The Household Essential That Will Drive Termites Away From Your Home

Termites survive by eating cellulose fibers from wood, which is a pretty remarkable adaptation when you think about it. However, no one wants termites feeding on the wood from their home. Luckily, you can keep them away using one common product — and it's not a poison.

Petroleum jelly (which you may know as Vaseline) isn't exactly edible. It's effectively a byproduct of the fossil fuel industry: excess material is refined and purified into a clear, waxy substance. However, it's non-toxic enough to use on your skin, so you can feel pretty good about using it around your home.

If you face a termite problem, petroleum jelly can be part of the solution. It basically creates a slippery, unpleasant substance that termites and other pests won't want to go through. Since it's not a poison, you don't have to worry about killing beneficial bugs or harming local insect populations in the process.

Whether you use brand-name Vaseline or generic petroleum jelly is up to you: they're made of the same stuff. Armed with this weapon, you're ready to battle the invaders. 

The first step is to figure out where your infestation is. Termites reproduce quickly, so it's important to take care of the issue as soon as possible. If the termites are attacking a piece of your wooden furniture, you can start by rubbing it with petroleum jelly to get them to leave it alone. The sticky, slippery substance will make crawling around unpleasant, and a few may even die. Even though it's not poison, the jelly can coat their bodies and interfere with their ability to breathe.  

When the termites are gone, make sure to clean the remaining jelly and any dead termites off your furniture. Give the wood a gentle soft-cloth polish to get it looking as good as new.

However, this method will fix the symptom, not the cause of the problem: the source of termites in your home. Once you've saved what's being immediately attacked, inspect your house and try to figure out where the termites are coming from. Then you can apply petroleum jelly to block their path, so they'll stay out of your home. 

Petroleum jelly is a cheap, easy way to keep termites away. Plus, it doesn't pose serious health risks to other living things in your home. Its effectiveness might have you wondering if there are other sticky household substances with similar effects, so you can avoid toxic insecticides.

Although it's cited by fewer experts than petroleum jelly, aloe vera may be another good termite repellent. You can use it similarly: apply the gel to the infested furniture and areas of your home, and use it to block the pathways that termites use to get inside. Since aloe vera is less processed than petroleum jelly, some may prefer it as an even-less-toxic solution. However, if you have curious pets or children, keep in mind that both aloe vera and petroleum jelly are unsafe to eat in large amounts. 

Termites are incredibly resilient insects, which makes them major pests. With this simple solution, you can keep them away while avoiding insecticides and pest-control expenses.