How to Repel Mosquitoes Naturally

Nothing ruins a lovely summer evening faster than being attacked by hungry mosquitoes. However, the chemicals found in store-bought mosquito repellents have been linked to many side effects and are considered by some to be dangerous. Follow these steps and you can repel those nasty mosquitoes in a natural and organic way.

Things You'll Need

• Spray bottle
• Essential oils
• Rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, vodka or olive oil
• Cat nip (Nepeta catari)
• Vinegar
• Mason jar
• Rolling pin
• Marigolds or Thai lemon grass
• Bat house
• Essential oil candle

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Instructions

Create a Natural Repellent Spray With Essential Oils

• 1

  Start by pouring 10 ounces of rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, vodka or olive oil into an empty plastic spray bottle.

• 2

  Add 1 ounce of any of the following essential oils: castor, cedar, celery extract, clove, citronella, geranium, lemon eucalyptus, fennel, lavender, lemon grass, peppermint, rosemary, soybean, thyme or tea tree oil.

• 3

  Mix well and store in a spray bottle. You can spray this on your skin, or the walls of room with mosquito infestation.

Make a Repellent Spray with Catnip

• 4

  Grow the perennial herb Nepeta catari in a sunny part of your garden, or buy them from a vendor.

• 5

  Rinse 2 cups of the stemmed catnip and then gently roll the catnip with a rolling pin.

• 6

  Put the rolled catnip in a jar and cover it with 3 cups of vinegar. Seal the jar and store for 2 weeks in a dark place, shaking the jar daily.

• 7

  Filter the liquid out of the jar into a spray bottle and keep refrigerated.

Try Other Natural Repellent Methods

• 8

  Plant natural mosquito repellents like marigolds and Thai lemon grass around your home. Studies say that these work better than citronella.

• 9

  Get a bat. If you build or buy a bat house, a bat may take up residence and start killing off thousands of mosquitoes every night.

• 10

  Try mosquito repellent candles. There are many kinds of candles that burn citronella or other essential oils that ward off mosquitoes.