Since the late 19th century, Malaria, the bane of modern day humanity has proven itself as one of the most deadly diseases of all time. The carrier of this deadly disease, mosquitoes.
Those tiny pestering insects, responsible for so many sleepless nights with incessant buzzing in our ears, little bumps on our skins, and of course, malaria.
Thanks to these tiny creatures, the simple pleasures of life such as watching the sunset from the comfort of your porch, or walking around your yard after nightfall for some fresh air may be likened to going for an ill-fated war in 16th century Japan.
They nibble on exposed areas of your body and never fail to assert their dominance by buzzing across your ears in such discomforting frequencies. Truly, mosquitoes, albeit small, are testament to the fact that size is not a factor on the battle field.
While we may choose to hate the game and not the player, the games of mosquitoes are intense. In many cases, life threatening.
Diseases such as Yellow Fever, Ross River, and even the dengue are all testament to the devastation mosquitoes can inflict on a population if left unchecked.
It is no wonder we mostly hate mosquitoes. We have to do our part in controlling the spread of mosquitoes, and most importantly, protect our homes from those vector-carrying insects especially when we have young ones in the cradle.
The Easy Way Out
It is easy to shut the windows when the sun goes down, and lock the doors, to prevent their entry into our homes. It is easy to protect your baby’s crib with a mosquito net. It is easy, almost, to buy chemical repellents. But easy can be really bad for your health and the health of your family members.
Chemical repellents for instance may not necessarily be an effective method of keeping mosquitoes in check. Some of such chemicals can cause allergic reactions to the occupants of the home. Hence, there will be sicknesses from the mosquito bites, and disturbances in the health of both children and adults due to the chemicals that are constantly sprayed in the air in a bid to ‘get rid of mosquitoes”.
But what if you knew how to get rid of mosquitoes easily, perhaps by preparing a few home ingredients? Wouldn’t you want to try that? I know I would. Thus the reason for this list – a list of the best home remedies to keep the mosquitoes at bay and keep your family healthy.
1) Citronella
Citronella is a tropical grass grown in Asia. It is bluish-green colour, and its leaves have the smell of lemon. It is used in candles and incense which, when burned, can repel bugs. More importantly, its oil can be used to keep mosquitoes away.
To make the citronella oil, you would need a gauze, one slow cooker, one cup of olive oil, and one cup of citronella.
- Now, you have to mix your olive oil with your citronella leaves in the slow cooker.
- Next, you boil it.
- After its been properly boiled, you have to strain the mixture using your gauze, to get rid of the plant particles. Remember to place a container under the gauze to collect the citronella oil.
- To avoid irritation on your skin, mix it with coconut oil.
- Now, you can apply it on your skin.
Note: Do not use during pregnancy, and do not ingest.
2) Cinnamon Oil
The Cinnamon Oil is obtained from the outer bark of the cinnamon tree, or its leaves. With the oil, you can treat skin rashes, hair problems, and repel mosquitoes. (Talk about a wonder oil)
To make cinnamon oil, you will need about a litre of olive oil, for every 250 grams of cinnamon powder you have.
- Now, heat the olive oil in a pan.
- When the olive oil is hot enough, add some cinnamon powder and mix it well. Remember, every part of cinnamon powder should be mixed with about four parts of olive oil.
- Next, let it simmer for a few minutes, while you stir continuously.
- Stop heating the mixture when the smell of the cinnamon becomes easily perceivable.
- Now let it cool to room temperature.
- Strain it with the gauze.
- Apply on your skin and on the skin of your family and children to repel mosquitoes.
3) Peppermint Oil
Mosquitoes are very much repulsed by the peppermint oil, and as such, it can be used as a repellent, plus, it smells great so it’s a win-win for your home.
To obtain peppermint oil,
- First, you must fill up a transparent container with crushed peppermint leaves.
- Then, you need to fill the container with olive oil.
- Let the oil stay for about 2 days under the sun, and shake the container every 12 hours.
- Next, strain the oil using a gauze.
- Gather your peppermint oil.
- You can spray it in your home to repel mosquitoes.
4) Soya bean Oil
An unlikely number on this list is Soya bean Oil. It is an amazing mosquito repellent, and serves as an active ingredient in the production of most mosquito repellent chemicals. With as little as 2% of the oil, it works magic against these little, witty enemies.
To use soya bean oil in your home, simply inject some of it into your candle stick and light the thread. Mosquitoes will flee the room as soon as the candle begins to burn out. (Hehehehe now who’s the boss.)
5) Pinion Wood
Pinion Wood grows in the mountains of South-west United States, and its dense wood serves as a natural mosquito repellent. When burnt, it gives off a nice smell, and at the same time, kills mosquitoes.
If you are going camping, you might want to pack a few of these. You can use them in your home too. In the fireplace. Burn them there, then sit back and enjoy a lovely evening without mosquitoes in the air.
6) Garlic
Garlic is notorious for giving bad breath, however, it is one of the most functional naturally existing repellents on this list. While it makes our food tasty, and healthy too, garlic is great at keeping mosquitoes at bay.
To make your weapon, all you need to do is to crush a few cloves of garlic and boil it. When it boils for a couple of minutes, take it off the heat and let it cool. Then pour the cool mixture into a spray bottle and spray around the room and bask in the screams of thuds of falling mosquitoes.
7) Lemon grass
The smell of this plant fills the room with a pleasant smell. But it also keeps the mosquitoes away. You honestly need no extras or additives with this.
All that’s needed is for it to be placed in strategic areas around the room and it almost works like magic. It keeps them away and fills the room with a nice fragrance.
If it’s grown instead of picked out just for this use, it works better, as it continues to grow and repel the mosquitoes. But if it’s out of the soil, it’ll shrivel up after a while, and you’ll be giving the mosquitoes a buffer period to regroup for a final attack before you get fresh, new lemon grass. A good warrior eliminates the threat utterly and completely, is a good warrior 😊
8) Alcohol
This one may be surprising, but most alcoholic beverages work very well in repelling mosquitoes. So if you have a can of beer or other alcoholic beverages, simply pour it into a glass or pan and place it in or around the room.
It’ll keep them away, and drown the inquisitive ones because it works very well. Alcohol contains thiamine, and mosquitoes in no way, enjoy the smell of thiamine.
9) Coffee Grounds
This is fairly easy to do. Coffee grounds live in our cupboards and on our countertops. Going out to get some is not a bad idea as coffee keeps us up, especially when we don’t want to be. All it takes is to pour coffee grounds into any still or stagnant water that you might have lying around in your yard and immediate environment. In a few minutes, you’ll observe the mosquito eggs float to the top due to a lack of oxygen.
The final step is to get rid of any stagnant water as it is an excellent breeding place for more and more mosquitoes.
10) Camphor
This is obtained from a large tree in Asia called the Camphor Laurel. Camphor is a transparent solid with a strong scent.
It serves as a very effective method in killing mosquitoes.
- Burn a piece of camphor in your room, and shut the doors and windows. Leave the room for about 20 minutes.
- When you return, simply sweep all of the dead mosquitoes lying on the floor while you perform your victory dance.
11) Lemons and Cloves
Cloves are herbs widely known for their effectiveness in repelling mosquitoes and other insects, owing largely to their strong scent. And the lemon also has its own fragrance which adds to the effectiveness of the blend.
To obtain the best results, simply slice open some lemons and put cloves on them.
This has proven to be very effective in some countries, especially India.
12) Apple Cider Vinegar
This is great in more ways than one. Ingested, poured into stagnant waters around the yard or rubbed on the skin. Plus, it’s very healthy with amazing benefits. One of those benefits just happens to be the ability to keep mosquitoes away.
When it’s ingested, the sweat glands of your body exude traces of apple cider vinegar and the mosquitoes hate that. So they’ll definitely stay away from your skin, like children stay away from broccoli.
13) Mouthwash and Epsom salt
While unconventional, mouthwash contains eucalyptol, thymol, and menthol, all of which act as mosquito repellents.
To use
- Add Epsom salt to a large bottle of mouthwash, and mix it well until it dissolves.
- To increase its effectiveness, add about 12 oz of beer (alcohol)
- Now you can spray this mixture around your house, to get rid of mosquitoes.
14) Tea tree oil
This is an easy process. It involves diluting the oil in water. After that, simply apply the mix to your skin. The oil is antibacterial and antifungal so it is healthy for the skin and it repels mosquitoes, talk about a win-win.
15) Tulsi or Basil
This is a particularly great solution because of its natural fragrance, it’s used to keep mosquitoes away. It may also be used to treat mosquito bites as well. The process involves placing it at different windows and letting the little heathens deal with the smell.
In conclusion, there exist a plethora of home remedies to get rid of mosquitoes. But these select few are some of the most effective methods out there.
There are other ways to keep mosquitoes out of your home and surroundings. Certain foods may attract mosquitoes due to the release of lactic acid by your body. Hence, you may consider changes in diet for more prevention patterns.
Some of such dietary changes include eating a healthy amount of garlic and onions.
It’s interesting to know that mosquitoes are also drawn to the colour of clothing. They are naturally attracted to darker shades like red, navy blue, purple, and black among a host of others.
Asides all the home remedies from plants, you can also take the necessary precautions to keep these animals away from you and your family. If you wear thick, long clothing in the evening hours, it prevents them from biting you. Wearing socks will keep them away from your feet.
Taking a shower when sweaty is also a great way of keeping them away. Adding mosquito screens to the windows of all the bedrooms is also a viable preventive option.
Keeping mosquitoes away requires just the thought in your mind and the drive to go after the things that work the most for your home and for your family.
