Dealing with household insects and/or rodents, etc.

A family member just moved into a rental home, that is infested with household insects. They hired a company to come out and spray the house, before moving in, but the pesty buggers were still rampant. So, with little money, we were trying to find a way to solve this problem. You'll need to follow the instructions and cautions if you have small children and pets. Here is the website that gave us an idea, that we are trying out on their home...

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/doityourself/qt/Roach_Killer.htm

Another thing is ants. Because the weather is changing, our own home was invaded by ants! Well, we were told to put pepermint oil on cotton balls and put them out, where ever we were seeing the ants. We opted for mint flavored chewing gum, which worked! Simply open the gum, and lay it out, on the wrapper. Keep it dry. Within a day or two, no more ants. This past summer, I planted mint all around the foundation of our home. All summer, while the mint was thriving, we never saw ants inside.

Here's a hint using moth balls. The smell is supposed to keep rodents away. We placed moth balls in open jars, (puch a few holes in the lid) and placed it under our cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom, and also placed some in our attic and shed. Please note that moth balls are not good around animals and small children.

Another trick for keep rodents at bay, and that seems to work, is whole cloves and mint sachets. Of course, you will have to put new ones out every so often. This one is safe around pets and children.

What have you found to work?