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Summer is mosquito season and, due to the lack of a cold winter, they have been attacking even more in recent years. Each of us loves the pleasures of summer evenings, but mosquitoes can really make life unpleasant. Do you know a home way to drive off these insects?
Vanilla sugar
Practically everyone has it at home.
This is the cheapest homemade mosquito repellent.
A packet of sugar costs only a few cents. Sprinkle the sugar where you spend your evenings, or pour it onto a small plate and place it near you. The aroma of vanilla repels mosquitoes.
You can also use vanilla oil to repel mosquitoes; it works on the same principle and has a very intense smell. You can apply it to your body or rub it on the place where you sit. Do not expose the oiled skin to direct sunlight, because the oil can cause unpleasant stains.
Sugar wins in this battle: it is cheaper, does not leave greasy marks on skin and clothes, and its scent lasts longer.
2-ingredient repellent
Today we would like to share with you one miraculous remedy against mosquitoes. Thanks to it you can now safely work in the garden in the evening hours or relax on the patio or in the yard.
All the ingredients for this miraculous remedy are surely available in every home, because we use these liquids almost every day.
You only need vegetable oil (absolutely any), a hair shampoo and 9% vinegar.
All these liquids should be mixed in a 1:1:1 ratio (that is, in equal amounts). Mixing produces a white emulsion, and its shelf life is unlimited. However, there is no need to make large batches.
Rub the emulsion onto your skin and you can comfortably stay outside in the evening and at night.
Repellent from Alpa
I have verified this recipe for years and it has never let me down. It works as an excellent mosquito repellent even near water — I use it while fishing and mosquitoes don’t touch me. In addition, it is effective against ticks. Just grate the peel of 1 lemon and add it to 200 ml of Alpa. Also add 10 cloves and let it steep for about a week. Then strain through cheesecloth and pour into a spray bottle. Use like a regular repellent.
Valerian is, for me, the best plant against mosquitoes. Just put it in the room, or burn it dried and use it as incense, and the mosquitoes and flies are gone.
That’s not all, these ideas also work
Freshly cut wild cherry leaves can be used to rub exposed parts of the skin.
Essential oils of clove, basil, anise and eucalyptus can help very significantly.
Rub exposed parts of the skin with homemade repellent (5–10 drops per glass of water) or drop it onto a hair tie or bracelet.
If you decide to sit outdoors by a fire, also throw several sprigs of juniper onto the blaze.
- 10 g of cloves and 100 ml of vodka or spirit, pour into a spray bottle, let stand 2 weeks, shake and it’s ready.
Pour ground coffee and light it; it will only smolder, but the mosquitoes are gone.
The scent of cedar oil repels not only mosquitoes but also flies and cockroaches. I put a cedar wood shelf in the pantry and since then we haven’t had any moths at home.
Rub exposed parts of the body with tomato leaves; it works excellently.
Fisherman’s repellent
We need (for a large batch):
- 1 larger bottle of mouthwash (the cheapest will do)
- 3 cups of Epsom salt (cup = 200 ml)
- 1.3 liters of old cheap beer (for example past its best-before date, or beer you opened and forgot to finish)
Procedure:
- Mix all the ingredients until the salt dissolves.
- Spray where you have seating in the garden — I sprayed it even on the grass and it didn’t harm the greenery at all, and it didn’t harm the flowers either.
- Twice per season and it works perfectly against mosquitoes.
Even acquaintances who tried it praised it. It works immediately and lasts quite a long time — I say, last year it was enough for me to spray twice (it also depends on how often it rains) where we sit in the garden and a bit around those places. You don’t have to worry about a beer smell; thanks to the mouthwash you will only smell a pleasant menthol fragrance.
