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All The Pests You Can Banish From Your Home With Rubbing Alcohol
By BRANDY EAKLOR
Spider Mites
To remove these bugs from your plants, pour some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or cloth, and gently wipe all infected leaves and stems. Then, rinse them with water.
Rubbing alcohol also strips the waxy layer off plants’ leaves, so dilute it with water, use only a small amount, and repeat the treatment no more than twice a week.
Ticks
If you or your pets have been anywhere that ticks abound, search for any that might have attached themselves to your body or clothes, or to your pet's skin.
Use fine-tipped angled tweezers to grasp the tick and remove it, then submerge it in a jar of rubbing alcohol to kill it instantly. Also, clean the skin near the bite with alcohol.
Aphids
You may have an aphid infestation if you've noticed damage to your garden foliage or houseplant leaves. If you find them on your plant, use rubbing alcohol to kill them.
Mix equal parts water and 70% rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray it on affected areas. Some plants are sensitive to rubbing alcohol, so test a small spot before spraying.
Ants
Rubbing alcohol sprayed on ants kills them on contact, and also repels them by eliminating their ability to follow their scent trails.
Add 70% rubbing alcohol to a spray bottle, and spray the ants directly to kill them. As a repellent, spray or leave bowls of rubbing alcohol wherever you’ve noticed any ants.
Centipedes
To kill centipedes, it’s best to use a higher-concentration rubbing alcohol, such as 98%. If they're in your plants, use a lower concentration to avoid harming the plant.
Spray each centipede directly with a steady stream of rubbing alcohol to saturate it, then carefully dispose of the pest in a bag once it's dead.