Sprinkler Magician
March 2, 2022
Are you one of the millions of people looking for a natural alternative to the mosquito repellents on the market today? Well, you might be in luck.
There are dozens of items that repel mosquitoes, and you might have some in your house right now! Here’s the list of some of the best natural household items that repel mosquitoes.
Household Items Proven to Repel (& Kill) Mosquitoes
Apple Cider Vinegar
Not only can apple cider vinegar repel mosquitoes, but it can also kill larvae in standing water.
If you’ve ever gotten a big whiff of any vinegar, you know how strong the smell is. This smell plays a major role in its effectiveness at repelling mosquitoes.
Garlic
While it hasn’t been proven to repel mosquitoes when ingested, there is an overwhelming amount of anecdotal evidence that the essence of garlic can repel mosquitoes.
Garlic contains several sulfur compounds that have high efficacy for repelling mosquitoes. (Garlic oil is actually one of the main ingredients to our Mosquito Magician mosquito repellent!)
Coffee Grounds
There is no evidence that sitting some coffee grounds on your table will repel mosquitoes. However, putting coffee grounds in standing water around your house will deter mosquitoes from laying eggs in it. Additionally, coffee grounds can kill mosquito larvae in standing water.
Dryer Sheets
Not all dryer sheets will be effective at repelling mosquitoes, but those containing linalool should. Linalool is a natural chemical compound that is used in many dryer sheets for scent.
For the best result, you should carry several dryer sheets around with you.
The Best Household Plants to Repel Mosquitoes
Several plants work great to repel mosquitoes. The only caveat is that they generally only do so within a couple of feet of the plant itself. Because of their limited repellency range, they are generally only effective when sitting near them. That said, they can help keep mosquitoes out of your yard – plus they’re pretty to look at!
Marigolds
Marigolds are among the best plants to repel mosquitoes naturally. It will take several of them to keep mosquitoes away, but it’s a great way to add color to your backyard!
Lavender
Lavender smells great and forces mosquitoes to keep their distance. The closer you can put these to areas you want to keep mosquitoes away, the better.
To better repel mosquitoes and other insects, you can pair them with marigolds. As a bonus, the colors of the two plants complement one another nicely.
Basil
Basil is great as an indoor or outdoor plant! Mosquitoes hate the strong scent of fresh basil, and it’s also toxic to mosquito larvae.
The Best Herbs to Keep Mosquitoes Away
There are a few herbs you may have in your kitchen or garden that repel mosquitoes. Not only will your cooking be delicious with these herbs, but mosquitoes will stay away from you, too!
All of the following herbs may do the trick on their own, but smoldering them will distribute the smell more and create smoke to further protect you from mosquitoes.
Sage
The ability of sage to repel mosquitoes hasn’t been studied, but it has been proven to repel other insects such as aphids. There are, however, many people who claim that sage is an effective mosquito repellent.
Rosemary
Rosemary has been used for generations as a natural mosquito repellent. Having it around outdoor seating areas should help keep mosquitoes at bay.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a popular natural ingredient in insecticides. Like most plants, though, lemongrass only repels mosquitoes within a few feet of itself. To cover a larger area, crush some and pull it in a bowl. This way, the oils get released, and the scent will travel further.
Essential Oils That Repel Mosquitoes
Did you know essential oils are scientifically proven to repel mosquitoes? That said, you can’t just use any random essential oil – some are much more effective than others at getting rid of mosquitoes.
Essential oils are so good at repelling mosquitoes, it’s what we’ve used as the ingredients for our mosquito repellent concentrate!
Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus oil is a great way to naturally repel mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are attracted to the scent of your sweat and exhaled carbon dioxide. Eucalyptus’ strong scent can mask it enough to offer some protection against them.
Citronella Oil
Working in a similar way to eucalyptus, citronella oil repels mosquitoes almost as well as DEET (yes, that’s the toxic chemical used in most mosquito repellents).
Citronella essential oil comes from lemongrass, but it’s much more concentrated than when it’s inside the plant. Because of this, using the essential oil is the most effective way to ward off pesky mosquitoes.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil repels mosquitoes with an efficacy rate of 85-100%, according to this study on ScienceDirect.
It can also kill mosquito larvae in standing water just by using a few drops!
Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is one of the most effective natural mosquito repellants. You can dilute it with a carrier oil for topical use, diffuse it with an essential oil diffuser, or burn strongly-scented lavender candles.
Household Items That DON’T Repel Mosquitoes
Since we’ve already mentioned plenty of items that are proven to keep mosquitoes away from you, we want to cover a few that don’t. We’ve seen a lot of talk about these items repelling mosquitoes online. However, the science isn’t there to back it up.
We don’t want you using something that doesn’t actually work, because our goal is to help keep mosquitoes away from you!
A few household items that don’t work well to repel mosquitoes include:
- Vicks® VapoRub® – Vicks® VapoRub® is commonly touted as a way to repel mosquitoes. However, there’s no evidence it actually works.
- Isopropyl Alcohol – While rubbing alcohol is very effective at keeping certain pests away – like bed bugs – it evaporates too quickly to provide any protection against mosquitoes.
- Listerine – While Listerine does contain ingredients used to repel mosquitoes, the concentration isn’t high enough for it to work. Plus, similar to rubbing alcohol, it evaporates too quickly to even see any lasting effects.
- Lemons – this one is a bit more controversial than others. While oranges have been proven to repel mosquitoes to some degree, lemons just haven’t been studied enough to provide a definitive answer. So, they may or may not work. We suggest just using household items that are known to repel mosquitoes.
Do You Want to Get Rid of Mosquitoes for Good?
While we covered a pretty extensive list of household items that repel mosquitoes, the truth is you need something that will keep mosquitoes away for GOOD.
We developed a mosquito repellent formula that’s highly effective. It’s called Mosquito Magician concentrate and it’s made from essential oils!
You don’t have to put up with mosquitoes. Take a look at our products today!