Get rid of the creepy crawlies with natural insect repellents this summer. There’s no need to use pesticides in your home! Natural insect repellents are just as effective as those full of chemicals — and cheaper, too! Natural insect repellents are also safer to use around kids and pets. Though natural insect repellents have to be applied more often than pesticides, you don’t have to spend a lot to make them as you probably have the ingredients.

Here’s how to repel 6 common insects around your home, naturally.

Spiders

Did you know that spiders have their taste buds on the tips of their legs? They also hate certain natural oils including citrus, lavender, peppermint, citronella, cinnamon, tea tree and cloves. Make your own natural spider deterrent by mixing 1 quart of water, 5 drops of essential oil, and 5 drops of soap. Shake well and then spray on cobwebs, around your lawn and garden, and windows. Reapply the spray once a week during peak spider seasons. Prevent spider bites by using a vacuum cleaner to suck up spiders and cobwebs.

Ants

If the ants are marching down one by one into your home, getting rid of them is easy. Here are some options: Use a chalk to draw a line and they won’t dare cross it. Ants also detest cayenne pepper, so sprinkle some wherever they are coming through.

Mosquitoes

I skip sprays that contain DEET — an active ingredient in many bug spays — as there’s an ongoing debate about whether DEET is safe. An easy way to repel insects (and vampires!) is to eat more garlic. Drinking apple cider vinegar is another option. Mosquitoes can’t stand plants such as horsemint, rosemary, marigolds, ageratum, agastache cana, and catnip so make sure to plant these in your backyard before your next barbeque. Don’t have a green thumb? Throw sage and rosemary on your grill to burn and repel mosquitoes. You can also make your own mosquito repellent by putting crushed parsley in a jar of apple cider vinegar. Then just rub the concoction on your skin. Citronella candles also work!

Bedbugs

Last year, our sofa was invaded by bedbugs. Yuck! You may recall I wrote about getting rid of bedbugs on a budget. My secret: Diatomaceous Earth. Just sprinkle the stuff on the infested items. Buy a 10 lb bag of food grade Diatomaceous Earth from Amazon for only $13! This stuff lasts a long time and really works.

Roaches

A dusting of Diatomaceous Earth does wonders during the hot summer months to combat all sorts of bugs. I like to sprinkle some powder under the bottom of our fridge since this is where roaches love to hide.

Silverfish

Silverfish can live without food for 1 year so once you get them it will be hard to get rid of them. They enjoy cereal grains, starches, paper (watch out if you have wallpaper), book glue, silks, cotton and more. Use cucumber peels to repel silverfish naturally. Cut thick strips of cucumbers and place them anywhere you see silverfish. The silverfish should be gone once the strips dry up. If they stick around, replace the dried cucumber strips with fresh ones and repeat the process.

Have bugs in your garden? I share cheap and natural methods to control pests in your garden.

What natural insect repellents do you use?