Recently, a friend sent me an S.O.S. asking if I knew of any natural way to rid an apartment of fleas — a method that would not be toxic to small children. Treating the animals would be the first step, but surprisingly they have no animals.

I headed right for my collection of pest control recipes and retrieved the perfect solution. I thought you might enjoy knowing that, plus how to take care of all kinds of home and garden pests.

All-purpose outdoor insect spray. Mix one chopped garlic clove, one chopped small onion and one tablespoon of cayenne powder into one quart of water. Allow to steep one hour then add one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap, such as blue Dawn or liquid Ivory. This all-purpose insect spray remains potent for only one week, so use it up.

Ants. Repel ants by washing countertops, cabinets and floors with equal parts water and vinegar. Drive ants from the kitchen by sprinkling shelves or windowsills with cinnamon, cloves or baking soda. Put these ingredients into crevices, too, and repeat occasionally.

Aphids. Mix 1 gallon of water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 2 tablespoons of liquid Ivory soap. Spray on plants where aphid damage is evident.

Bats. The next time you start to wonder what you can do to rid your property of bats, remember this: A single bat can catch and kill 900 insects an hour — as many as 3,000 in a night. You might want to change your attitude and see them as friendly helpers.

Bugs, spiders, ants. To prevent ants, spiders and bugs from entering your home or other structure, spray the foundation and the grout within a foot of the wall with a mixture of 1/2 cup ground lemon (you can puree the lemon in a blender or food processor) including the rind plus one gallon of water. Apply with a garden sprinkling can. Not only is the weak solution versatile, it's mild, cheap and environmentally sound.

Cockroach killer. Mix 1/4 cup of shortening with 1/8 cup of sugar. In a separate container, mix 1/2 pound powdered boric acid (available at pharmacies) and 1/2 cup flour. Add to the shortening mixture. Stir well with enough water to make a soft dough. Form into small balls the size of marbles and hide in those out-of-the-way places where roaches love to hide. This recipe works far better than commercial products. Just make sure you keep this out of reach from children.

Cutworms. If your garden is infested with ants or cutworms, sprinkle used coffee grounds on the affected area.

Flea treatment for the home. Commercial flea exterminators charge anywhere from $300 to $1,100 to treat your home with a product called food grade diatomaceous earth. You can do this yourself with a flour-sifter and a 5-pound box of diatomaceous earth for about $20. Sift onto your carpet with the sifter, brush or pound it in with a broom. Leave for 24-36 hours and vacuum up. This is a non-toxic and environmentally safe treatment, but wear a face protector because it is fine as powder. The diatomaceous earth you get from a pool supply is NOT food-grade. It has been chemically altered and does not kill fleas. Check with a garden supply store or order online.

Fly and insect spray. Rubbing alcohol makes a great fly and insect spray. The fine mist evaporates quickly and is not harmful to anyone but the pests. This doesn't necessarily kill them, just anesthetizes the little guys, so once they're asleep, dispose of them quickly.

Fruit flies. Set out a small dish of apple cider vinegar (white vinegar will not work; it must be apple cider vinegar) to which you've added a few drops of detergent. Cover with plastic wrap then pull back the wrap in a small area of the rim to give an entrance point. Fruit flies fly in and never fly out.

Garbage cans. Sprinkle powdered detergent soap or borax into garbage cans after they've been washed and allowed to dry; it acts as a repellent to flies.

Mice. Use peanut butter as bait for your mousetraps. You can reset the traps and catch several mice before you need to add bait.

Mosquito repellents. Plant basil and pansies around the patio and house to repel mosquitoes. Mint planted around the home repels flies. Keep basil well watered so that it produces a stronger scent. Dried ground basil leaves, left in small bowls or hung in muslin bags, are also effective.

Moths. Make sachets of dried lavender or equal portions of rosemary and mint. Place in closets, drawers or closed containers to mothproof garments.

Natural repellents. Fill vases and pots with geraniums or eucalyptus — bugs stay away from their scents.

Silverfish. To get rid of silverfish, put about 1/4 inch of flour in a small, straight-sided glass. Run a strip of adhesive tape from bottom to top on the outside. Silverfish will travel up the tape and drop into the glass, but they won't be able to get back out. Place one of these traps in each room where you've seen silverfish.

Snails and slugs. To keep snails and slugs out of your garden, sink pie pans in the garden so the rims are flush with the ground. Fill with beer. The slugs and snails will be attracted to the beer, which will be their final undoing as well as a lovely object lesson for kids who think it's cool to drink beer. Simply empty the pie pans when they get full.

Snails. Snails will turn around and go the other way rather than cross a protective border of sand, lime, or ashes.

Spiders. To discourage spiders, spray rubbing alcohol on windowsills.

Tacky flyswatter. For fruit flies and other tiny flying insects that a regular fly swatter seems to miss, put a few strips of double-backed tape on your flyswatter.

Tape that sucker. Don't squash a bug crawling on your wall, drapes or anywhere else it can stain. Just "apply" a strip of tape; the bug adheres to it and can be disposed of.

Wasps. In a pinch, use hair spray to kill wasps. As long as you get some of the product on their wings, they'll go down.

Wasp repellent. Toilet-bowl deodorizers nailed by the door, placed near wastebaskets or set on a windowsill will keep wasps away. They hate the smell.

Whiteflies, spider mites, mealybugs, cinch bugs and aphids. Mix 1 1/2 cups liquid Ivory soap in a gallon of water and combine well. Fill a sprayer with the soapy solution and mist the leaves of plants and bushes to kill these little pests.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.