Keep Bugs Out of the Home with Essential Oils
The first taste of warmer weather can send some of us straight into our spring cleaning routine. We want to scrub down the spaces we’ve been cooped up in and start enjoying the outdoors as soon as we can. Other than being a cue for cleaning, springtime also means that the natural world is coming back to life and that includes the return of those pesky insects. We may think that our sparkly clean homes are safe from bugs and pests but even the best cleaning routines can’t prevent some unwanted visitors from making their way inside. Luckily for us, some essential oils can repel insects so our homes can be bug-free and smell amazing. Adding a few things to our springtime cleaning routines can help us to keep bugs away and to rid our spaces of insects that happen to make it in.
Rosemary Essential Oil repels insects, especially mosquitos, making it great for the spring and summer months. It also works to keep flies, moths, and other bothersome flying insects away.
Thyme Essential Oil has mosquito-repellent properties that have even surpassed commercial insect repellents in some studies. It also helps repel chiggers, fleas, and ticks.
Citronella Essential Oil is probably the most well-known for its insect-repelling abilities. It is effective against a wide range of insects including fleas, ticks, moths, gnats, and mosquitoes.
Sage Essential Oil is known to repel garden pests but it can also help to keep chiggers, ticks, fleas, and flies out of our homes.
Lavender Essential Oil includes bug repelling properties in its long list of benefits and uses. It can be used to ward off fleas, ticks, mosquitos, fruit flies, and spiders.
Peppermint Essential Oil works to repel many pests and is especially effective for keeping away home pests like ants, spiders, roaches, beetles, moths, and flies.
Cedarwood Essential Oil has a long history of being used to repel insects. It can help protect stored items from moths, silverfish, and other damaging insects while also helping to keep fleas, mites, and lice at bay.
Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil works to keep many bugs away, especially wasps, ants, and spiders. It has also exhibited the potential to kill mosquito larvae to help prevent future pests.
No Bugs Welcome Diffuser Blend
We may put in some extra effort to rid our home of insects when they become an issue but some simple day-to-day maintenance can help us make sure they don't show up in the first place. Diffusing this insect-repelling blend of lavender, citronella, cinnamon bark, and Sage essential oils fill the space with a beautiful aroma while working to declare our home as a bug-free zone. Placing a diffuser near the most often opened doors and windows in the house let insects know that they are not welcome in our spaces.
Ingredients
- 3 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
- 3 drops of Citronella Essential Oil
- 2 drops of Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
- 2 drops of Sage Essential Oil
Instructions
Add water to your diffuser up to the fill line. Add drops of the essential oil blend. This diffuser blend recipe is formulated for a 200ml ultrasonic diffuser. Adjust the amount according to the size and directions of your diffuser.
Barrier Boost Room Spray
During the height of warmer months, it can feel like a constant battle to keep more prevalent pests, like flies and ants, from making their way into our homes. Giving each room of the house an extra bug-repelling boost can be just the trick to help keep them at bay. Spritzing a combination of peppermint, cedarwood, and thyme essential oils on the soft surfaces in our home works to strengthen the insect repelling barrier that helps keep our spaces pest-free.
Ingredients
- 4oz Amber Glass Bottle with Spray Top
- 2oz of High Percentage Alcohol
- 2oz of Distilled Water
- 20 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
- 20 drops of Cedarwood Essential Oil
- 20 drops of Thyme Essential Oil
Instructions
Add essential oils and witch hazel to the 4oz glass bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle up with distilled water. Attach the spray top and shake until all the ingredients are well combined. Spray on soft surfaces in the home to keep insects away.
Stay Out Repellent Sachets
Less frequently used areas of the home can be hot spots for insects sneaking in unnoticed. No one likes to open a box or closet and find that spiders have made an elaborate home or moths have destroyed a beloved sweater. Since these spaces are not always part of our cleaning routines, longer-term insect repellant options work best. A simple sachet including rosemary, cedarwood, and cinnamon bark essential oils can be tucked into a storage area to make sure it stays insect-free even when we’re not using it.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup of Dried Rosemary
- ¼ cup of Cedar Shavings
- ¼ cup of Uncooked White Rice
- Small Cotton Pouches
- 10 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil
- 10 drops of Cedarwood Essential Oil
- 8 drops of Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
Instructions
Add rice, dried rosemary, and cedar shavings to a bowl and stir to combine. Add essential oils and stir again. Add ingredients to small cotton pouches and tie them closed tightly or sew shut. Tuck the sachet into storage boxes or hang it in closets to repel damaging insects.
Ants Away Kitchen Spray
Kitchens are one of the busiest places in most homes and also one of the most common places where we notice insects making their way inside. It can take a little more than our usual kitchen clean-up to keep ants and other food-driven pests out of our snacks. Spraying down our kitchen with a blend of peppermint, sage, and lavender essential oils leaves behind a fresh herbal scent that we can enjoy but are sure to drive bugs away.
Ingredients
- 16oz Amber Glass Bottle with Spray Top
- 6oz of High Percentage Alcohol
- 5oz of White Vinegar
- 5oz of Distilled Water
- 20 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
- 10 drops of Sage Essential Oil
- 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
Instructions
Combine water and hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. Add in the desired essential oil blend and alcohol. Shake well to combine. Spray on surfaces and inside cabinets in the kitchen.
You may also enjoy...
