How to Get Rid of Bugs in Your House (Nontoxic and Effective)

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I think at some point everyone has dealt with bugs in their house – if that’s something you’re going through right now, know that you’re not alone!

Having bugs in your house does NOT mean that you are:

I do want to acknowledge that I know it feels gross though! And I’m sure you’re ready to figure out how to get rid of bugs in your house.

We have dealt with some bugs in our house. I refuse to spray any type of poison or pesticide in our yard or house, so when we were dealing with a small bug problem last year, I did everything I could to find a natural solution to keep the bugs out of our house.

And I’m happy to report that this year we have been at a much better place with bugs! Sure sometimes, we see an occasional bug, but it’s nothing we can’t just pick up and toss outside.

RELATED: Speaking of bugs! Check out this article on The Best Natural Remedy for Bug Bites

How to Get Rid of Bugs in the House

There are several things you can do to get rid of the bugs in the house that don’t involve spraying any harmful pesticides. These are kid-friendly, nontoxic, bug removal methods.

I feel like it’s worth mentioning the obvious quickly before I get too far in this article….

Clean Your Environment Each Night

If you’re dealing with bugs in your home, first PLEASE make sure you:

• Don’t leave crumbs on your floors or counters.
• Take your trash out every night.
• Clean up any and all food/leftovers.
• Make sure no dirty dishes are left out.
• Keep the food in your pantry sealed tightly in containers.
• Clean your kitchen sink and the space under the sink so there is no water left puddling up (roaches come out at night to find a source of water and under-the-sink-cabinets are a perfect spot for them to hide).

Like I said, I know those are obvious things because food and crumbs ATTRACT bugs, but I just wanted to be sure I addressed them first.

Moving on to less obvious things now!

Prevent The Bugs From Getting In

Figure out where the bugs are getting in. This can be tough because often there doesn’t seem like a clear spot.

Usually for ants, you can follow their trail and find a path where they are coming in from outside. It could be under a door, through a crack in the wall, or under the baseboards.

For Spiders and Centipedes, check for any cracks or broken seals around your doors.

For Roaches, check around the toilets, drains, or air vents.

For Earwigs/Silverfish….honestly I have no idea how these guys get in, let me know if you’ve figured it out!

Once you’ve found their hole, work on sealing it up. You may need to get a new door seal, or some liquid foam to fill a hole in the wall, baseboards, or holes near the drain.

If bugs are coming in through your air vents, it probably means you have a hole in your air conditioning system somewhere. You may need to hire someone to figure out where the hole is especially if you have an attic or your vents are somewhere hard to get to.

As a temporary fix to bugs that are coming through the vents and into the house, I recommend buying this roll of thin screening from Amazon.

I bought this role and would cut it down to the size of our vents.

Then I slid the piece of screen into the vent.

The screen blocks any bugs from getting through the vent and into the house.

It’s a perfect, cheap solution!

Put Out Traps

Sticky traps are my favorite for bugs. You do have to be careful to make sure that these are tucked back far away from where paws or little hands could touch them. I recommend keeping them under kitchen appliances, heavy wooden furniture like a piano or bookshelf, and in the back of cabinets.

We use these ones and think they work great!

These sticky traps can give you a gauge of how many bugs you have in your house in high trafficked areas. But they also immediately stop the bugs from exploring any deeper in your house.

Use Natural Remedies to Get Rid of Bugs in the House

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth is a mixture of shells and sedimentary rocks that have been ground into a fine powder. This powder can be spread on the ground to kill bugs that walk across it. According to the DE website:
“On these insects, diatomaceous earth works as a deadly powder with tiny sharp edges that can cut through their protective layer and dry them out.”

If applying DE in the house or garden, it’s important to choose Food Grade, and to also make sure that pets and little ones are not around to inhale the dust when you’re first sprinkling it!

Click here to check out a great brand of Food Grade DE on Amazon!

Rosemary Sprigs

Rosemary is an herb that is known for its bug-repelling properties. Keep some rosemary sprigs hung in your kitchen to keep pests away, or put them near the entry of where bugs are getting in (like near your doors).

Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint is another plant that repels bugs and I have read that a lot of people successfully use it to deter bugs in their homes and on their clothing too.

I think the best way would be to diffuse it, or to make a spray with some water and Peppermint Essential Oil and spray it near the hole where the bugs are getting in. Consistency is key so you would probably need to keep re-applying the spray often until the bugs realize that the smell won’t go away!

Please note: Peppermint Essential Oil is not safe around children under age 2, so if you have babies or young toddlers, do not diffuse or spray Peppermint EO around them.

Powdered Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne Pepper is also used as a bug deterrent! Sprinkle the powder near where the bugs are getting in and make a line to create a deterrent. I haven’t tried this one personally but I feel like it would work so well for Ants!

Recycle Coffee Grounds

Ants, in particular, hate the smell of coffee. You can apply a small line where the ants are coming to help push them away and keep them out for good! I have read that other bugs are repelled by coffee as well, so it’s worth a shot for multiple kinds of bugs.

I hope this article was helpful and gave you some ideas and strategies to try next time you find a pesky bug in your house!