Eco-friendly cleaners

Pest control

Ants
Sprinkle chilli powder, pepper, mint or borax in their trail.

Fleas
Vacuum regularly and sprinkle lavender or pennyroyal around infested rooms. Empty vacuum cleaner after each use. Add brewers yeast to your pet's diet, and flea comb them regularly.

Nits
Shampoo regularly with tea tree oil shampoo.

Moths
Clean all clothes, bedding and furnishing fabrics before storing because moths breed in dust and dirt. Store in plastic bags.

Insect repellant
Rub vinegar or tea tree oil on exposed areas of skin.

Flies
Keep all food and rubbish covered and clean the rubbish bin regularly. Simmer vinegar on the stove while leaving the windows open. Keep basil plants around the house.

Mosquitos
Use citronella oil or candles, plant basil or pennyroyal and eliminate all stagnant water around the house.

Recipes

Garlic spray
Blend 2 or 3 very hot chilli peppers, half an onion and one clove of garlic in 4 litres of water. Boil and leave to soak for 2 days. Strain and use. This spray can be frozen for future use and works on aphids, whitefly and caterpillars.

Soap spray
Dissolve 25 grams of pure soap in 1 litre of water.

For snails
Try setting up physical barriers such as broken eggshells, or handpicking them at night. A shallow pan of beer also attracts snails.