Homemade Mosquito Repellents
Mosquitoes have always been associated with some of the most dreaded diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya, elephantiasis, etc. Every year, the number of cases of people being affected by such diseases is growing at a rampant speed and this has raised a lot of concern for the big menace caused by mosquitoes in the society. Although there are mosquito repellents and chemical insecticides and sprays available in the market, the prolonged use of such products also have their harmful side effects. One better option is to opt for natural ways to get rid of mosquitoes at home.
Presenting below some of the most natural keep mosquitoes at-bay in your house:
Homemade Natural Mosquito Repellents
- Camphor: Take few pieces of camphor, light each of them in different rooms and close all the doors and windows for some time. After about 15-20 minutes, when the smoke disappears, you will be entering a mosquito free home. Camphor has one of the longest mosquito repellent compounds compared to other natural products.
- Lemon with cloves: The latest doing the rounds in Whatsapp messages nowadays is the use of lemons and cloves as mosquito repellents. You need one lemon for this and 12 to 24 cloves. Cut the lemon into two halves and insert 6 to 12 cloves in each of the halves. Place them in any corner of a room. Both cloves and lemons are known to have insect repelling properties, particularly against mosquitoes and flies.
- Mint leaves: According to medical studies, mint leaves and mint extracts are very effective as indoor mosquito repellent. One best way to use mint as a repellent is by using a vapouriser. Add few mint leaves or mint extracts in a vapouriser filled with water. When the steam comes out of the vapouriser, the scent of mint also comes out and spreads all across the room. Instead of a vapouriser, you can also add the mint leaves or extracts in a spray bottle and spray it around your home. Some say that mixing little bit of mint-flavoured mouthwash with water and spraying it all around can also act as mosquitoes repellent.
- Essential oils: You can infuse the extracts of essential oils like Citronella, lavender, tea tree in a candle or use it in a vapouriser to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Such oil sprays also act as natural room fresheners.
- Garlic: Not only garlic is good for health, it is also good for preventing numerous diseases caused by mosquitoes. It acts as an effective natural way to kill mosquitoes. One possible reason for this is that garlic has a strong and pungent odour that keeps the mosquitoes stay away. To use garlic as an insect repellent, crush up a few pods of garlic and boil it in water. Now keep the boiling water inside a spray bottle and spray around the room to keep it mosquito free.
- Tusli: It is also said that keeping a small tulsi shrub near your entrance or window can keep mosquitoes away.
- Plant more trees: Generally we feel that more the number of plants and trees near our surroundings, the more is the space for the breeding ground of mosquitoes. But this is a wrong concept. In fact if you are really fond of gardening, make sure to get some of the mosquito repellent plants like as tulsi, mint, lemon, neem, citronella, catnip, lavender, etc. Plant these in your garden or in small tubs and keep mosquitoes away from your home.
Homemade Natural Repellent Lotion or Body Oil
- Essential Oils Repellents: The oils of various plants like as Eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, tea tree, etc., are the best known essential oils that act as mosquitoes repellent agents. You can take all or any two of these oils, say eucalyptus and lemon, mix equal amounts of these oils and store it in a bottle. Apply this oil all over your body, especially hands and legs. The mixture of such essential oils is extremely helpful in repelling mosquitoes because these oils have antiseptic and insect-repellent properties when applied to the skin. These are natural and do not have the harmful effects of chemical mosquito repellents.
- Neem Oil Repellent: Neem oil also acts a great indoor mosquito-repellent. Mix neem oil with coconut or olive oil in equal proportion. Neem with its antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral and anti-protozoal properties along with its bitter smell helps to ward off mosquitoes. It is said that applying the mixture of neem and coconut oil will protect you from mosquito bites for at least seven hours.
