Essential oils have practical uses in the kitchen when you mix them into a water-based solution. Lemongrass, citrus, peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, citronella, catnip, and lavender oils all possess properties that repel bugs.
One of the most effective DIY repellents calls for just coconut oil and peppermint, says Harlow-Ellis. "While this combination of scents is delightful to humans, it will chase away mosquitoes," she says. To make it, mix 1/3 cup coconut oil and 15 drops of peppermint essential oil in a jar.
Neem oil kills over 200 species of insects like white flies, aphids, thrips, etc. Mix a few drops of neem oil with plain water or soapy water and spray the solution in the corners of your kitchen. Make sure not to miss any spot that might harbour insects. This will also drive cockroaches away.
Peppermint. Peppermint essential oil might just be the holy grail of natural pest repellents to leave around your home's entry points, as it can help keep away ticks, spiders, roaches, moths, flies, fleas, beetles, and ants. Use sachets of this oil near your doors and windows or try making a diffuser or spray.
Natural insect repellents
Examples of "natural" insect-repellent ingredients include citronella, geranium, peppermint and soybean oil. These are deemed safe but have not been approved for effectiveness by the EPA. Most of these keep insects away for only a short time. Some natural repellents can cause skin irritation.
Acetic acid makes vinegar an excellent tool for pest control, repelling some of the most common backyard nuisances and even killing weaker insects. It's most effective against ants, spiders, and mosquitos. You can keep spiders from entering your home by spraying vinegar around your property's perimeter and entryways.
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets. Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests.
Keep insects away with peppermint oil. Before you reach for the chemical-laden bug spray and store-bought insect repellents, there's a natural solution you can try—peppermint. Insects hate peppermint.
Make an All-Purpose Insect Repellent
2 cups witch hazel, ½ tsp. Lemongrass or citronella oil, and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. 1 cup isopropyl alcohol, 1 cup water, ½ tsp. catnip oil.
Clean up crumbs and spills on your counters, table, floor, and in your pantry. Keep your sink free of dirty dishes. If you have pets, pick up their food bowls when they aren't eating. It's also important to take the trash out regularly to avoid attracting pests.
You can kill the bugs by freezing them or exposing them to extreme heat and then thoroughly clean the area. If your cupboard contains plenty of grain products, beans, and rice, check everything.
A super simple fix is to pour boiling water down the drain to eliminate drain flies. Boil a medium-size pot of water once or twice per week, and pour down and around the drain. Another easy option uses baking soda: Combine 1/2 cup salt with 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar, and pour down the drain.
Most dryer sheets contain the ingredient linalool, which can be found in plants like lavender, basil, and coriander, all of which naturally repel common garden pests. Similar studies found that this ingredient is also useful for repelling bugs like mites, weevils, beetles, and German cockroaches.
Yes, cinnamon in the sandbox does more than creating a pleasant aroma. The strong, spicy scent also repels bugs—they want nothing to do with it! The spice contains eugenol, an aromatic compound commonly found in traditional insect repellants.
Botanical repellents, which often have “natural” on the label, can include any number of plant-based chemicals. Some common ones are lemongrass, citronella, peppermint, geraniol, soybean, and rosemary.
Rosemary, thyme, basil, and mint have scents that bugs dislike. Mosquitoes, cockroaches, and stinging insects try to avoid these herbs.
For maximum effect, install bug-deterrent plants around your outdoor seating area and grow a few varieties in pots placed among your patio furniture. Herbs such as garlic, rosemary, chive, and lemongrass are also useful in the kitchen or when preparing a meal over the fire.
Create a fly and wasp repellent.
Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning says that you can use full-strength Pine-Sol as an insecticide or a 4:1 Pine-Sol to water solution spray for staving off wasps and other stinging insects—just steer clear of honeybees!
Cockroaches have an incredible sense of smell that they use to find food. You can take advantage of this fact by using scents they dislike such as thyme, citrus, basil, mint, and citronella to repel them from your home.
Mosquitoes and moths are most active at dawn and at dusk. They are attracted to the odor of the carbon dioxide that we exhale. Bees and gnats can also be attracted to the smell of our breath. Sweat is another body excretion that attracts insects.
Vinegar flies are so named because of their attraction to the sour odor of fermentation. They are also called fruit flies or pomace flies.
Deter bugs, especially spiders, from entering your home with white vinegar. All you have to do is mix water with the vinegar in a spray bottle and spray around the edges of your windows, both inside and out (if possible).
Ants despise the smell of vinegar, and vinegar will wipe out the scent trails they leave around the house to navigate. You can also make traps for fruit flies and gnats using apple cider vinegar mixed with a few drops of dish soap.