Do you often find centipedes keep coming into your house? The chance is, your house seems to be the perfect environment for them to breed and hide. If you want to get centipedes out of your house, make sure to read this article until the end!
Centipedes are venomous and carnivorous. However, they’re not actually interested in human and will avoid most of the time. They will only bite you if you try to provoke them.
Although centipedes are rarely known to cause fatal or health complication to human, you might still want to get rid of them out of your house to prevent any unwanted things to your children or pet. And with their multiple pairs of leg, it can be disturbing to have them crawling inside your house.
Why do Centipede Come into House?
If you find a lot of centipedes keep coming into your house, chance is there are many things that attracts centipedes that you don’t realize your house has.
Here are the three things that centipedes attracted to: moisture, source of foods, and undisturbed hiding places. With these 3 things in your house, it creates the perfect environment for the centipedes to breed and make a shelter.
Here are some of the favorite spots for the centipedes in a house:
- Basement
- Floor drains
- Gardens
- Pipes
- Bathroom
- Under Furniture such as wardrobe, beds
But do not worry, we’re here to solve your problem! Make sure to read this article until the end to get the centipede out of your house and make them never comes back.
How to Get Centipede Out of Your House
To repel centipede, we have all the solutions that you need. Starting from natural ingredient to chemical ingredient (if you find the natural ingredient is hard to find or not effective).
Here are 9 tips that you should try:
1. Pandan Leaf
Getting rid of centipede using chemicals will absolutely work, but sometimes it is hard to find the friendly environmental chemical that is available.
By using Pandan leaf, it can make the centipedes not comfortable with the aroma and they tend to avoid it.
Slice the Pandan leaf softly into several bowls, and put the bowls in the area that the centipede most likely will enter or hide. Centipedes like to hide in damp area such as bathrooms, basements, closets, or under furniture’s.
2. Keep the House Dry
Centipedes breed well in moisture place. Remember to always keeps your house dry, including the bathroom area. As for the bathroom area, make sure to keep the floor dry.
In the dry area, these animals will quickly dry up and die. You can mop the floor of the house regularly or even use a special moisture absorbent material.
Pay Attention to Air Circulation in The Bathroom
Apart from keeping the floor dry, you also need to pay attention to the air circulation in the bathroom. Make sure the bathroom is exposed to sunlight and heat or a lamp. You can also install a blower fan to keep the bathroom area dry and avoid moisture.
3. Keep Damp Objects From The House
Keep damp objects at home tightly. Also make sure that there is no area of the house that has a humid temperature so that the centipedes do not make it as their nest.
One of the things that you can use to reduce the amount of water is buying a large silica gel. This product can remove moisture caused by air or from the ground. For other storage boxes at home, use silica gel which is packaged in small sizes.
In addition to keeping the room and storage areas dry, you also need to keep other damp objects outside the house properly.
For example piles of fallen leaves, fertilizer, or any other type of organic waste. The centipedes will be very happy to nest in these places.
Without you knowing it, their number will increase. Clean all objects and organic waste and store it in a tightly closed place. Don’t just let them sit there and if they’re not in use. It is best to just throw them away.
4. Pepper
Pepper is often used to add a spicy taste to cooking. It is fresh, piercing, and stinging aroma turns out to be disliked by the centipede.
That is why this material can be used as a quite effective way to get rid of centipedes out of your house. Just sprinkle it on the area where the centipedes are hiding.
Remember, pepper can have a hot and spicy effect when it comes into contact with the skin. So, be careful when you sprinkle it.
Apart from fresh chilies, you can also use the powdered version. Pepper can have the same effect so you can use it too.
Just sprinkle the prepared chili or pepper powder into the centipede nest. When these animals move and are hit by the hot powder, they will be in pain and die.
That is why it is highly recommended to use gloves when doing this method of expulsion.
5. Seal Any Possible Holes
To prevent centipedes from entering your house, cover any holes and gaps that allow them to enter. Patch cracks and holes in walls, doors and windows with the right material.
You can also check gutters and water holes on top of the house. Remove any clogged twigs and leaves so they don’t become easy targets for the centipede to nest in.
One of the gaps where the centipede enters is the one in the bathroom. Examples include drains, open bathroom walls, and even bathroom floor cracks.
The floor part of the bathroom is always damp. Therefore, this place can be a place for the centipede to breed well. Make sure you have repaired all the cracks, holes, and closed the drains well!
6. Salt + Vinegar Solution
Salt can be the natural remedy to repel centipede out of your house. It’s even more effective when vinegar is added.
Here are the ingredients you will need:
- 6 tablespoons of salt
- 6 tablespoons white vinegar
Put all the ingredients in a container and stir until evenly distributed. After forming a paste, apply it to the part of the house where the centipedes often pass. For example, the door entrance, all the windows, drain, and etc.
Note: The ingredients will produce a paste with a hot sensation on the skin. Therefore, use rubber or plastic gloves to avoid direct contact.
7. Using Paper Traps to Catch Centipedes
Just like other annoying animals in the house, you can also catch centipedes using glue-lined traps. You can find this trap easily in the market.
The form is in the form of a sheet of paper like to catch flies or a small plastic box. Store these traps at points where the centipedes will travel in the house. You can buy it here.
After a while, check for traps the centipede has placed. If caught, immediately throw them in the trash and replace them with new traps.
8. Mothballs
Mothballs is a chemical that is relatively safe to use. Besides being able to repel insects at home and prevent mold growth, mothballs can also be a way to keep centipedes out of your house.
Just put a few moth balls in a damp place in the house, including the bathroom. If the camphor has run out of expansion, just replace it periodically.
9. Using Insecticides to Repel Centipedes
Use the correct dose of insecticide for homes. Look for insecticides containing pyrethrin made from plants. If you have a large number of centipedes, you can use the misting or spraying method.
10. Eliminating The Food Source
All the living things need food in order to survive. And this means, you need to address the other insect issue such as cockroaches, ants, flies, and termite.
Here are some of the useful link that you can refer to:
- Hacks to Get Rid of Cockroaches
- How to Get Rid of Termites in House
- Hacks to Get Flies Out of Your House
- How to Keep Ants Away from Your House
Bottom Line
Now, are your ready to make your house anti-centipede environment? Sometimes, if the centipede infestation have significantly impacted your house, it is time to leave it to the professionals such as pest control service.
Take your time to inspect your house and get rid of the centipedes once for all!
