You are minding your business by making a sandwich, and suddenly, an ant scurries across the countertop, sipping coffee, when, shockingly, a cockroach crawls toward you. Or maybe the ant is staging a full-on invasion of your pantry, treating your groceries like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Let's be honest: no one signed up for the pest party that inevitably crashes your home at any time.

Household pests are the uninvited guests that never RSVP but still show up with zero manners. Luckily, I’ve got your back with some tried-and-true (and occasionally hilarious) ways to kick these critters to the curb using stuff you probably already have lying around. Let’s dive into the rogue’s gallery of the most common household pests and how to send them packing.

Cockroaches

The immortal ninjas, and the survival of the Nuclear bomb. I once flipped on my kitchen light at 2 a.m. and saw one doing what I can only describe as a victory lap across my countertop. My scream woke the dog, who stared at me like, “You’re on your own, lady.” 

These creatures are tricky, sneaky, and can spread bacteria. They love warmth, darkness, and, unfortunately, food. You might not even see them during the day, but they come out at night to scavenge.

Solution: 

  • Baking soda and sugar - my go-to trick for getting rid of cockroaches is to mix equal parts of these ingredients and sprinkle them on their favorite hangout spots: under the sink, along baseboards, or near that crumb-covered corner you keep meaning to clean.
  • Dish soap and water - For the spot-on solution, mix the dish soap solution with water(1:4 ratio) and hit the roach with a direct shot. If you miss, spray near or on their hiding spot. This will suffocate them, and you can claim your countertop again.
  • Borax and peanut butter - Take a dash of borax and mix it with peanut butter(that laundry booster hiding in your closet) at a ratio of 1:2. The mixture should have a dough-like consistency. Make small balls and roll them under the fridge and kitchen sink. Keep them away from kids and pets. 
  • Seal the Entrance - roaches are small and can easily squeeze their body into tiny holes to block their entrance with chalk. To seal the gap around pipes, windows, or that sketchy hole behind the stove. It’s not a quick kill, but it stops the invasion before it starts. Pair it with keeping your kitchen crumb-free. Roaches won’t stick around if there’s no buffet.
  • Peppermint oil - Dilute the peppermint oil in a spray bottle to a 1:10 ratio. Spritz it around every corner. Roaches hate the smell; it's like their kryptonite. This will also give the kitchen a pleasant aroma. 

Ants

The uninvited party crashers. I once watched a tiny ant carrying a Cheetos crumb that was double her size as it was training for the Insects Olympics.  Ants are small, relentless, and too good at crashing our spaces. 

Solution:

  • Vinegar - Dilute vinegar with water and wipe every part of the kitchen or home. This will prevent ants and is a good antibacterial spray for cleaning. Vinegar works on ants by deactivating their senses, making them escape the scent.
  • Honey and Borax - the sweet goodbye to creepy crawlies. Grab some honey (that sticky jar you forgot about) and borax (maybe from your laundry stash—just a pinch!). Mix a teaspoon of each into a gloopy paste, then dab it on a cardboard or a bottle cap and set it near their hotspot. They will come for a bite and take it back to the colony. Kaboom! The problem is solved. Borax will make their gut system to stop keep it away from kids. 
  • Dish soap - works on ants just as it works on Roaches.
  • Cinnamon - Sprinkle ground cinnamon on doorways, windowsills, and all the cracks to prevent their entrance. They hate the smell.

Mouse/Mice

The sneaky snacks thieves. Like a roommate you never wanted, they are cute until you catch them chewing through your cereal box, wooden door, designer clothes, or your favorite house plant. Their front teeth proliferate, so they must scrape them daily by nibbling on anything in front of them. 

It only takes one mouse to create a colony, and they can chew through wires, furniture, and food. They tend to be more active during colder months, seeking shelter and warmth.

Solutions:

  • Peanut butter Mousetrap - put peanut butter as bait on Snaptrap. They couldn’t resist the nutty goodness and will always fall for it.
  • Peppermint Oil - Add a few drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle filled with water. You can soak cotton balls in the solution and tuck them near their entry point.
  • Steel wool - Mice cannot chew through steel. Stuff it into cracks around the house. 
  • Baking Soda Bait - Mix equal amounts of baking soda, Flour, and sugar. Sprinkle it in a swallow dish where you’ve seen a mouse tracks. This sneaky snack sabotages them and stops them from coming back again. 

Spiders

The introverts of the pest world that creep everyone out. They are great for eating other bugs, but they set up a trap with their web to catch their prey, which causes skin allergies and sinus issues, making our house look like a haunted house. So, getting bit by the spider will not turn you into a spider-man; you are not Peter Parker, but it might give you an allergic reaction and, if not treated well, will make you run to the doctor for help, too. 

Solution:

  • Vinegar spray - This spray works like a charm to evict almost all insects, including spiders. When I once sprayed it in my house, it smelled like a pickle factory, but the results were worth it.
  • Lemon Peel - rub lemon peel on all possible places like baseboards, window sills, or where you have seen them crawling. Or you can spray lemon essential oil. The scent will work like a kryptonite. This will leave the house smell like a candy shop. 
  • Dish Soap Trap - Diluted dish soap will make them run away, suffocating them and making your house spider-free. 
  • Peppermint oil - The mint repellent is an easy DIY. Dip a cotton ball in it and tuck it in near the door frame, under the furniture and cracks.
  • Declutter the space - Spiders love good hideouts, so don't leave a place in your house for them to hide. Keep clutter to a minimum, and they’ll have nowhere to shop.

Fruit Flies

The annoying buzzing sound creators. They might be small, but they’re relentless little lushes. I’ve had this happen. I left a banana out too long, and the next thing I know, my kitchen’s hosting a fruit fly rave. One even dared to land in my wine glass, doing a little backstroke like, “Cheers, mate!” They’re tiny annoying, and they’ve got a PhD in crashing your vibe.

Solution:

  • Apple Cider Vinegar Trap - pour a half inch of apple into a bowl or jar, add a drop of dish soap to break the surface tension, and cover it with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the top with a toothpick. They will dive in for a sip and will get stuck.
  • Red wine Trap -  If you’ve got a splash of red wine left (or a bottle past its prime), pour a bit into a cup, add a drop of dish soap, and leave it uncovered. Fruit flies are suckers for fermentation. It’s like their VIP invite. They’ll swarm in, get tipsy, and drown in their party. I once sacrificed a bit of my Pinot and felt like a martyr, muttering, “This better work.” It did—flies gone, wine well-spent.
  • Over ripe fruit trap - put the over-ripe fruit in a bowl cover it with plastic. Poke some holes with a toothpick. They will go in and will be trapped. 
  • Mopping - Add a few drops of menthol or peppermint oil to a bucket and dip the mop in. Now, slide the mop around every corner of the house to create a no-fly zone. 

Bed Bugs 

Microbes are parasitic bugs that need the human body to live. I have spent weeks trying to figure out why my body has red, itchy spots all over, but Google helped me by telling me the reason is not cancer—it's a bug.   

The most common places to find bed bugs include your mattress, bedding, and bedroom furniture. They can also appear in cracks along your walls, floors, and even in your electrical outlets! They’re known hitchhikers, usually traveling from one home to the next on bookbags, suitcases, or clothing.  

Solution:

  • Washing clothes with hot water -  they won't survive in sizzling temperatures.
  • Vacuum attack them -  you can suck the hidden bugs out by vacuuming your bedding set and other places. 
  • The dusty death trap - sprinkle some pizza seasoning or dried herbs, wait for them to come, and quickly vacuum attack them.
  • Rubbing alcohol -  cleaning with rubbing alcohol will prevent them from pollinating. 
  • Natural UV treatment - place the mattress or your infected blanket in the sunlight for a day.

So next time you see a bug claiming your space, grab this helpful DIY and claim your house again. 

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