Peppermint leaves
Peppermint oil is said to repel spiders.
(Photo provided)
As the world strives to become greener, cleaner and healthier, numerous ideas are flooding the Internet for ways to tidy up, repel pests and improve personal hygiene using everyday, natural household items that we normally would eat, drink or cook with.
Many readers have tried some natural remedies including these and other ideas.
Melissa Bolden of Pennsville has soaked cotton balls in boric acid, sugar and water to get rid of ants.
“The sugar attracts the ants, but the boric acid is what kills them,” she said. “They come and eat it and take it back to the nest and they die.”
Deneen Painter-Roberts, also of Pennsville, puts red pepper in her bird feeder to keep the squirrels out.
“I’ve done it for years,” she said. “The pepper doesn’t bother the birds.”
Christopher Burns of Deepwater said a spray made of red pepper also keeps insects away from garden plants.
“I’ve tried some stuff and it seems to work a bit,” he said.
Heili Erika Sillard of Sea Girt, the host of Heili's Healthy Haven group on Facebook.com, discovered several natural remedies shortly after her son was born.
"It all started when I was still nursing and I was researching natural dietary supplements I could take while nursing," Sillard said. "I found 'Skinny Fiber' and lost 16 pounds in two months, so I initially started the group because I wanted to find more natural ways for weight loss. Now, I want to live a less chemical-infused life for my son, and basically integrate ways of being healthy and eating and living clean."
Some of her favorite ideas involve vinegar and baking soda.
“I use vinegar a lot more than I used to, and baking soda can be used for tons of things, too,” she said. “Vinegar is a great ant repellent when you mix it with water and put it into a spray bottle. Spray it around the windows and sink. Where you have food, you don’t want chemicals.”
Vinegar is also a great substitute for expensive, chemical-laden cleaning products.
“Put a cup of vinegar and hot water into the microwave and run it for 10 minutes,” Sillard said. “It steam cleans the inside of the microwave. It’s the only way I clean my microwave because if you use something like 409, the next time you cook in there, that chemical gets on your food. People don’t think about things like that.”
Vinegar isn’t the only food product that repels insects.
“You can use peppermint as a spider repellent. You use the essential oil, add it to a spray bottle. You can spray that everywhere too because it’s all natural,” she said.
Also, poke approximately 10 cloves into a half lemon to repel wasps and bees outdoors this summer.
“It does work,” Sillard said.
And she plans to put cinnamon to the test as soon as the weather warms up.
“I definitely want to try the cinnamon in the sandbox idea,” she said.
Cinnamon is said to keep insects, ants and even the neighborhood cats out of the sandbox.
“I’m definitely doing that for my son this summer,” said Sillard.
Sillard said sharing these and other ideas has been an interesting and educational journey.
“It’s neat because people from all over the world read it, not just those in New Jersey,” she said of her Facebook group page. “I’m not an expert, but I guess that’s appealing, because I’m learning right along with everyone. If I don’t know the answer to something, I tell them we’ll figure it out together. I’m learning a lot of things that are beneficial to me and it’s nice to see I’m helping others also.”
Visit Sillard's group at www.facebook.com/groups/heilishealthyhaven.
Other helpful, natural remedies:
* Oatmeal can be used to treat acne, smooth skin and deodorize the refrigerator.
* Dab some ketchup onto a soft cloth and gently rub the surface of your copper or brass fixtures, pots and pans, even headstone plaques. Once the metal is polished and clean, rinse with warm water and enjoy the shine.
* Immediately pour vodka onto skin that has come in contact with poison ivy to avoid the uncomfortable reaction. The alcohol washes away the urushiol oil which causes the rash.
* Vodka can also give your flowers longer life. Add a few drops of vodka and a teaspoon of sugar to the water in your flower vase to keep flowers fresh longer. Change out the mixture with fresh ingredients daily.
* While drinking your favorite vodka drink at the next summer picnic, pour some of that clear liquid into a tiny squirt bottle. Spray your skin with vodka to repel bugs, or squirt directly on an insect to kill it on the spot.
* Bay leaves can be spread around in the garden to deter insects including ladybugs.
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* Honey is an excellent exfoliate and can soften skin when made into a sweet scrub mixed with ground almonds and lemon juice. Honey can also be an energy booster when mixed into a cup of tea.
* Soak tea bags in ice cold water, then apply to puffy, red eyes as compresses. The tea will rejuvenate your face while removing the redness and puffiness from the eyes.
Contact staff writer Kelly Roncace at 856-686-3647 or [email protected].
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