Tired of Bugs But Hate Harsh Chemicals? These Natural & Non-Toxic Pest Control Solutions Work.

Ants, fruit flies, mosquitoes, ticks… Bugs might be essential for ecosystems, but no one wants them swarming their home, yard, or pets.

The problem? A lot of conventional pesticides can be harmful to your health, your pets, and the environment.

But the good news is that there are safer alternatives. To cut through the overwhelm, we’ve rounded up the best non-toxic pest control solutions, so you don’t have to spend hours researching.

This guide contains product recommendations and we may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine!

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Here Are the Best Non-Toxic & Natural Pest Control Brands

Wondercide

The founder of Wondercide started her journey with natural pest-control solutions when her beloved dog, Luna, got sick from pesticide poisoning from conventional flea-and-tick control. Since nothing natural on the market was working for her, Stephanie decided to make her own product. 

Wondercide offers plant-powered, natural protection from ticks, fleas, ants, mosquitoes, roaches, and other bugs or insects. They have a wide variety of options for both indoor and outdoor use.

Their products are:

“plant-powered” (they use almost all-natural ingredients, without artificial colors, fragrances, or synthetic pesticides)
USA-made
lab-tested for effectiveness

Here’s a sampling of some of their products:

• For Pets:
  • Flea & tick spray
  • Flea & tick collar for dogs & cats
  • Dog & cat shampoo
  • Ant & roach spray
• For Indoor Pest Control:
  • Indoor pest control spray
  • Fruit fly traps
• For Outdoor Pest Control:
  • Ready-to-use yard spray for mosquitos, ants, & ticks
  • Wasp & hornet spray

& more!

Just a quick note that many of their products do contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which some people may choose to avoid. While SLS is not concerning in terms of endocrine disruption or cancer, it can be a skin irritant for some. So you may just want to pay attention to whether or not your pet’s skin reacts to the solutions, and discontinue use if it does.

Sunday

Sunday offers effective solutions for your garden, including pest control, lawn care, fertilizers, gardening tools, trees, shrubs, and more. Disheartened by the toxin-filled products at their local home improvement store, Sunday’s founder wanted to create better lawn care options for their little plot of land, which eventually grew into a company.

Be aware that Sunday’s active ingredients are stronger than some of the other brands, and therefore might not be the best choice for everyone. Even though their ingredients are plant-based and/or OMRI-listed for organic gardening, a couple of them are controversial. The two ingredients to be aware of are pyrethrin and spinosad.

Pyrethrin is sourced from chrysanthemum and is generally recognized as safe for organic gardening by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). Some forms of pyrethrin can be toxic to bees and pollinators. There is some indication that they may contribute to endocrine disruption in humans, although there is very little research on this. There is concern about allergic sensitization as well.

Spinosad is a biopesticide derived from a naturally occurring soil bacterium. It can be slightly toxic to humans and could lead to eye or skin irritation. It’s also toxic to bees, so if you do use it, you should be sure to use the best practices explained here.

For these reasons, we recommend using these products sparingly, and only when you have a true infestation and other products may not be working.

Additionally, be sure to check the FAQs on the specific product pages because some of their products are not approved for use in every state.

Some of their products include:

• Ant Adios Insect & Ant Killer
• Nix Ticks
• Mosquito Deleto Bug Control Spray & Repellent
• Fire Ant Fighter (active ingredient: spinosad)
• Backyard Pest Protection Pack
• Total Home Pest Protection Plan

Earthkind

Earthkind makes pest deterrents. So, instead of killing the insects or rodents, they use different scents to keep the pests from coming into your space.

They have several different options, including:

• Rodents
• Ants & cockroaches
• Spiders
• Moths

You basically just place the bag in the area where you don’t want pests and that’s it! Each bag lasts around 30 days.

The ingredients consist of some corn cobs and oils (almond and sunflower), which hold the essential oils that repel the pests. They use different essential oils for different pests. For example, lemongrass and peppermint for ants and citronella for spiders.

I recently used a couple of the Stay Away Ants & Cockroaches in my apartment because we kept seeing ants and couldn’t find out where they were coming from. I literally haven’t seen one ant since I set them out!

You definitely can smell the bags. It’s a nice smell, but if you’re super sensitive to smells of any kind (even from essential oils), then it’s something you should be aware of. I am pretty sensitive to smells and I got used to it within a couple of hours. It was kind of strong at first, but it didn’t bother me enough that I won’t be using these again in the future.

Cedarcide

Cedarcide is focused primarily on outdoor/lawn pest control, but they do have indoor options as well.

As their name indicates, their key pest-fighting ingredient is cedarwood oil, but then they also implement other natural bug-killing ingredients like lemongrass, peppermint, and soybean.

Some of their products include:

• Lawn & garden kit
• Wood treatment
• Scorpion Shield
• Indoor pest control sprays
• Fogging kit (I personally would try to avoid this one unless you really have to use it… I think targeted pest control where you’re not breathing in as much is better)
• Flea & tick protection for pets

Note: Cedarcide does use a few ingredients (such as mineral oil and sodium lauryl sulfate) that I don’t usually recommend for use in other personal care products. These ingredients are common even in natural pest control and they are still much safer than conventional pesticides. That said, check the ingredient label on specific products if you’re sensitive.

Mighty Mint

Like many of the other brands listed here, Mighty Mint uses peppermint oil as their primary ingredient to repel and kill pests.

Their product line includes things like:

• All-purpose insect pest control (for outside & inside)
• Rodent repellent
• Spider repellent
• Yard spray
• Ant killer
• Roach repellent

You can’t buy Mighty Mint directly from their website, but they are carried by a lot of major retailers which is nice.

One complaint I have about Mighty Mint is that they use a generic ingredient, “soap”. What kind of soap? I’d like to see more transparency here.

Other Great Non-Toxic Pest Control Options 

Sticky Traps

Sticky traps like these offer a clever and simple option for flies and other flying insects. Flies are naturally attracted to these traps if you place them in visible areas with light. Since they are made with sticky materials, they trap flies and insects. They get stuck, are unable to fly away, and eventually die. Sticky traps are completely safe to use. They are great options in your kitchen, around your home, in the barn, or even outside by your picnic table.

Fruit Fly Traps

Fly traps are great if you want to keep fruit flies away from fresh fruits or other food sitting on the counter. Though you can make your own low-cost fruit fly trap from recycled bottles, if you want something stylish and decorative, go for a beautiful ceramic or glass fruit fly trap. It will look like a cool decoration on your kitchen counter.

Some good options for fruit fly traps:

• Aunt Fannie’s
• Wondercide
• Minimalistic White Fruit Fly Trap
• Elevated Lifestyle Fruit Fly Trap

Zappers

Zappers use UV lights to attract and then kill mosquitoes, flies, and other flying insects. They are popular options in outdoor settings in your garden, balcony, or other outdoor gathering places. However, some zappers can be used indoors too, offering a great solution for indoor flying insect issues. Just remember that UV light can be damaging to the skin, so humans should not be close to these zappers for long periods of time.

Some good options for zappers:

• Flowtron BK-40D Electronic Insect Killer for Outdoor Use
• ASPECTEK Powerful 20W Electronic Indoor Insect Killer, Bug Zapper, Fly Zapper, Mosquito Killer-Indoor Use
• Zevo

Bed Bug Traps

Nobody wants bed bugs. Their bites are itchy and slow to heal. Not to mention that infestations are hard to get rid of. Fortunately, you can use eco-friendly traps like these under your bed and by the legs of your furniture to stop them in their tracks without chemicals.

Grandpa Gus also carries pesticide-free bed bug traps.

The Problem with Conventional Pest Control Solutions

Conventional pest control solutions often involve harsh pesticides. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we use about 1 billion pounds of pesticides in the United States alone (1). Considering the toxic health effects and environmental impact of many conventional pesticides, this is concerning. Obviously, a large portion of those pesticides are used in agriculture, but they’re also widely used in home, building, and yard management as well.

Pesticide exposure can have many acute and long-term negative health effects, which vary depending on the actual active ingredient(s) being used.

Acute pesticide exposure may cause rashes, blisters, eye irritation, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, and more. Long-term term complications and the effects of chronic exposure to pesticides may include gut microbiome imbalance, hormonal imbalance, endocrine issues, diabetes, autoimmune issues, neurological problems, developmental toxicity, immunotoxicity, immune health issues, oxidative stress, and cancer. Pesticides may also negatively impact your pets, causing vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, convulsion, dizziness, respiratory issues, and other health problems (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).

Synthetic pesticides can negatively affect your environment as well. They can lead to soil nutrient depletion and, as a result, the nutrient content of our food. It may affect our bee and butterfly colonies and other pollinators. It may impact our birds and even some non-flying animals, including animals raised for meat and eggs in the area (11, 12, 13, 14).

Use Preventative Strategies to Keep Bugs Away When Possible

Instead of using toxic, conventional pest control strategies, we recommend more natural and organic pest control. Some of the solutions above are meant to actually kill bugs, while others are meant to discourage bug infestations in a more preventative way.

With the help of essential oils and other natural substances, they help to reduce the risk of pest infestation and remove pests safely and effectively.

There are various preventative measures you can take to prevent bugs from becoming a problem in the first place. Here are some pointers:

• Keep your home clean.

• Don’t leave food out for long periods of time and clean up spills right when they happen.

• Manage the garbage: take it out regularly, keep it in covered bins, and clean your cans every once in a while.

• Close off pest entry points. For example, fix holes in window screens and keep caulk cracks filled.

• Bathe pets regularly and check them for fleas and ticks.

• Don’t store wood inside.

• Manage any standing water around your home. Think about pools, bird baths, or swampy areas of the yard.

• Consider using natural bug-control predators like bats!

To learn more about organic pest control strategies in your yard and garden, Epic Gardening has a great collection of resources here. And here are some more tips on how to implement integrative pest management (IPM) strategies in your home.

Instead of harsh synthetic pesticides, protect your home, your health, your pets, and the environment with these eco-friendly, natural, and non-toxic pest control solutions. I hope you’ve found this guide helpful in finding a solution that works for you!