How to Stop Crickets from Chirping Outside or Inside Your Home

Say goodbye to the never-ending chirps for good

Co-authored by Samuel Ramsey, PhD and Savannah Vold

Last Updated: January 20, 2023 References

After a long, hectic day, nothing is better than crawling into your cozy bed, resting your head on a soft pillow, and closing your eyes until…chirp chirp. The crickets are back, and they’re loud. Like really loud. Not to worry—we’ve got 13 effective ways to get rid of cricket noise at night, whether it's coming from inside or outside your home. Follow these tips, and the only chirping you’ll be hearing is from the birds in the morning after a great night’s sleep.

1

Trap the crickets.

Cricket traps are an effective solution for catching your culprits. Make your own cricket traps at home by emptying an aluminum soda can until only a few drops remain. Set the can on its side in the area you think the crickets are hiding and wait for them to crawl in overnight.^{[1]
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- Crickets can smell the soda, drawing them inside the can. Once inside, they’ll be unable to see the exit, trapping them inside.
- Set traps in any areas in or around your house where you think the crickets might be hiding. Some ideas include bathrooms, garages, and kitchens.
- Cricket traps can fill up fast, so make sure to check them often and release the crickets or dispose of them if necessary.

2

Make a vinegar spray.

Vinegar is lethal to crickets. Though this isn’t the most humane way to deal with your pest situation, the acetic acid in vinegar dehydrates crickets and kills them within minutes.^{[2]
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Research source} Pour some distilled vinegar into a spray bottle and give the area around your house or any specific spots you’ve discovered a good spritzing to stop the crickets from coming back.
- Spray your vinegar solution in problem areas, such as the garage or around the perimeter of the home, once a day until your cricket problem is solved.

3

Spray essential oils.

Crickets hate peppermint and lavender essential oils. Fill a spray bottle with 1 part lavender or peppermint oil to 10 parts water and spritz around the entry points of your house. Peppermint oil contains menthol, which works like a pesticide to kill bugs and keep them from returning. Lavender contains linalool which is another exceptional natural insecticide.^{[3]
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- You can also swap out water for equal parts witch hazel or rubbing alcohol for enhanced bug-fighting power.

4

Clean up your yard.

Mow your lawn and remove any leaf or wood piles around your home. Crickets love to live in long grass, leaf piles, and stacked wood. If you’re serious about solving your cricket problem, keep your grass short and clean up any built-up debris outside to send those crickets packing.^{[4]
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- Woodpiles are fine. Just make sure you store them a distance away from your home to avoid unwanted noise pollution.

5

Turn off your lights.

Like people, crickets love ambiance, so turn off your outside lights. Although crickets are nocturnal, they are attracted to light as a potential heat source since they enjoy warm temperatures.^{[5]
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Research source} If you have any outdoor lighting, such as flood lights or a lantern over the garage, turning them off at night might be the solution you're looking for to stop the chirping that’s keeping you up.
- The light from inside your house could be attracting crickets, too, so make sure to turn off all your indoor lights before bed to ensure a restful sleep.

6

Fill in cracks and crevices.

Patch any holes with putty or steel wool. Houses decay over time, so you might be aware of a few cracks and holes that have developed. Any entry points connecting the inside of your home to the outside should be filled in with a silicone caulking gun or stuffed with copper or steel wool.
- However you decide to patch your open spaces, most supplies can be easily purchased from your local hardware store.

7

Introduce cricket-eating predators.

Get animals like birds and squirrels to do the hard work for you. Birds, squirrels, and even cats consider crickets a tasty snack.^{[6]
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Research source} Set up a wildlife food station like a birdfeeder in your yard to encourage these friendly predators to do you a favor.
- While spiders might be considered a pest to some, they are excellent cricket catchers!

8

Try a dehumidifier.

Crickets are attracted to humid locations. Placing a dehumidifier in moist areas like the basement or garage will reduce the likelihood of crickets making camp in your home. Without moisture, crickets will voluntarily relocate to a better-suited environment that’s not your living space.
- Dehumidifiers are also great for reducing mold in your home!

9

Keep your home below 82°F (27°C).

Crickets stop chirping when they’re cold. If you live in a warm climate and suspect some pesky crickets have snuck their way into your home, be proactive by keeping the temperature inside under 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).^{[7]
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Research source} Turn your AC on at night to send those crickets elsewhere.
- It’s nearly impossible to control the temperature outside your home, so this solution will only work for indoor cricket problems.

10

Try soundproof curtains.

If earplugs aren’t cutting it, soundproof curtains can help. You might have noticed how much quieter your closet is than your bedroom. This is because the clothes in your closet deaden noise. Soundproof curtains work similarly by minimizing the length of time a sound echoes in your space.^{[8]
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Research source} Switch out your regular window curtains for curtains designed to muffle sound for a peaceful slumber.
- Soundproof curtains are often made from heavy, thick material, so make sure your curtain rods are sturdy before making the switch.

11

Use earplugs.

Earplugs are an excellent way to block noise with little effort or expense. Crickets can chirp at an astonishing 100 decibels!^{[9]
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Research source} For context, most industrial noise comes in at 95 decibels or less. Earplugs provide at least 10-15 decibels worth of sound reduction, so you can rest easy when you get that sound exposure back down to the recommended 85 decibels.^{[10]
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- There are many types of earplugs designed to block out sounds, such as multi-size foam earplugs and earmuffs. Experiment with different varieties to find what works best for you, and block out those crickets for good!

12

Try a white noise machine.

Swap chirping for peaceful static. If earplugs aren’t your thing, white noise machines are an effective and relaxing way to mask the chirping outside. White noise machines are unique because they produce a noise that contains all frequencies across the spectrum of sound perceivable to the ear in equal measure.^{[11]
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Research source} These machines work great to distract your brain from the annoying sounds around you, so you’ll be sleeping peacefully in no time.
- Try a multi-purpose sound machine that offers both white noises and fun sleep sounds like rain or lapping waves on the beach.

13

Hire an exterminator.

If all else fails, it might be time to hire an exterminator. Exterminators will spray some form of pesticide that kills and repels the crickets in your area. Hiring an exterminator can be costly, but it’s a surefire way to eradicate crickets for good if you’re desperate.^{[12]
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- While most exterminators use conventional pesticides, some specialize in non-toxic methods perfect for people wary of spraying chemicals around their homes.