I love spending time outside, but I often find myself turning into a mosquito buffet. So I was not surprised to find out Atlanta ranked 13th most buggiest city in America and 5th over all in the country. Like any good millennial in the middle of my quarter life crisis, I’ve compiled a list of at home remedies instead of relying on chemically filled sprays.
- Create your own essential oils mosquito repellent
- You can mix 10 - 15 drops of essential oils with water and a splash of witch hazel or rubbing alcohol to make a simple repellent.
- The best oils to use: lemon eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender cinnamon
- Fight off mosquitos with a coffee grounds flame
- It sounds more complicated than it actually is, but if you take your left over coffee grounds and put them in a fire safe bowl. Then light them like incense, you’ve now created the perfect smoke show - so to speak.
- Mosquitos hate strong smells and burning old coffee grounds can do the trick to keep pesky pests away.
- The classic citronella candles always saves the day in a bind
- Citronella is always a sure fire way to keep mosquitos at bay, whether you use the candles or the coils, its their lemongrass base keeps the mosquitos away.
- If you happen to plant lemongrass or scented geraniums and crush the leaves it will also act as a natural repellent.
- A two for one solution with apple cider vinegar
- Using apple cider vinegar is beneficial in multiple ways. The first includes a topical spray. Mix the apple cider vinegar with water and spray it on your skin as a repellent.
- The second way works as a trap. You can pour apple cider vinegar into a bowl with a couple of drops of dish soap, the mosquitos will be attracted to the smell, but the soap makes them sink to the bottom of the bowl.
- Garlic is a go to way for keeping the mosquitos away
- Mosquitos are quite sensitive to sulfur compounds. It’s not necessarily about eating the garlic, but it will work as a great yard spray.
- All you need to do is boil water and minced garlic. Let it cool and then it’s ready to go spray for the patio and entry ways.
- Physics can be the solution with fans
- Sometimes the solution can be as easy as using a bit of science. If you have an oscillating fan plug that in to the area you are sitting in. The fan will create enough air turbulence to keep the mosquitos away because they are so lightweight.