cockroach.

Make a DIY wasp nest

If you struggle with wasps in your yard or porch, use your DIY skills to make a fake nest to keep the real bugs away. Wasps are very respectful of other’s territories, so they won’t even try to build a nest with an existing one already there. This is not a sure way to get rid of wasps, but it gives you a 100% harmless way to at least try deterring them.

As you can see, you don’t have to pollute and poison the environment in order to keep your home free of pests. These listed battle strategies are natural and cheap and can do wonders in keeping your space pest-free.