I'm giving you a different kind of recipe this week. And here's why.
Our latest house doesn't have a screened porch. While it does sport a large, expansive deck with lovely wooded views, it doesn't offer the iron-clad protection from flying insects that a screened porch does.
Sigh.
And since I didn't want to spend the summer dousing myself or Mr. Ninj in chemical-laden commercial insect repellent just to be able to enjoy morning coffee or evening cocktails on the aforementioned deck, I whipped up some homemade natural bug spray.
OMG, friends, I love this stuff! Why?
1) It's all-natural, made with lavender and lemon eucalyptus essential oils that have naturally occurring insect-repelling qualities -- yay for nature!
2) It not only smells lovely, it's also cooling and refreshing -- yay for smelling good!
3) It's wicked easy to make, just three ingredients -- yay for laziness!
4) It's a wonderful way for me to incorporate gorgeous cobalt blue bottles into my daily life -- yay for pretty, colorful things!
5) IT ACTUALLY WORKS -- yay for NO BUGS!
And obviously Number 5 is the most important -- this DIY bug spray really does work. And I can spray on myself all day long if I want and still smell more like a flower than a deep woods hunter.
I've got two bottles going right now: I keep one near the door onto the deck and the other near the front door for dog walks (along with a bottle of DIY, dog-safe essential oil tick repellent that I spray on the wee beasties!).
Do you have your own DIY or all-natural ways of keeping the bugs at bay? Leave a comment: The Ninj wants to know.
Easy and Effective Homemade Natural Bug Spray
Be sure to use only glass spray bottles, not plastic!
Ingredients:
3 1/2 ounces distilled water
1 tablespoon vodka (or witch hazel)
42 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops lemon eucalyptus oil
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a 4-ounce glass spray bottle (not plastic). Shake well and use liberally.
www.yankeekitchenninja.com
-- print recipe --
what bugs does it work on? I don't necessarily want to get rid of all the bugs, and I know different bugs are in yards in different parts of the country. Just curious!
ReplyDeleteWe have some misquitoes (not a ton, though), as well as black fly/no-see-um-type little buggers -- seems to keep the biters away, which is what I care about!! FWIW, I was using this effectively when we lived in Kentucky as well as now here in Maryland.
Deleteooo, I need this one for sure! My current remedy for repelling bugs is to flap my arms a lot, which doesn't work for more than a millisecond. But it's a good workout, right? I'm going to try this, my arms are getting wicked tired.
ReplyDelete