Babylonian devil traps were used by the ancient Hebrews in some parts of Babylon to drive away evil. This evil could manifest itself by way of illness, demons, the evil eye, or curses.
The traps were simple terra cotta bowls, and they were placed, inverted, under the 4 corners of the foundations of a building.They were inscribed with magical texts or charms, with one such bowl found to order the devil and his spooky companions to leave the community at once. A supernatural being, of course, would be quite intimidated by a piece of clay pottery they encountered under a house (as would we all, I'm sure....).
These bowls, however, must have been seen as an effective method of ancient ghostbusting, due to the length of time it appears they were in common use (from around the 3rd to 1st century BC to the 6th century AD), and the fact that by using them the Hebrews broke Hebrew religious law, which disallowed magic in general.
This is a charm that can not really be used in modern homes, unlike the common horseshoe or stone, as it requires a knowledge of Hebrew to be authentic. You could still try your luck with your own home made Babylonian devil trap (complete with a strongly worded inscription) placed under your house - I suspect it would do as much as the ancient version.