I don’t think I need to emphasize what a menace mosquitoes can be. Not to mention the number of dangerous diseases these little insects can spread, its quite scary.
Where I live, depending upon the season, we get a lot of mosquitoes and from time to time other insects as well. I have tried some store bought mosquito and insect repellents in the past but those seem to repel my family more than the mosquitoes.
Firstly there is the strong smell. Then the powerful chemicals, artificial substances used. Both my daughter and I end up getting rashes on our skin even while staying away from these repellents as much as possible.
That’s why I did some research and thought wouldn’t it be a good idea to make my own mosquito and insect repellent that not just works but does not keep the family away as well.
As far as DIY or make your own projects go, this particular project checks all the boxes for me as follows:
• It’s environment friendly – Tick
• It’s completely organic with no artificial substances – Tick
• It’s safe for everyone in the house – Tick
• It’s super easy to make – Double Tick
It is also insect friendly to be honest (if that’s possible). It does not kill the insects but just makes them stay away from your room or house.
So without further ado, this is how you can make your own eco-friendly mosquito and insect repellent.
Ingredients Needed
You will need the following:
- Pure Organic Citronella Oil
- A glass of water
- Funnel (not required but it will make your life easier)
- Any empty spray bottle.
NOTE:
1) When purchasing citronella oil, do not get confused with lemongrass oil. Sometimes vendors try to cheat by saying it’s the same thing as they look quite similar. However, the two oils are different and have varied uses. Please buy citronella oil only.
2) There is no need to buy oil that is marked as “Essential”. Believe me, there is nothing essential about these oils. The word ‘essential’ is just a marketing gimmick and used to increase the price of the oil threefold. Just any pure citronella oil will do here. Cheaper the better but pure with no mix of anything else.
3) When using an old used spray bottle, make sure you have washed and dried it completely. You don’t want any of the old fragrance or residue remaining from whatever it was used for earlier.
How to Make Your Own Mosquito and Insect Repellent
This is the easy part. Basically you need to mix citronella oil and water in the ratio 1:4. Hence if you take 20 ml of citronella oil, take 80 ml of water. Just follow these simple steps:
1) Pour 20 ml of citronella oil in your empty spray bottle. If you do not have a measuring cup or your bottle does not hold 100 ml total, just use your estimation and pour 1/5th of the bottle. Use a funnel to make it easier to pour the oil.
In my case, as you can judge from the photos, I used my estimation as the spray bottle I was using was quite small.
2) Next pour 80 ml of water or 4/5th of the bottle depending upon what you did in the first step.
3) Close the bottle cap properly and shake gently so that the oil and water can mix. You may have to shake for a while for the two to amalgamate properly.
That’s it. Your own eco-friendly, organic mosquito and insect repellent is now ready.
How to Use
Before each use, you have to shake the bottle again as overtime, the oil and water separates. Hence shake the bottle and simply spray around the corners of every room in your house. I sometimes just spray the corners of my bedroom and also on the sides of the bed.
Keep in mind that citronella oil has a sweet, citrusy aroma. Hence your room or house will smell kind of sweet after this. It acts like an eco-friendly room freshener as well.
I sometimes spray just outside my main door and windows as well. This keeps all the insects away who are trying to get inside.
Precautions
1) Considering this is a liquid, do not spray near electrical power outlets as otherwise it may cause a spark and lead to something potentially more dangerous.
2) Typically pure citronella oil is quite safe and there are no known allergies. However, just in case you or any member of your family experiences skin rashes, you should stop using it. As it is you should not spray this on your skin. It is meant to be sprayed on the corners of the rooms of your house. Also wash your hands thoroughly after each use and ensure nothing goes in your eyes.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, this is a super easy DIY project. It also helps you maintain a holistic lifestyle as this repellent does not hurt any insects. Just keeps them away. Yet, it works wonderfully and I have seen amazing results.
Please go ahead and give it a try. Do not forget to let me know how it goes.