Do you think your apartment is haunted? Here’s how to tell whether or not it is and what you can do to get long since dead roommates to vacate. Try these easy tips for detecting and expelling unwanted spirits from a living space. This is useful information for those who focus on ghost hunting, on the supernatural, on the paranormal or even apartment hunting.

Almost everyone these days seems to have a ghost story to tell. There’s a big difference, though, between spinning a scary yarn around the campfire with friends and experiencing unexplained paranormal events in your apartment. If you think you’re being plagued by roommates from beyond the grave, here are a few ways to get rid of unwanted spirits.

Is It Really Paranormal?

While the existence of ghosts and spirits has not been scientifically proven, you only need to turn to your favourite search engine to find thousands of people recounting real-life experiences with the paranormal.

In most cases, there are rational explanations for the events: leaky pipes, drafty windows or unseen sources of infrasound or high electromagnetic fields (both of which can cause hallucinations). Before you spend time and money on mystical remedies for your supernatural woes, it’s best to eliminate all other possibilities:

• Have the apartment manager check the pipes. What sounds like footsteps may actually be an expensive leak.
• Have the electrical system inspected and look around for possible sources of electromagnetic fields. The feeling of a dark presence nearby may be the result of a faulty electrical system or having too many electrical devices running at the same time.
• Infrasound can be difficult to detect, and devices that pick up this sound wave are not available at your local retail store. However, some common sources of infrasound include wind turbines, severe weather, diesel engines, lightning, and ocean waves.
• Don’t rule out mischievous pranksters. If there are a lot of teens and kids in your apartment building, you may want to set up a camera to catch tricksters in the act.

Ghost, Poltergeist or Haunting?

If you’ve ruled out or eliminated all other reasonable and logical sources of the unusual activity and you still think the issue is supernatural in origin, then you need to first determine what you’re dealing with. According to people in the field of paranormal research and investigation, there are three types of haunting phenomena:

• Ghosts – These entities are commonly defined as the spirits of people who have passed away but have not moved on to their forever home in the afterlife. It’s believed they can still interact with the living and their environment, even though they don’t have physical bodies.
• Poltergeists – This is defined as paranormal activity caused by a living person. When the person is under stress, his or her subconscious mind may cause supernatural events to occur.
• Haunting – Some people believe an event can become imprinted on the surrounding environment. Unlike a ghost, there is no interaction with the living. The event simply plays over and over again like a prerecorded television show.

Telling the difference between a ghost and a haunting is pretty easy. If you ask questions and the activity appears to respond to you, then it may be a ghost. However, telling the difference between a poltergeist and a ghost is much more difficult because the two can produce similar environmental effects such as knocking or rapping noises and giving animals the heebie jeebies.
Here are some key differences to help you decide.

Possible signs of a ghost:

• A sudden inexplicable drop in room temperature
• Cold spots not near windows, doors or items that would cause it
• Electronics begin operating abnormally
• Light bulbs flicker or blow out
• Smells with inexplicable sources
• Your pets become upset for no reason and either attack or run away from an unseen entity

Possible signs of a poltergeist:

• Objects float or are thrown around the room
• Items disappear and reappear in a different place
• Devices operate with no visible source of power (e.g., the pendulum on an antique clock starts swinging for no reason)
• Physical attacks

Getting Rid of Casper

If you think you’re dealing with a ghost or haunting, the first thing you can do to get rid of it is to politely ask it to leave. There’s no need to use harsh language, but you should be firm and make it clear they are not welcome in your home.

For more stubborn ghosts, you can try smudging your apartment with sage. Open the windows about half an inch. Light a bundle of sage and walk around you apartment to spread the smoke. You’ll need to be careful not to set off the smoke alarm and you should probably get your landlord’s permission first.

As a last resort, have a holy person such as a priest or priestess perform an exorcism in the apartment and then bless it afterwards.

Since poltergeists are believed to be caused by a living person undergoing stress, you’ll need to do some detective work to figure out who may be causing the phenomenon. Once you have identified the culprit, it’s probably best to start by helping the person deal with the stress he or she is feeling. The person may just need to talk out his or her problems or seek psychological help. Once the stress is gone, the poltergeist activity should subside.

If you’ve done everything you can think of to get rid of a pesky paranormal room-mate and the entity won’t go away, then you might need to find a new place to live. Use a variety of resources to find one that isn’t already occupied by long-deceased tenants.