What smell do gnats hate the most?

Author: Prof. Noemy Hagenes  |  Last update: Monday, September 29, 2025

The only way to get rid of gnats without killing them is to repel them with scents they don't like: vinegar, vanilla, pine oil, peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, and lavender. Even dryer sheets could help.

What scent keeps gnats away?

Peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, vanilla, and lavender essential oils all have scents that gnats dislike. Place a few drops of any of these essential oils on cotton balls and set around entryways to your home or areas where gnats are a problem.

How do you stop gnats from flying around you?

Insect Repellent: Use a good-quality insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Apply it to your face and exposed skin, avoiding the eyes and mouth. Wear Light-Colored Clothing: Gnats are attracted to dark colors, so wearing light-colored clothing can help reduce their attraction.

What annoys gnats?

Draw them with Vinegar.

This is a great way to eliminate a gnat problem, especially if they find their way into your home or swarm around your deck.

What gets rid of gnats asap?

Use a small saucer to mix a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a few drops of dishwashing soap and a little sugar. Put the saucer near the gnats. Use more than one saucer, if needed. The gnats will be drawn to the sweet solution, fall in and get trapped.

What smell do gnats hate?

What is the best gnat repellent?

10 Best Gnat Repellents June 2021
  • Insect Repellent 100% Natural With Fresh Lemongrass, Peppermint And Sweet Orange: Repels Biting.
  • Dr. ...
  • Sawyer Products Picaridin 20% Spray Repellent Mosquito Ticks Gnats Biting Flies.
  • Buggins Natural Insect Repellent.

What keeps gnats away naturally?

The only way to get rid of gnats without killing them is to repel them with scents they don't like: vinegar, vanilla, pine oil, peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, and lavender. Even dryer sheets could help. Of course, the first line of duty would be to get rid of the infestation's root cause.

What stops gnats from biting you?

The best way to avoid getting bitten by gnats is to wear an insect repellent.

What makes gnats worse?

Additionally, houseplants can harbor gnats, particularly fungus gnats, which lay their eggs in moist soil. The larvae then feed on organic matter in the soil, potentially harming plants and causing an infestation. Overwatering plants only makes this situation worse.

What time are gnats most active?

Gnats are active mostly during the day, especially around mid-morning and dusk. Biting usually peaks during a three-week period in late spring or early summer, and is usually more severe following droughts. Evidence of a bite may include itching, discomfort, and localized swelling.

Do dryer sheets keep gnats away?

Conclusions. Based on the results obtained from our study, it is evident that Bounce original brand fabric softener dryer sheets repel fungus gnats.

Does pine sol keep gnats away?

✌️ Did you know you can use baking soda and pine-sol to get rid of those pesky drain flies? #gnats #drainflies #hacks #cleaninghacks #cleantok #thingsishouldhavelearnedinschool.

What attracts gnats to your face?

Breath, Sweat & Tears

A gnat is always searching for moisture and salt, which are found in sweat and tears. Unfortunately, the pests are vectors for pink eye. They are also drawn to the smell of bad breath and to the carbon dioxide people expel when exhaling.

What spray do gnats hate?

Summit Mosquito and Gnat Barrier spray contains permethrin, a proven residual insecticide that has been used in mosquito control for many years. In addition to mosquitoes, it also controls a wide variety of outdoor insect pests including ants, fleas, ticks, earwigs, and more.

What color do gnats hate?

Bugs are naturally attracted to bright colors like white, yellow or orange. Colors like green and blue won't register as vividly when seen in the UV spectrum, deterring bugs away from these colored objects.

How long do gnats live?

Fungus gnat adults may live from about one to two weeks and complete one life cycle in about 18-30 days. Moth fly adults live for about 14 days and complete their life cycle in about 7-21 days.

How do I get rid of 100% gnats?

Start by getting a jar and filling it with apple cider vinegar, sugar, dish soap and water. Mix it well and place the solution near the problem areas. The gnats will be attracted to the smell of apple cider and sugar but will die on contact because of the soap.

What do gnats turn into?

In general, gnats go through the four life stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult, similar to other flies. The fungus gnats lay their eggs in moist organic debris or soil, which hatch into larvae. The larvae feed on organic matter such as leaf mold, mulch, compost, grass clippings, root hairs and fungi.

Do gnats bite humans at night?

Their saliva can cause an allergic reaction, which for most people is usually mild. They can't bite through fabric, so they only affect exposed skin. They usually feed in the morning and evening.

What is the best homemade gnat repellent?

Fill a glass or a bowl with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a half cup of warm water, and about 5 drops of liquid dish soap and stir well. Gnats will be attracted to the sweet sugar and pungent vinegar, but the sticky dish soap will disable them from escaping.

What are gnats afraid of?

Gnats hate the smell of Lavender, Vanilla , Citronella oil , Lemon Oil so you could use them for keeping gnats away.

What foods stop gnat bites?

Many dermatologists now recommend that the skin can be made much less attractive to biting insects by taking Vitamin B supplements whilst at risk. So, we recommend that Vitamin B complex, 2 tablets twice a day, or Vitamin B-1, 100 mg daily, is a good way of helping to reduce the risk of being bitten.

How do I get rid of gnats in 5 minutes?

Homemade gnat repellent spray: A mixture of dish soap, water, baking soda, and vinegar can be filled into a spray bottle. The mixture should contain a few drops of dish soap, a tablespoon of vinegar, and baking soda per cup of water. A few sprays of this mixture is an effective gnat repellent.

What spice keeps gnats away?

Yes! Cinnamon. Cinnamon naturally contains eugenol, an aromatic compound commonly found in traditional insect repellants.

How to find out where gnats are coming from?

Where do gnats come from? Gnats come to find a breeding ground and place to lay their eggs. They seek out moist places, decomposing organic matter and damp soil of houseplants, and can be found around your trash or recycling bin.

Previous article
Is baby shampoo a good wetting agent for lawns?
Next article
How long does it take for Freon to settle in an air conditioner?