What We Did to Finally Keep Bugs Out of the House

If you live on land, bugs are part of the deal. But that doesn’t mean you have to live with them inside your house. For a while, we were dealing with ants in the kitchen, spiders in the bathroom, and the occasional roach that somehow made it past every line of defense.

It took some trial and error, but these changes finally worked—and we’ve kept them out ever since.

Sealed the Crawl Space and Skirting Tight

Gaps under the house were an open invitation. Once we sealed the skirting and patched every crawl space vent, the bug traffic dropped big time.

A lot of folks overlook this area, but it’s one of the easiest ways in for roaches and spiders.

Added Door Sweeps on Every Outside Door

Those tiny gaps under your doors don’t seem like much, but they’re more than enough room for bugs.

A cheap door sweep sealed that space and kept ants from sneaking in overnight.

Used Expanding Foam Around Pipes

Every sink, toilet, and washer hookup has a pipe going into the wall—and behind it, gaps.

We filled those spots with foam insulation, and it shut down a major entry point that most people never check.

Switched to Yellow Porch Lights

White lights bring in every bug in a 3-mile radius.

We swapped our bulbs for yellow “bug lights,” and it made a huge difference in what tried to follow us inside at night.

Put Boric Acid Behind Appliances

You don’t need to spray the whole kitchen. Just a little boric acid behind the fridge, stove, and dishwasher works long-term.

It’s one of the few things that actually gets rid of roaches, not just chases them around.

Kept the Pet Food Off the Floor

Leaving dog food down all day is like setting out a buffet for ants and roaches.

Now we feed at set times and store the food in a sealed bin off the floor—and the difference is obvious.

Replaced Window Screens That Had Holes

It only takes one rip in a window screen for flies and mosquitoes to sneak in.

We went through every window and replaced the damaged screens. No more buzzing in our ears while we sleep.

*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.