DIY Bug Repellents For Summer

Working on outdoor projects in the summer heat can be exhausting. It's even worse when the bugs come out and bite you to a pulp. More and more people are ditching store bought insect repellents that contain harmful chemicals including DEET, and choosing to make their own organic bug spray. Not only do these organic methods work great, they're also quite simple. Do yourself a favor this summer and protect your family from insects by using the following methods of homemade bug protection. Photo by tigglrep via Flickr Simple & Weird:  

Fan

This method may seem too simple for many folks, but yes, a house fan can protect you and your family from mosquitos.

The New York Times swears by this method, "A fan dilutes and disperses the carbon dioxide you exhale. Carbon dioxide is one of the major chemicals that attract mosquitoes. The wind from a fan also cools you off. Sweat, lactic acid and body heat attract mosquitoes — factors that a fan can help minimize."

 Is it too simple to work? See for yourself!

 

Bubbles

Got lots of mosquitoes in your area? There's a simple fix. Grab that bubble machine you used for your kids' birthday party and hook it up. Mosquitoes have a particular hate for soap, so shooting some bubbles in the air keeps them out of your way.

For an extra concentrated formula, try adding some lemongrass oil to the bubble-mixture.

 

White Clothing

Many insects (including mosquito's) are attracted to body heat and sweat. That's why the guy wearing all-black on your camping trip always seems to get attacked by bugs.

The simple solution to this is wearing white or very light colored clothing. If possible, wear white long-sleeve shirts and pants (we're looking at you, painters). Try out this method and see how well bugs leave you alone. 

   Organic Spray-On Repellents: Photo by sskennel via Flickr

Garlic Repellent

We love garlic -- and not just for its wonderful taste. It has versatile tendencies that allow it to be used in a number of different applications--including as a bug (and vampire) deterrent.

This garlic repellent recipe from wisebread.com is awesome at protecting you from biting bugs:

Ingredients: Minced Garlic, Mineral Oil, Lemon Juice, Water

Supplies: Spray Bottle, Cheesecloth

Directions: Mince two to three cloves of garlic and place them in a bowl. Pour mineral oil over the minced garlic and allow the mixture to rest for at least 24 hours. Separately, mix together 1 teaspoon of mineral oil, 2 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Mix together the garlic oil mixture with the lemon juice/water/oil mixture, then strain through cheesecloth into the spray bottle to remove any large pieces.

Shake well and spray away!

 

Essential Oil Bug Repellent

This recipe uses an essential oil as its base and smells delicious! You can use it the same way you would normal bug spray -- coat your exposed skin and hair with this mixture:

Ingredients: Essential oils (Citronella, Clove, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus etc.), Witch Hazel, Distilled water

Supplies: Spray bottle

Directions: Fill the spray bottle half-full with distilled water. Add enough witch hazel to nearly fill the bottle. And lastly, add 30-50 drops of the essential oil(s) you chose. Shake well.

Voilà!

Note: Try using a different combination of essential oils to achieve different scents!

  Conclusion There are countless organic bug repellent recipes on blogs across the internet; choosing one will likely be based on trial and error. However, the ideas in this article have been used and proven by DIYers like you. Do you have a bug spray recipe you'd like to share? We'd love to hear what has worked for you. Please leave a comment with your suggestions!