Month: May 2023

If you want to keep insects out of your home this summer but are unsure or unwilling to use chemical insecticides, don’t panic.

There are plenty of non-toxic repellents that can be made using only natural things you can find in your home already or through a trip to the local garden centre.

Read on to learn more about the soapy, fruity, or plant based methods you can use to tackle ants, wasps, and flying insects.

Please note that the methods mentioned below are designed to help a pest free property protected from future insect infestations, NOT to deal with an active infestation. If you have seen, or have reason to believe that there is, a well established pest problem in your home, don’t hesitate to contact a local BPCA professional pest control company such as http://harveyenviro.co.uk/. Professional pest controllers have extensive experience in identifying and eliminating a wide variety of different insect pests using insecticides, habitat modification, heat treatments, fumigation and more.

7 natural insect repellents

Chemical based insect repellents can be incredibly effective in the right hands, but their toxic ingredients can also pose a threat to humans and pets if not used appropriately. Many people looking to pest proof their home would rather not take this risk and instead look for natural alternatives that insects detest but are harmless for both their families and their furry friends.

1) Citrus spray

Spiders are a common fear of many, but you might find these 8 legged friends a bit less scary once you realise that they are as scared of lemons as you are of them.

Wiping your surfaces with a mixture of citrus and water will help to keep spiders at bay. In order to spread the scent effectively but your mixture into a spray bottle or place lemon peels in and around plants in your home and garden.

2) Vinegar

Vinegar is just as effective as citrus when it comes to repelling creepy-crawlys in particular ants who despise the scent. If you have seen evidence of ant activity in your home or garden, mix water and vinegar together and spread it in the effected areas. This will hopefully disrupt the ants pheromone trails that they leave to help other colony members navigate and reduce the risk of the pests returning to your property any time soon.

3) Fake Wasp nests

When looking for a prime location to build their nests, one of the biggest things that wasps will look out for is other wasp nests, and will avoid the area if one is detected. This highly territorial behaviour can be used to your advantage this summer, by installing your very own fake nest. Realistic replicas of wasp nests can be purchased online, and wasps are extremely unlikely to build anywhere in close proximity.

4) Spread coffee grounds

Who doesn’t love to wake up and smell the coffee? Mosquitoes, that’s who. In fact, whilst many of us can’t function without the scent and taste of a strong expresso to wake us up each morning, mosquitoes find it completely repugnant and there is even some research to suggest that the grounds of coffee can actually kill mosquito larvae.

Rather than simply chucking out your used coffee grounds tomorrow morning, consider spreading them in damp areas of your garden to build up the strength of your mosquito protection.

5) Plant fresh basil

There are a number of common herbs that can be used to keep pests at bay but none are more effective than basil. Having basil plants growing in your home will not only take you cooking and salad making skills to the next level but will also create a powerful deterrent against insects, especially flying pests such as flies and mosquitoes.

6) Mint/peppermint

Mint is another plant that has multiple uses around the home, with its insect repelling capabilities adding yet another layer to an already highly adaptable plant. You could make a mint spray with dried leaves and water and use it in the same manner as the citrus or vinegar sprays mentioned above, peppermint is particularly effective for spider prevention, or hang some leaves in a small bag inside your wardrobe to ward off clothes moths.

7) Garlic

Garlic has an acquired taste and scent that most humans find appealing, but is detested by many bugs. You can create an extremely effective bug spray by crushing garlic, straining it, and mixing it in a spray bottle with water, but you need to be careful not to make the garlic overpowering or you will be left with a pretty pungent scent wafting around inside your home for several days. This may be a bit much, even for the most avid of garlic connoisseurs.

Boilers have an average lifespan (10-15 years) but no exact expiration date and the first time many people realise their boiler needs to be replaced is when it breaks down completely.

For obvious reasons, this is not ideal. Far too many people have waited too long to have their boiler replaced and found themselves left shivering for days on end in the heart of winter, waiting for an emergency engineer.

Rather than waiting for the inevitable to occur, knowing the tell-tale signs that a boiler is reaching the end of its life will allow you to pick the perfect moment to arrange for a gas safe engineer who specialises in new boilers Glasgow to come and install a shiny new one.

Here are 10 signs that the time has come to replace your old boiler:

It is over 9 years old

Boilers start to drop off in terms of reliability and energy efficiency around the 8-9 year mark so if your boiler is reaching this age, it is time to start considering getting a new one.

Even if you haven’t had a major breakdown just yet, without action it may well be just around the corner and upgrading to a new boiler, with its excellent energy efficiency, long-term warranty, and ultra-smooth performance will reduce stress for both you and your wallet.

You are regularly paying for repairs

A single boiler breakdown isn’t fun, but multiple is a complete nightmare. If your boiler is constantly going on the blink there is clearly an underlying issue and failing to act is only going to make matters worse. This is particularly problematic if your boiler’s warranty has already expired as you will have to fork out a significant amount each and every time a repair is needed.

You don’t have an A-Rated boiler

There is a legal requirement in the UK that any new boiler installed must have an efficiency level of at least 92% as part of the ongoing battle to reduce carbon emissions. Unfortunately, most older boilers fall well short of that, with G rated boilers falling into the below 70%. This not only increases your carbon footprint but also means that you are wasting 30p+ of every £1 that you spend on your heating.

You are struggling to find repair parts

If a boiler engineer visits your home to carry out a repair and informs you that they will have to send away for a part as they are no longer common, this is a pretty clear sign your boiler is getting on a bit and a new one is needed.

You have found a leak

Water leaking from a boiler is never good, and not only indicates that there is something wrong with the boiler itself but also that property damage, mould growth, electrical damage, and more, may not be too far around the corner.

The moment that you discover a water leak on your property, call an emergency gas safe engineer to come and take a look.

You smell gas

Contrary to popular belief, the gas used in your home is actually naturally odourless, but is given that tell-tale eggy smell as a safety measure to indicate to those nearby that there is a leak. If you do smell gas, or your carbon monoxide detector is activated, evacuate the property and call the Gas Emergency Services.

Your boiler flame has turned from blue to yellow

Healthy boilers burn a blue flame and if this flame turns to orange or even yellow, this is an indication that carbon monoxide is being released and the boiler is not functioning as it should.

You start to feel unwell

If you are feeling nauseous, dizzy, or are constantly racked with fatigue, this could be a symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning and suggests your boiler is leaking gas. Carbon monoxide is not something to take lightly, and over exposure can be fatal in certain situations. Even if your carbon monoxide detector hasn’t yet gone off, you should have your system checked if you are suspicious.

You are struggling to keep your home warm

Are you finding that you are having to turn your heating up higher and leave it on for longer than ever before simply to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home during the winter months? If so, the efficiency of your boiler may well be too blame and only a new one will be able to meet your home heating requirements.

Your heating bills are disproportionately high

Heating bills are on the rise in general, but if you are paying vastly more than you have in the past for your heating, and more than other similar sized properties it may well have less to do with global trends and more to do with your boiler itself.