We are deep into Spring and while I absolutely love seeing the flowers bloom, the trees grow new bright green leaves and hearing the birds singing, I will admit that I don’t love the bugs.  Actually I don’t mind the bugs if they’re outdoors - I do mind them indoors - especially spiders in my bed… but I am getting ahead of myself!

I do have my windows and doors open most of the time in Spring so it is natural that some bugs will get inside…. but we have a yearly issue with both ants and spiders.  Luckily after a lot of trial and error we have our go to repellents and - I promise you-they are totally non-toxic and work.  

I get asked about ants and spiders most often and these happen to be the ones that we get most at home… so let’s look at how to get rid of ants and spiders without toxic chemicals.

First up:  ANTS

But first…. why not use an over the counter ant spray?

Growing up my dad used to spray our house with RAID.  UGH ! I still remember how bad the smell was and my mom telling us to go outside while she would tell my dad off for using those toxic chemicals inside our house.   But, many families still use products like RAID.   Why are they harmful?

WE  know that children are more susceptible than adults to pesticides and insecticides in general because they spend more time in contact with the ground, their bodies break down chemicals differently (a baby or young child’s immature liver and kidneys cannot remove pesticides from the body as well as an adult's liver and kidneys) , and their skin is thinner.

According to scientists at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. “Children exposed to insecticides inside their homes have a 47 percent higher risk of developing certain cancers in childhood, 

When we look at the ingredients  found in Raid and other brands like Ortho, Spectracide and Bayer Advanced these are some of the active ingredients:

piperonyl butoxide: According to a Duke university  study  it “disrupts a biological signaling system that is “critical in neurological development…the disruption of this critical pathway “may be the molecular basis for profound developmental defects in children exposed in utero to PBO.”

pyrethroids: Both Raid and Ortho use chemicals in this class. In insects, these chemicals causes the ion channels in nerve cells to remain open too long, which makes neurons fire repeatedly, resulting in paralysis and death.  The chemical has been linked to ADD in children and other behavioral problems and The U.S. EPA classifies bifenthrin as a possible human carcinogen, based on studies in mice.

Fragrance:   endocrine disrupting chemicals including phthalates and a long list of undisclosed chemicals

Liquefied Saturated Hydrocarbons: Raid uses a mix of propylene, butanes, and butylenes as propellant. These are flammable and can cause breathing difficulties.

Imidacloprid (used in Bayer Advanced) :  caused reproductive effects including reduced bone growth in rat and rabbit babies.  In humans, frequent exposure (self-reported by parents) to imidacloprid applied as flea and tick treatments for pets (Advantage by Bayer) during pregnancy was associated with an up to four-fold elevated risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-3.9) in prenatally-exposed children. 

Lambda-Cyhalothrin: The active ingredient  in Spectracide is a neurotoxin and known endocrine disruptor

In a nut shell - these products have ingredients that can be harmful to humans, especially children- so it is just best not to use them inside your homes.  The good news is that there are completely non-toxic alternatives which, when used with other preventive measures (this is called integrative pest management)  can completely solve your pest issues most of the time.

STEP ONE:  PREVENTION

The most important thing is to prevent attracting ants in the first place.  This means make sure your kitchen is clean: Wash countertops, floors, and cabinets with equal parts vinegar and water and avoid eating around the house to avoid leaving food bait for ants.  

Do your kids eat snacks and leave crumbs around the house?  Make sure those get cleaned as those attract ants!

STEP 02: When you start seeing ants- dont kill them- instead observe them. The first few might be scouting ants but try to find their point of entry. If the POE is large, seal it off with non-toxic caulk. If its small move on to step 03

STEP 03 Deter.  Any of these options are non-toxic alternatives that will effectively deter ants from taking up residence inside your home.

• Mint: Ants do not like mint. Planting mint in the perimeter of your home is a great way to deter ants from entering 

  Peppermint is a natural insect repellant- you can also drop organic peppermint essential oil in the suspected point of entry or soak a cotton ball and place it in the entry point .  Dilute 15 -20 drops with 1/4 c water ( You’ll need to keep sprinkling every few days to effectively deter the ants from coming in)

• Vinegar: 50/50 vinegar ( the same DIY cleaner you might be using to clean around the house)- leave some in areas where the ants like to walk- or spray it directly on them ( it will kill them)

• Cinnamon- if an ant inhales cinnamon, it suffocates and dies. You can spread it on an ant trail or in a suspected point of entry as a deterrent ( You’ll need to keep sprinkling every few days to effectively deter the ants from coming in)

• Baking soda mixed with confectionary sugar - This will kill ants- for more severe infestations; sugar attract the ants, they will take it back to their nest to eat. Baking soda kills ants by drying out their bodies.

• or cream of tartar- there is something about white powder that ants really dont like and wont cross. Pour a line of cream of tartar or a mix of baking soda and confectionary sugar where they enter the house, and they will not cross over it. 

• Citrus: ants really don’t like citrus-  Sprinkle some citrus peels or lemon juice on an ant trail or infested area and you will disrupt the ant line and they will not come back.

NEXT: SPIDERS

Spiders- ugh I can deal with ants, I can even deal with daddy long legs but any other spider freaks me out.  I do know, however, that most spiders wont harm us and can be beneficial for our ecosystem…  so while I really dislike them I  dont want to go around the house killing spiders; I want to show the kids how to be kind to nature and protect spiders so - the struggle is real for me.

STEP 01: if it is not a poisonous spider ( In my defense I did see a couple of black widows in our old house) try to gently grab it with a tissue and let it loose outside.... There are special bug catcher hand vacuum like this  that don’t have a lot of sucking power made specially to gently grab spiders so that you can safely release them outside.  Bonus: kids love to use them!

STEP 02:  DETER

• Spiders do not like peppermint/ spearmint essential oils- so choose one and make your own ‘ spider spray’ by mixing 15-20 drops to 1/4 cup water. Spray around the house- remember closets and shoes, under beds ( note: essential oils will stain upholstery) in toy areas as well as outside around outdoor furniture, garages, outdoor toys. 

• Chestnuts: place a couple of closet corners, window sills or anywhere where you find spider webs

*important: Chestnuts, mint and cinnamon can be allergens. If you have a family member that is allergic do not use these methods!!

*please note: this post contains affiliate links