ChatterTip of the Month September 2009

Natural Remedies for Indoor Pests!

In the last bulletin we gave you some remedies for insect bites and sunburn. So now, as the Summer ends and Fall approaches, we are moving our lives back indoors again – along with some unwanted room-mates! Here are some natural remedies for a few of them…

Cockroaches – place dried bay leaves all around the baseboard, cracks and corners of the room, kitchen cupboards, stove etc. You’d be amazed at how such a nice-smelling and affordable herb can be such an effective deterrent. Another interesting mixture is to take 1 cup of Plaster of Paris, 2 cups of oatmeal and a quarter of a cup of sugar. Mix well together and place around the edges of the floor, especially in dark corners and chinks.

Mice – if you don’t have a cat, then you may well have a mouse problem – like I do! Take some cotton wool balls and sprinkle a few drops of Oil of Peppermint on them. Place the cotton balls in all the corners and possible cracks wherever the mice might squeeze through.

Moths – to protect your Winter sweaters, fill a little muslin bag with cedar wood shavings. Allspice and thyme are also said to work well and smell a lot nicer than those camphor moth balls!