Harmless Ways To Keep Insects Out of Your Home

Cockroaches spread diseases and trigger asthma. Bedbugs suck blood, trigger lawsuits and demand expensive, extensive efforts at eradication. What's a person to do?

Insecticides are potent neurotoxins which can adversely effect human health. Therefore it's in our interest to take these simple steps to prevent an infestation, and use insecticides as last resort:

1. Because cockroaches easily chew through cardboard and plastic, keep all food inside airtight glass jars and/or he refrigerator/freezer. Save jars and glass juice bottles, wash and dry them; or buy mason jars at hardware or kitchen supply stores. (You can find really big mason jars that are easy to use).
2. Put all take-out food containers and discarded food wrappers inside the refrigerator until you take them to the downstairs trash bins.
3. Put sanitary pads and nail clippings inside airtight jars until you take them to the downstairs trash, because cockroaches will eat blood and nail clippings.  
4. Put dish soap and hot water in dirty pans; and also wash all dirty dishes (including glasses) within one hour.
5. Stop using fruity and/or flowery smelling detergents, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and "air fresheners." Replace them with the more neutral coconut and shea butter based products (such as Everyday Coconut) in addition to using peppermint soap (such as Nubian Heritage hand soap or Alaffia African Black Soap with Peppermint) because cockroaches hate peppermint. Replace "air fresheners" with pure baking soda that you find in the baking supplies aisle in grocery stores. Replace fruity/flowery dish soap with one that has lemongrass as an ingredient, because mosquitos hate lemongrass. Replace scented, petroleum/chemical based laundry detergent with unscented, sodium based laundry detergents such as Planet or 365 Everyday. (The sea creatures will be grateful, and so will your skin). 
6. Avoid drinking beer at home or immediately wash beer containers with soap, because cockroaches love beer. 
7. Replace sweet tasting toothpaste which attracts cockroaches to your toothbrush with peppermint toothpaste (such as Desert Essence) which will repel cockroaches.
8. Fix leaks and/or put Ajax with Bleach inside drip catching pans. 
9. Keep clothing purchases inside airtight plastic bags until you launder them (preferably in hot water). 
10. Do NOT bring home clothing or furniture you find on the street.
11. Do NOT buy mattresses from companies that allow customers to return or exchange them.
12. Seal bags and boxes anytime you're going to ride a bus, train, taxicab, rented vehicle, airplane, boat, ship -- or even a friend's car/truck -- since these may harbor insects that would love to hitch a ride and return to your home. 
13. Purchase soft luggage bags that you can wash in hot water when you return from out-of-town. Keep them wrapped in air-right plastic until washing them in hot water.
14. Place luggage inside the bathtub immediately upon entering your hotel room. Inspect mattresses, bed frame, behind pictures, nightstand, luggage rack and closet for bedbugs. Bring a flashlight as bedbugs nymphs are pale, and bedbugs only turn dark when full of blood.
15. Personally inspect furniture and books for bedbugs before purchasing them, or immediately upon receiving them. Be aware that IKEA products are (reportedly) sometimes infested with bedbugs.
16. Instead of purchasing upholstered furniture, purchase wood, bamboo, metal or fiberglass furniture with removable cushions that have covers you can take off and wash. 
17. Seal cracks and joins in furniture, and in walls, cabinets and floorboards with joint compound -- which you can purchase at hardware stores.
18. Put screens on your windows. 
19. Avoid wearing colognes, perfumes, and scented deodorants which attract mosquitos (and other winged, stinging insects). Instead, put whole cloves (anti-bacterial and smell good) and lemongrass (smells good and repels mosquitos) in your pockets AND wear unscented deodorant (such as Lafes) with a thin dusting of pure baking soda to seal it.