5 Simple Ways To Keep Your House Mosquito-Free

The calming scents of citronella, basil, lavender, peppermint, lemon balm, and marigold flowers may be lovely to us, but mosquitoes cannot stand them. So having these plants around will automatically prevent mosquitoes from hanging around your home.

Bonus perks: Basil, lavender, peppermint, and lemon balm can all be used in the kitchen either to add extra flavour to food and drinks or for brewing herbal tea. Plus, rubbing peppermint on mosquito bites helps to relieve the itching and swelling.

Stop throwing out the coffee grounds after you make your morning pick-me-up. Whenever you find stagnant water in your home, just sprinkle some coffee grounds into it. This will force any mosquito eggs present in the water to the surface, thus depriving them of oxygen and killing them before they hatch.

We all know that stagnant water is a popular breeding ground for mosquitoes but it's easy to overlook spots where water may collect and go unnoticed.

Here's some to keep in mind:

• Holes, tree stumps and uneven areas in the ground
• Containers such as plant pots, garbage and/or recycling bins, pet water dishes and gutters/drains
• Wide surfaces like tarps and awnings
• Behind appliances (especially after defrosting your fridge as well as the area around your washing machine's outlet pipe)

Option 1: Place a container of dry ice in a particular spot of your home and leave it for some time. Mosquitoes will be attracted to the carbon dioxide being released by the dry ice.

Once they all gather in the container, simply close the lid to trap them and dispose of the container.

Option 2: Cut a plastic bottle in half and set aside. Then dissolve some brown sugar in hot water. Once the mixture cools down, pour it into the bottom half of the plastic bottle and add some yeast.

Flip the top half of the plastic bottle upside down and insert into the bottom half to create a funnel. Tape the two halves together with tape (use black or dark blue coloured tape - mosquitoes are attracted to darker tones) but make sure to leave the top uncovered.

Place the bottle in a mosquito prone area and let it work it's magic. Don't forget to change the liquid solution every 2 weeks if you intend to keep this method up for a prolonged period of time.

Did you know that mosquitoes have an incredibly keen sense of smell? They're apparently able to smell from up to 50 meters away. You can totally use this to your advantage by making all-natural repellents using scents that will keep them away.

For spraying on objects and surfaces or in outdoor areas:

• Boil a few cloves of crushed garlic in water for some time. Pour the garlic infused water into a spray bottle after it cools down and spray around areas that you want to keep mosquito-free. Only use this method if you like the smell of garlic :P

• Mix Indian lilac oil and pure coconut oil in a 1:1 ratio. Upon application, the mixture should keep mosquitoes away for about 8 hours.
• Mix eucalyptus oil and lemon oil in equal proportions. Apply whenever necessary.