There are only a few “pests” that are found inside homes. These commonly found pests are often called household pests. These include bugs such as ants, beetles, true bugs, cockroaches, mites, silverfish and even flies. Household pests differ depending on the region you live in. What is common in one location might not be so common in another location. Below you will find common pests in each part of the home, as well as a few options on how to get rid of them. If you live in New Jersey you can hire a company that offers pest control services, which is one option for ALL the bugs were about to list, but there are also other things you can try first if the infestation isn’t too bad – more natural ways.

Because of how a kitchen might be set up regarding cleaning rituals, having kids, pets, or because of your location, you might be having problems with the following bugs; Ants, Mice, and Roaches. All three of these can be dangerous pests to have. Below are some ideas on how to get rid of these three bugs in a more natural manner, as well as a few other tidbits of information.

The most common ants include fire ants, carpenter ants, sugar or Pharaoh ants, and pavements ants, but there are well over 15 different other types of ants.

1- Carpenter Ants

One way to get rid of these ants is to use a boric acid mix with 1T of boric acid and 1t of something sweet like sugar, honey, or peanut butter. Mix these two items together and place them in the kitchen where you see the ants. The borax will poison the ants, and the sugar item will lead them TO the poison. Another way is to use vinegar. White vinegar can be a very annoying smell to ants and other bugs. Just mix with water and add 1T of eucalyptus, peppermint oil, cinnamon or pepper and spray it where you see the trails of ants. All of these ingredients will bother the ants, regarding smell and some of them like the eucalyptus and peppermint oil will bother them so much that they are intended to be useful because the ants won't even bother to walk by or over the mix.

2- Pharaoh Ants

For these types of ants, baiting is specifically the way to go. And using sugar and or grease baits are the best way to kill them. You want a slow acting bait that way it won't kill the foraging ants on contact. Instead, they will take it back home, and it will kill the entire colony including the queen. Unlike some pesticides which can be sprayed and will cause the colony of ants to separate off, a slow acting bait will instead lure them in and have them take the bait back – no spreading of ants to make colonies, and in a lot of cases baits are more successful than sprays.

3- Pavement Ants

Yes, pavement ants live on pavements, but if your home is a slab on grade construction you could also be finding them in your kitchen too. To get rid of these pesky buggers use the same option above for the Pharaoh ants using a sugar bait and a grease based bait. Also, if you have pavement ants, please consider sealing up any cracks in the slabs of the foundation, any holes in the walls, cracks in doors, frames and windows, etc. This will keep them away once you get rid of them, and they won't be able to get inside your house as easily – hopefully, then they will stay outside where they belong. Lastly, check your basement for water drips, for example, the heater, if it’s releasing any form of water or moisture ants, not just pavement ants, love this and will keep coming back to that location!

Cockroaches aka roaches are a pretty disturbing sight to see in any kitchen! They aren’t as common in homes as ants, but if you live in an apartment where other people might not keep their homes as clean as you do or you live in warmer climates, you could have some issues with them. There are, in all, 69 different types of roaches, but in the US there are four common ones: American, Brown Banded, German and Oriental.

1- American, Brown, German and Oriental Cockroaches:

3- To get rid of ALL these roaches naturally there are a few options. The first option is to use powdered boric acid, white flour as a binder and some white sugar – mix it all together and place it in areas where you have seen the roaches. The second option is fast and permanent to get rid of them, and that is to use boric acid, flour, and cocoa powder. The boric acid is what kills them; the flour is a binder, and the cocoa powder is what lures them in. You can also find chemical gels that are laced with bait – but you will not want to use this in a home with pets or kids because it can be dangerous to them.

If you think that just because you don’t have pets, you automatically can't have fleas – think again! Not only can you move into a house or an apartment where fleas may have once lived on a pet, but you can also get fleas from other places and other animals. One way you can get fleas is by actually bringing them into your home. That’s right; fleas can hijack your shoes, purses, and clothes and can jump off once you reach your house. Fleas can also be on other animals besides domesticated animals such as wild animals like skunks, squirrels, rats/mice and even rabbits. If you think you have fleas anywhere in the house, here are a few options for getting rid of them:

1- On your pets:

if you have fleas in your home, pets – pets that live indoors, believe it or not, there is a super simple, easy and cheap way to get rid of them. Dawn liquid. Yep. Dawn liquid will kill fleas on contact. If they are awful, more than 10, you will need to do this several times to get all of the fleas off and kill them, but it will be worth it to your pet and you!

2- On your carpet:

The salt method seems to work the best. You can either use regular old table salt, sea salt; kosher salt, etc. can all be sprinkled onto your carpets, sat overnight and then vacuumed up. This process will have to be diligently repeated over time, but it is said to work. You can also grind the salt up in a food processor for an even better option. Salt doesn’t contain any moisture, whereas borax does, so this is why the salt option works better.

1- On your furniture:

3- You can use both options above for furniture. You can use a liquid water solution with some Dawn liquid to spray furniture, or you can also use a salt spray to spray the furniture and then as it dries it can be brushed up and vacuumed away.

Once you get fleas, it will not soon be forgotten in your mind how annoying they were to have them. These are horrible and might leave you irked even after you get rid of them. Make sure that even if you DO think you’ve gotten rid of all of them that you keep an eye out, just in case. If the issue is too much and none of the options above worked, you will have to call a professional to come in and get rid of them for you in a more professional manner. There are many pest control specialists in New Jersey that you can call that would be happy to help you solve your pest problems.

One of the most common types of mice you will find in your home are aptly named house mice. Mice can be quite annoying, especially when it comes to your kitchen space, but fear not, these little guys can be gotten rid of as well. Here are a few options available to you:

1- Peppermint Oil:

You will want to use 100% pure peppermint oil for the best results. This product is safe for animals you have at home and kids, but mice hate it. Just add a few drops of this oil to cotton balls around the house or the kitchen and leave them there overnight. Peppermint oil will disappear from the cotton balls quite quickly, so replace them when necessary and repeat the process.

2- Mothballs:

65% of the time, mothballs can get rid of mice. Take the mothballs directly from the box and place them in areas where you see mice. *Note: Do not use this method if you have pets or kids; mothballs can be dangerous for both of them and will leave them very ill.

3- Get a cat

Seriously. This is a great addition to any house with mice. Cats can do their natural job and get rid of the mice for you!

Bedbugs are teeny tiny little pests, but they can be about as annoying as mosquitoes, roaches and mice all wrapped up into one tiny little package. Bedbugs, like fleas, can be picked up from outside and brought into your house – which is a pretty scary thought. One of the best ways to get rid of these bugs is by hiring a Short Hills exterminator who is a sure way of getting rid of them, but if you can't do that right now or you have to wait for an appointment, you can do a few other things to aid in trying to get rid of them right now:

1- DE or diatomaceous earth

the Diatomaceous earth is a type of material that is created from fossilized sea creatures called diatoms whose bodies are made from silicon dioxide. When handling diatomaceous earth, its non-toxic, but if inhaled it can be dangerous. This can be placed all around the house from the floorboards to the creases in the walls and ceiling to the carpets and more. Essentially what diatomaceous earth does is that it disrupts the waxy shell of the bedbugs and makes them die from dehydration. When buying diatomaceous earth ensure that you get pesticide or natural grade, not pool grade – pool grade has more insecticides in it and other dangerous chemicals.

2- Heat Zappers

Heat zappers like Zapper Bug Heaters are also a good way to get rid of these bugs that are on items like clothes, bed sheets, shoes, etc. You can also heat the diatomaceous earth up in the heat machine and place it on items that cannot be heated.

3- Kidney Bean Leaves

This one actually might sound far-fetched, but many people say it works; you just have to get your hands on some kidney bean leaves! Kidney bean leaves will trap the bug in whatever space you are trying to get them out of. The leaves have these tiny microscopic hooked hairs that catch the feet of the bedbugs onto the leaves. When this happens, and all or most all of the bed bugs get stuck, the leaves should be disposed of properly.

Natural methods are great to use, especially if you have kids or pets, but in a lot of cases even when a professional comes in, the options they offer – unless it's some bug bomb, probably won't interrupt your daily life, the life of your kids or your pets. You might be asked to leave the house for a little while if you have a bad infestation and they need to bug bomb the place. But for the most part with the issues above, you probably won't even have to leave your house, they can just come in, spray and be done with it. Over time, you will begin to see fewer critters, and you will see a big difference when it comes to them NOT coming back!