Natural Pest Control

It doesn't seem to matter what time of year it is, we all need to have a system that works to help keep the creepy crawlies out of our cupboards, our bed and our homes etc. When I'm in the garden I love to watch the insects at work.I marvel at their ingenuity, the way they all seem to know exactly what they are doing, the beauty of watching something fulfilling its purpose,...but I really hate seeing them in my linen cupboard!

So what can you do when Spring has sprung and all about the house little creatures are looking for a new residence, or if you're unpacking the blankets from the cupboard in Autumn only to find that somethings have been nesting during the warmer months? Commercial insecticides are a danger to your health, and carry warnings on them that make one shudder. Natural alternatives are easy to come by, easy to make, and safer to apply. Here's just a few...

1. Antibacterial Spray
This is for when you've found a little nest of bitey things, or just doing some spring cleaning. Mix 5 drops of Thyme or Oregano essential oil with 500ml of filtered water. Put it into a fine mist spray bottle and spray around the area affected. Wipe away any solid mess or dead little things. No need to rinse. The residue is not toxic and will inhibit the potential for this space to be desirable for any little crawlies. If it is an area where someone has been ill, the natural antibacterial and antiviral qualities of these oils are better than ANY commercially available disinfectant. Use this spray as an everyday wipe for your doorhandles, toilet seat, vanity basin, sink and counter tops (do a spot test first to make sure the countertop you have isn't going to be damaged in any way by oils).

2. Repellent
When you have cleaned your cupboards, got them sorted out and ready to re-pack, the last thing you want to worry about it something chewing on them for Spring and Summer. Mix 10 drops of Clove or Tea Tree Oil with 500ml of filtered water. You can either spray this on or wipe it over the surfaces of your cupboards (top, sides and bottom) to prevent insects from wanting to be anywhere near your blankets and linens. Works well with jumpers and jackets too...just be mindful of what you spray it on especially if it is a delicate fabric or leather...it may mark. This can also be used to spray mattresses that have been infested with bed bugs or developed mould. Spray on and leave for about 15 minutes. Come back and scrape off dead bugs, larvae, and egg sacs. Spray again leave to dry under a fan or in the sunlight.

3. Cupboard Keepers
If you want to keep a insect free home without the fuss of sprays and potions, try some muslin or organza bags filled with dried herbs that repel insects. Choose from one or a mixture of:
Lavender
Pennyroyal
Cloves
Thyme
Oregano
Basil
or Cedarwood, and Camphor Laurel shavings
Most of the herbs could be homegrown and harvested, dried in a few weeks and used. This will enable you to 'top up' or 're-do' the bags as needed. Usually one bag is good for a whole season...that's three months for very little outlay, and, they smell pretty damn fabulous too! Hang a bag in your wardrobe, linen cupboard, pantry or storage room.

4. Surface Spray
A natural alternative to surface sprays that won't have you gagging or developing a headache. It can last for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the season. Mix 5ml each of Lemon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Peppermint and Cedarwood essential oils into a small dark glass bottle. Shake it well and add a capful to 250ml of filtered water. Spray around windows, doors and kickboards. Anywhere that you have in the past seen insects using as corridors into your home...
This 25ml mixture gives about 5 applications, which works out as an economical alternative to buying insecticides, ... and having a few days of illness from applying them...

While I've only listed a handful of useful and effective alternatives to pest control, you can find loads of them once you begin asking. And, if you begin asking why anyone wouldn't just use the commercial insecticides anyway, well, that opens up a whole new area of realisation... usually connected to why you feel so bad, or get sick so often. It has been documented that many symptoms linked to common illnesses can actually be caused by household pesticides and cleaners.

Do yourself, your family, your home and the environment a favour and repel the bugs from your home naturally. If you'd like some help making your house clean and healthy, please visit my website and inquire about a 'Home Chi' assessement. This can be a powerful tool to get help, information and organisation for you, and your home.

Fixing 'negative qi' at your front door...

Feng Shui has lots of rules and regulations doesn't it? :) And while some of it is chucklesome, some of it profound, a LOT of it is unnecessarily rigid in its 'dos' and 'donts' to the point that it drives a lot of people away, shaking their heads at the inaccessible meaning of it all...
The rules about your Front Door, Entrance or Mouth of Chi, seem endless!
Curved pathways, no pointy fences, no tapered shrubs, have certain things on the left, some things on the right..Green Dragons, White Tigers, and Red Birds...what are they on about? And there IS that fear issue when there is so much talk about 'bad luck' and 'negative qi' in a lot of the literature relating to Feng Shui. Another way of saying 'negative qi' is to say 'unbeneficial' or 'unfavourable', even 'unwanted' energy. So lets just keep to the basics and see what's needed...

Classical Feng Shui is the use of theories derived from the I Ching, The Book of Changes, which is an ancient text used not only as the fundamental for Feng Shui studies, but also for Chinese Medicine too. This is because it describes the 'types of energy' using the Trigrams (three lined drawings to 'describe' a kind of energy), and uses the Five Element Theory, which is used to balance and bring harmony to energy in any space or form. The Five Elements are, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. (I would also like to describe them as Initiation, Consolidation, Manipulation, Confluence and Growth respectively, but that's my interpretation of them....)

When you think of your Front Door, you should be considering it as the invitation you are sending out to the Universe or World. Naturally you want it to bring you the best possible energy right? So what is your front door inviting to your house? Five Element Theory can be easily implemented at the front door along with some Classical Feng Shui principles, to align your intention with your invitation to the World.

First of all start with clearing the area of anything that is ugly, sharp, smelly, broken, dangerous etc...yes, anything that is unbeneficial, unfavourable or unwanted...get rid of any possible sources of 'negative qi' ;)
Things like brooms, stinky mops and buckets, filthy shoes, grubby doormats, dead potplants, broken steps or paving that is dangerous to walk on, are just some examples of what would be called a 'Sha' energy in Classical Feng Shui. Sha basically means 'low level' or 'unbeneficial' energy. Cut back vines that can 'grab' at your visitors, and move harsh spikey plants away from the doorway if possible to remove 'pointy' energy, or the physical problem of people actually being scratched by them on the way to your door.

Then you need to follow a few guidelines of Five Element Theory to balance the overall Energy Signature of this space. You'll need to step back and observe the architecture of the area first.

Is it an open space or an enclosed space?
This will enable you to make a choice regarding colours and more...ie: do you need bright colours, more lighting, or, do you need to make some shade here, and use subdued hues...

What is the overall Element combination here?
Fire is triangular, pyramid and red, Earth is rectangular, cubic and earthy tones, Metal is circular, globular and all metallic colours as well as white, Water is wavy, irregular and dark blues or black, and finally Wood is tall, cylindrical, and all light greens, deep greens and pale blues (like a pale blue Springtime sky).
Observe the structure and identify the dominating element/s. Is it all rectangles and earthy tones of brown and beige? or have you got an abundance of woody feeling textures and colours; tall, cylindrical shapes and shades of light green from planting or paintwork....

You get the idea,...observe what Element of the five is most present, or what combination of Elements is dominating this area. Then you can choose some decorations, plants, or colours (for a doormat or paintwork) that you could implement in this area to bring about a balance of the whole five elements and create a harmonious relationship of the Elemental energies.

There is no need to use any trinkets, tassels or icons unless you want to. These things are above and beyond the necessary Elemental Balancing :) If an icon or statue resonates with you eg: an angel, a fairy, a goddess, or a Buddha, then place it at your door, because it will make YOU feel good when you walk towards it :)

If you'd like to have some more information about how to use Elemental Balancing for your front door area, and your whole home, please have a look at the Home Chi consultation offered at www.HolisticTherapyConnections.com, and contact me to make an appointment.