Mosquitoes are one of the most common vectors of both viral and parasitic diseases that affect humans. If you live in an area where every evening has greeted you with a constant buzzing sound, now is the time to find ways to mitigate the issue. From malaria to dengue and yellow fever, mosquito bites are not just itchy but life-threatening too.
While the most common remedy is to pick up a store-bought mosquito repellent and spray it all around the house, you will soon realize that the harsh chemicals are not just bad for your health but for the environment too.
Also read: 10 Best Home Remedies to Get Rid of Lizards
So, how to get rid of mosquitoes? Don’t worry because we have done our research, and this guide should give you an idea about some of the best-proven ways to get rid of these pesky insects from your home for good.
Table of Contents
List of Ways to Get Rid of Mosquitoes
1. Camphor
Considered one of the most commonly found natural remedies, camphor has a unique, strong, and pungent smell, which has been found beneficial in keeping mosquitoes away. Since camphor follows the sublimation process and turns directly into a gas from its solid state, the impact is pretty instantaneous. All you have to do is close your doors and windows and then light a cube or two of camphor, and that should be enough to keep the mosquitoes out for the night.
2. Patch the Gaps
If you live in a place close to the sea or muddy patches around, try to seal all your outlets in the home. Cover your doors and windows with mosquito nets to prevent them from entering. If you have open spaces from the balcony or cracks through the doors that could be a gateway for mosquitoes, make sure you seal those too. The best way to check for cracks and gaps is to check whether sunlight can seep through them. If the answer is yes, you need to fix it soon.
3. Get Rid of Breeding Grounds
Often, we don’t realize ourselves, but we unintentionally create breeding grounds for mosquitoes in our homes. Pooled water from the AC, the water dripping out of your plant pots, and even the stored water in the buckets can serve as a breeding ground for the mosquitoes without your knowledge. Ensure that you get rid of such spots around the house without any questions. If you have open ditches around your home, fill them with mud. If you find anyone around you storing water unnecessarily, educate them not to. Sometimes, the answer to “how to get rid of mosquitoes?” is to not store excess water.
4. Plant Natural Repellents
Would you be surprised if we told you that there are plants that act as natural repellents for mosquitoes? Sounds surprising, doesn’t it? Herbs like basil, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, etc., have been found beneficial in repelling the mosquitoes from entering your home. All you can do is plant all or any of these plants in your home, and the strong smell should be enough to keep the mosquitoes out of your home. The best thing about these plant repellents is that they are versatile. Not only do they work on mosquitoes, but they are also equally great in keeping gnats and other insects out of the house.
5. Garlic
As weird as it sounds, garlic does have proven benefits in keeping mosquitoes away from your home. The strong repelling smell of the garlic cloves is what keeps the mosquitoes out of the house. For this, you need to crush a few cloves of fresh garlic till they form a paste. Add some water to the crushed garlic to form a solution, and then spray it around the house. Although it will leave a bit of garlic stench around your home, at least you will be free of the diseases that mosquitoes infest.
6. Coffee Grounds
If you have been throwing away your excess coffee grounds thinking they won’t be of any further use, coffee grounds are pretty amazing. They work because of their ability to prevent stagnant water from becoming a breeding ground for mosquito eggs. If you have excess stored water around your house or even in your locality, all you need to do is throw in some coffee grounds into the stagnant water and call it a day. If there are any mosquito eggs in the water, they will eventually come up to the surface and die due to lack of oxygen availability.
7. Essential Oils
Much like the herb plants, spraying on some essential oils around the house can work wonders for your home and prevent the infestation of mosquitoes to a great extent. Some of the most effective essential oils include lavender, lemon, citronella, or eucalyptus. If you can’t get your hands on those, opt for the more common ones like tea tree or clove. Once you have your choice of essential oil, you can make a solution with some water and spray it around the house to prevent the mosquitoes from entering.
8. Sliced Lemons & Clove
This is one of the OG natural remedies for mosquitoes that have been in practice for decades now. The reason keeping a lemon stabbed with cloves work is because of the strong and pungent smell from both these ingredients. Mosquitoes particularly hate the smell of cloves and anything citrus, so keeping these around the windows and doors can prevent them from entering your home.
9. Invite Bats to the Yard
If your yard is filled with plants and dents that could be attracting swarms of mosquitoes, the best way to counterfeit them is by inviting some bats in. Although this is a hit or miss, you can install a professionally built bat house in your backyard to attract more bats that can help scarf down the mosquito population in your backyard. Make sure that you are placing the bat house in the places where they can get maximum shade. The last thing you want is to place it directly under the sun because bats hate warmth and sun.
10. Pinion Wood
Although quite an underrated method, this does work wonders. If you are tired of having a lot of mosquitoes every day in your home, the best way to get rid of them is by burning some pinion wood in the backyard. The smell of the burnt pinion wood does magic because you will see notable results within a day or two. In case you don’t have a big backyard, you can take a small piece of the pinion wood and then burn it on the balcony of your home for similar results.
11. Dry Ice
Another unconventional remedy that can bring you notable results is dry ice. The majority of the time, this does take some time to show results, but you will eventually get results without any issues. All you need to do is fill your mosquito trap with some dry ice and wait it out. The carbon dioxide emissions have been found to get rid of the excess mosquitoes and drive them out of the house. However, since dry ice can cause accidents, you need to be careful while handling them.
12. Sage & Rosemary
While sage and rosemary tend to have spiritual ties, you’d be surprised that they have amazing results in getting rid of the mosquitoes out of the house. The smell of burnt sage and rosemary not just leaves a tranquil nature surrounding you; it has also been found beneficial in steering clear of the mosquitoes out of the house for good. For the best results, light the sage and rosemary during the evening for the best results.
13. Dish of Soapy Water
If you are one of those people who has been looking for a non-toxic mode of getting rid of mosquitoes out of the house is with soapy water. All you need to do is take a wide bowl of water and mix some dish soap into it till it forms bubbles. Since mosquitoes tend to breed in water, the soap water will attract them towards it. However, the bubbles will trap and suffocate them in the process.
14. Use an Insect Repellent
We understand that not every natural remedy will show desirable results, especially depending on the area that you stay in. If nothing is working out in your favor, use insect repellent. Several sprays and even ointments are available in the market that you can apply on your skin to prevent yourself from getting those deadly mosquito bites. However, make sure that you check the formula and consult your doctor if you are allergic to any of the ingredients mentioned in the formula.
Also read: How to Get Rid of Mice? 8 Tried & Tested Methods
If you are tired of getting bitten by mosquitoes every day, try out all the remedies that we have sorted out for you above. Not only will they help prevent further breeding of the mosquitoes, but you can also use them to get rid of the unnecessary diseases that generally come with mosquito bites. It is crucial that you take immediate steps instead of leaving things lurking around. If you have been questioning how to get rid of mosquitoes, we hope this article gives you all the right answers.
