Home Remedies For Mosquitoes: 5 simple remedies with home ingredients to keep mosquitoes away from your home this monsoon (You might find some right in your kitchen)
Monsoon season brings relief from the heat, but it also brings familiar, unwelcome pests as guests, including mosquitoes.Amid this, along with the rain comes a spike in mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue, chikungunya, and malaria, making it the one time of year when keeping these insects out of the house is very important to protect the family and especially children.While there are innumerable chemical options available, like coils, plug-in vaporisers, aerosol sprays, other home remedies also exist that are not only health-friendly but also have been passed down through generations.Here are some home remedies to keep mosquitoes away from your home this monsoon:
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Essential oils
Oils like neem, citronella, lavender, and eucalyptus aren’t just pleasant to have in your home, they actually help to keep mosquitoes away. A field study on tribal villages in Madhya Pradesh found that neem oil mixed with coconut oil gave 81–91% protection from mosquito bites over 12 hours. Mix a few drops with water in a spray bottle for your home, or dilute neem oil with coconut oil for a skin-safe version. A diffuser works well too, for a steady, low-key defence.
Camphor creates a simple vapour barrier
Camphor has been used as a household mosquito deterrent since long. Leaving a few tablets in an open container lets it evaporate slowly, building a mild protective barrier over time. For quicker results, burn camphor in a closed room for about 15–20 minutes, then air it out; mosquitoes tend to clear out quickly from the space. You can also drop camphor tablets into a bowl of water near doorways or windows, replacing them every two to three days as the scent fades.
Garlic spray
Garlic’s sulphur compounds are genuinely unpleasant to mosquitoes, which is why a homemade spray works better than most people expect. Boil a few crushed garlic cloves in water, let the mixture cool completely, then strain it into a spray bottle. Spraying lightly around windowsills, doorframes, and corners where mosquitoes tend to gather can noticeably help reduce their numbers.
Basil, lavender, Marigold, Rosemary plants
Certain plants are natural mosquito repellents,that keep these disease-causing pests away by simply by growing them in your garden or balcony, including marigold, lemongrass, holy basil (tulsi), lavender, and rosemary. Beyond repelling insects, they add greenery.
Lemon and clove
For this, slice a lemon in half, press a handful of cloves into the flesh, and place it on a windowsill, dining table, or entryway. It works because of eugenol, the active compound in cloves, which shows interferes with mosquitoes’ ability to sense human scent, making it harder for them to locate a target.
