Spider Repellent

Spiders hate peppermint, so sprinkle dried peppermint leaves or spray a mixture of peppermint essential oil and water in the dark and cluttered spidery places to deter them.

Mosquito Repellent

The mosquito population can be limited by taking care to prevent standing/stagnant water around your yard to prevent them from reproducing, but you might still have some pesky little insects around.

Wearing light clothing will help to deter them, along with staying out of their reach during the dawn and dusk hours, but neither method is foolproof (or always practical).

Neem oil is said to repel mosquitoes, even in small amounts. Add a dropper-full to your favorite lotion and apply as needed.

Alternatively, the following recipe can be sprayed on and rubbed into exposed skin to deter mosquitoes:

2oz (4 Tbsp) Apple Cider Vinegar, Witch Hazel, Olive Oil or coconut oil
50 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil
20 Drops Lemon or Orange Essential Oil

Other essential oils that can be added as substitutes in the mixture are catnip, lemon eucalyptus, lemongrass, citronella, cinnamon, cedarwood, juniper, lavender and tea tree oil.

Household Fly Repellent

If you are plagued with flies, try putting eucalyptus oil on a small rag and leaving it in the fly-zone to make it a fly-free zone.

Alternatively, make small cheesecloth bags, fill them with crushed herbs (eucalyptus, mint, bay leaf or clove) and hang them around the house to repel flies.

Household Ant Control

If getting an anteater (and keeping it in the house) will not work for you, there are other options available to control the number of ants that invade your house. In some cases it could be as easy as wiping surfaces with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water or sprinkling cayenne or cinnamon powder around the doorways and windows to discourage ants from entering. In other cases, a stronger solution may be necessary.

1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Boric Acid

Mix the ingredients in a jar and shake until the sugar and boric acid are dissolved.

Fill a deep lid or small bowl with the mixture and set it out where the ants will find it (out of reach of children and/or pets).

The ants will collect and drink their fill, then after a day or two they will simply disappear.

Use the remaining solution to repeat the process if/when the next bunch of ants tries to move in.

Household Cockroach Control

To control and perhaps eliminate roaches, sprinkle borax in hard-to-reach areas such as behind the refrigerator, or put a lid in the back of a cabinet with some borax in it. After a few days the cockroaches will disappear.

Garden Bug Control

Spray plants with a mixture of peppermint liquid soap and water (using 1 tablespoon liquid soap per gallon of water) to kill aphids and other bugs.

Also, try a solution of neem oil mixed with water to leave plants bug-free.