Last Updated on March 9, 2025
Tired of pesky insects ruining your outdoor time or invading your home? While chemical repellents work, they often contain harsh ingredients.
If you’re looking for safe, natural alternatives, you’re in the right place! Here are some of the best natural ways to keep bugs away, plus DIY solutions you can make at home.
1. Essential Oils That Repel Insects Naturally
Many essential oils have insect-repelling properties due to their strong scents and natural compounds. Here are some of the most effective:
- Lemon Eucalyptus Oil – Known for its effectiveness against mosquitoes, this oil is even backed by the CDC as a natural repellent.
- Peppermint Oil – Repels spiders, ants, and mosquitoes. Mix with water and spray around doors and windows.
- Tea Tree Oil – Effective against ticks, lice, and mosquitoes.
- Lavender Oil – A pleasant-smelling repellent for mosquitoes, flies, and moths.
- Citronella Oil – A well-known mosquito repellent, often used in candles and sprays.
DIY Essential Oil Bug Spray
Ingredients:
- 10 drops lemon eucalyptus oil
- 10 drops citronella oil
- 10 drops lavender oil
- 2 tablespoon witch hazel or vodka (helps mix the oils)
- 1/2 cup water
👉 Directions: Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake before use and spray on skin or around your home.
2. Herbs & Plants That Naturally Repel Insects
Want a bug-free yard? Plant these insect-repelling herbs and flowers:
- 🌿 Basil – Repels mosquitoes and flies.
- 🌼 Marigolds – Keeps mosquitoes and aphids away from your garden.
- 🌱 Lemongrass – Contains citronella, a natural mosquito deterrent.
- 🌿 Rosemary & Sage – Toss some sprigs in your campfire to keep mosquitoes away.
- 🌱 Mint – Keeps ants, flies, and mosquitoes at bay.
- 🌸 Lavender – Repels moths, fleas, mosquitoes, and flies.
💡 Pro Tip: Keep potted basil, lavender, or mint near entryways and outdoor seating areas for a natural barrier against bugs.
3. DIY Vinegar Bug Spray for Home Use
Vinegar is a powerful natural bug repellent that also cleans surfaces!
🌟 Simple Vinegar Bug Spray
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 10 drops peppermint or tea tree oil
Directions: Mix in a spray bottle and apply to problem areas (windows, doorways, countertops). Great for repelling ants, fruit flies, and spiders!
4. Natural Mosquito Repellents for Outdoor Use
If you love spending time outdoors, try these natural mosquito deterrents:
- Burn coffee grounds – Mosquitoes hate the smell of burning coffee grounds.
- Use a fan – Mosquitoes are weak fliers, so a simple fan can keep them away.
- Coconut oil & neem oil blend – Studies show a mix of coconut oil and neem oil is as effective as DEET!
- Citrus peels – Rubbing lemon or orange peels on your skin can deter mosquitoes.
- DIY Mosquito-Repelling Candles – Place lemon slices, rosemary, and citronella oil in a mason jar with water and a floating candle for a decorative, bug-fighting glow.
5. How to Keep Bugs Out of Your Home Naturally
🚪 Seal entry points – Check windows, doors, and cracks where bugs might enter.
🧼 Keep it clean – Insects are drawn to food crumbs and spills, so wipe surfaces often.
🕯️ Use natural deterrents – Place bay leaves or cinnamon sticks in cupboards to repel ants and roaches.
🦟 Deter fruit flies – Set out a small dish of apple cider vinegar with a drop of dish soap to trap them.
🌿 Hang dried herbs – A bundle of lavender, rosemary, or mint in the pantry keeps bugs away naturally.
6. Best Natural Bug Repellent for Kids & Pets
If you need a kid- and pet-safe bug repellent, try these alternatives:
🐶 Coconut oil – Safe for pets, plus repels ticks and fleas.
👶 Neem oil spray – Dilute with coconut oil for a gentle but effective bug repellent.
🌱 Herbal sachets – Fill small cloth bags with lavender and rosemary to place near beds or pet areas.
🚫 Avoid: Essential oils like tea tree, peppermint, and eucalyptus on pets—some can be toxic!
7. Natural Insect Repellents You Can Purchase
If you’re not the DIY type, here are some natural alternatives you can purchase:
Personal Use:
- All-Terrain Herbal Armor DEET-Free Natural Insect Repellent
- Quantum Buzzaway Extreme Spray
- Skedattle All Natural Anti-Bug Spray
Gardening Use:
There are plenty of natural ways to keep insects away without relying on harsh chemicals! Whether you plant bug-repelling herbs, mix up a DIY spray, or use common household ingredients, you can keep your home and outdoor spaces pest-free the natural way.
I hope you have luck with these natural alternatives. If you’ve used other natural repellents, please share them in the comments.
I would like to add that moth balls are also good in controlling pest. I tried it at home for roaches and rats. It’s very effective. I can only see few roaches now than before.
Great tip! I have heard they also work against snakes. Some of our neighbors used to put them under their porches to keep pests at bay. Thanks for the advice.
I love using essential oils but never knew they helped with bugs!
Great timely information – thank you for sharing! I guess I really have to get back into the ACV – I didn’t realize that helped.
Mosquitoes don’t like my blood (woo hoo!!) but they do love my husband’s!! So, all these tips come in very handy, thanks!! I will make sure to plant tons of Basil in my garden to keep them at bay!
You are lucky! I am like your husband, they love me. I’m having a lot of luck with the witch hazel and peppermint oil though. I hope it works for your hubby.
great advice and good to know. I’m going to make some of these. Thanks for sharing.
Do this bug bites include mosquitos right? So I can share this to my family in the Philippines, where mosquito bites are very rampant due to a rainy season. Thanks for the response.
Yes, definitely! I’ve had a lot of luck with peppermint and lemon oils mixed with witch hazel.
Awesome! I have Apple Cider Vinegar and I love garlic, too! This post is very helpful.
i think i will do the homemade insect repellent.:)
I never knew garlic would keep the bugs off of me, time to eat more garlic.
Thank you for the tips.
I have peppermint at my garden so I might try this..
wow, nice to know that having herbs can repel insects. gotta plant more of those in our backyard.
I am so glad I saw this, I love the idea of making my own insect repellent especially when I can use oils and moisturize my skin while doing so. I run nightly so this is going to be such a big help.
Thanks for the tips! I am allergic to mosquitoes and they love me so I am always battling them. I have used just about everything I know to keep them away from me. I will try the essential oils now.
i swear between love bugs and mosquitoes insects rule here
I have peppermint in my garden for this but need to make some body repellent
We go through major bug issues in Laguna Beach during the Summer. At Whole Foods they recommend us to use a lemon scented something in our home. Works quite well.
Garlic, I know has lots of benefits but it makes you breath smell pretty bad for a couple of days which my husband can’t stand. lol!
LOL! Yes, I suppose a few of these recommendations work equally well as human repellents.
Great advice on how to keep insects at bay without using dangerous chemicals!!!
I hate bugs, and they’re everywhere. I especially don’t like spiders. I need to try peppermint oil to see if that repels them. Thanks for sharing. You mentioned several things I had never heard before I need to try!
Oh, this is so much better than the store bought solutions! My husband eats 3 match heads each day to keep the ticks off of him – I guess the sulfer does the trick. Maybe it’s the sulfer that makes him crazy thougyh . . .
The match heads is a new one to me. Hm, will have to look into sulfur as a repellent. I wonder if it’s safe to consume?