Pests proliferate in our homes and we are increasingly faced with having to deal with them in our daily lives. According to an Ipsos survey, over the past five years, 62% of French people, or 30.8 million people, have faced at least one infestation of “pests” in their homes. The number of people affected has doubled between 2017 and 2021.
Prioritize the effectiveness of gels
Sophie Cointe, deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine 60 million consumers devoted to pests, returns to this subject in the program Well done for you and reveals the best ways to get rid of it. “The rats loved the confinement and they currently love the garbage collectors’ strikes”, reports Sophie Cointe at the microphone of Europe 1.
There are more and more rats in cellars and in chicken coops. Rodents also have the unfortunate ability to climb walls and sneak into pipes. To scare them away, there are certain techniques such as planting repellent plants like mint, bay leaf and hyacinth to deter them. Regarding mosquitoes, there are many repellents that do not put our health at risk, repellents that contain less harmful molecules than synthetic ones. Nevertheless, it is necessary to avoid, as much as possible, to use insecticides and to install a mosquito net would be also effective, always according to the journalist.
Against insects it is better to use aerosols and sprays. “Ideally, it’s still the use of sprays because you put less of them in the atmosphere. In general, the most effective would be to have a gel. So for mosquitoes, it’s not appropriate, but a gel, a spray, it will always be less harmful to health than the aerosol”, reports Sophie Cointe at the microphone of Europe 1.
“The vacuum cleaner is a very good friend”
There are also basic and natural products that we should have in our cupboards such as diatomaceous earth which would be very effective against insects, especially against cockroaches. These are small particles of silica that act like razors in insects that breathe it. Some people are allergic to it, it is recommended to do a test before using it on a large scale.
The most effective against cockroaches remains the use of a vacuum cleaner. “In the fight against pests, in general, the vacuum cleaner is a very good friend,” says Sophie Cointe, deputy editor of 60 million consumers.
“Avoid insecticides in contact with food”
The latter recommends cleaning its housing from top to bottom with vinegar and soapy substances. “You must also avoid insecticides in contact with food. Empty your cupboards, throw away all the packages that have been contaminated. Clean the whole cupboard where you put your rice and your pasta with white vinegar. You can put peppercorns and a little garlic, garlic cloves, so as to have a smell that will be repellent to pests”, says Sophie Cointe.
To protect yourself from bedbugs, there are a number of behaviors to adopt. It is recommended to vacuum the bedding, taking care not to forget the slightest corner and clean your linen and textiles at 60 degrees.