Hardly anyone wants to share their space with ants, mice, and spiders. But these creatures won’t be needing your permission to invade your home and build a colony.
When they do, it’s hard to find methods to get rid of them without exposing the household to toxic chemicals. Again, it’s also difficult to find solutions (such as hiring professional pest control) that won’t cost you hundreds of dollars.
But what if you found an effective and cheap way to make them move out of your home? An Instagram influencer has recently shown us how.
In a video, Nicole Jaques (@itsnicolejaques) shared several methods of keeping pests out of your home. For ants, she uses cinnamon oil to keep them off the kitchen counter.
Cinnamon oil produces some spicy heat and a strong aroma that ants cannot stand. Cinnamon oil contains cinnamaldehyde, a compound that interferes with an ant’s ability to locate food sources and send news to their colony.
You can make an ant spray in seconds by mixing cinnamon oil with water. If you like, you also have the option of boiling it with water to increase its potency. To apply, you should locate entry points and places where the ants are usually sighted. Then spray the cinnamon in such areas.
For Mice, cinnamon comes to the rescue yet again. Cinnamon sticks are a major threat to mice’s existence when used together with cloves and peppermint oil. Their combined scent disturbs the respiratory system of mice. Just combine these three ingredients in a mesh bag and place it in the house as Nicole suggests.
Cinnamon sticks will also keep spiders away from the bookshelves and the corners of your walls. Those arachnids also hate the smell of cinnamon and won’t mind keeping off your home to avoid them.
If fruit flies have found a resting place in your home, Nicole has a solution for you – wine corks. In her own words, “authentic wine corks.”
Wine corks are made from tree backs, which also contain a substance called tannins. This substance possesses a smell too strong for fruit flies to bear. Just place the wine corks on your kitchen counter or any other appropriate location, and you won’t need to worry about the flies.
The video proved immensely helpful to its viewers, who dropped over two thousand comments appreciating her tips and even asking for more. One user asked about solutions for water bugs. Nicole replied with a little bit of humor. “Drain the water? Negative just kidding! Scatter coffee grounds, boric acid, or baking soda all around areas where you see them.”
Another user commented, “‘YES’ please. Thank you much. We’ve had quite the ant issue this year.” Nicole replied by saying, “Infestations need borox and powdered sugar left out near them to eliminate their nests. These are just good to keep them out!”
It’s important to note that while cinnamon has proven effective in combating the ant menace, do not expect to see a hundred dead ants in one fell swoop. Pest eradication isn’t always an instant process. So, while at it, you can take precautions such as keeping your food in air-tight containers to prevent infestations.
