Mosquitoes are notorious for making an appearance during the summertime when the weather is hot and sticky. For homeowners, keeping unwelcome intruders like mosquitoes out of the home should be a top priority. And while the internet is ripe with mosquito hacks to help, some are more effective than others. Before we take a deep dive into the hacks, it’s important to know what attracts mosquitoes to your home in the first place.

Understanding Mosquito Behavior

In order to keep mosquitoes out of your home, you have to know why they picked your place to begin with. Here are three things that attract mosquitoes:

Standing Water

Mosquitoes like to lay their eggs in still water, so if you have any nearby lakes or even puddles close to you, your home could be a target.

Dark and Humid Areas

Mosquitoes prefer dark and moist spaces like the laundry room, closet, or in the shower to rest and breed.

Body Odor and Sweat

Mosquitoes are drawn to the chemicals in human sweat and the carbon dioxide produced from exhaling.

Tried and True Mosquito Hacks To Keep Mosquitoes Out

Now that you know what attracts mosquitoes, you can practice strategies to keep mosquitoes out. Simple actions like cleaning up any spilled water, keeping damp spaces dry, and maintaining healthy personal hygiene can keep those pesky insects at bay. But if you want to completely eradicate your chances of an infestation, here are the tried and true mosquito hacks to do it.

Hack 1: Eliminate standing water.

As previously mentioned, cleaning up spills is a simple and easy action you can take to prevent mosquitoes. But in order to eliminate standing water, there’s more to it than that.

Regularly check and empty any containers that collect water — i.e. flower pots, bird baths, and buckets — especially after rainfall. And while you’re out in the yard, make sure your gutters are clean to prevent water from pooling.

Next, repair any leaks in outdoor faucets and hoses that could create puddles. And if you have pets, be sure to change their water bowls regularly throughout the day.

Hack 2: Weaponize fragrance.

Mosquitoes can’t stand the smell of bright citrus and spicy clove, so if you have a mosquito problem, using these ingredients can really hit them hard.

You can buy a product like a lemon-scented candle or incense sticks soaked in clove oil to keep mosquitoes away. Or, for a quick DIY option, you can make it yourself.

To make a homemade repellent, many people swear by cutting a lemon in half and then sticking several whole cloves inside to keep critters out. Others like to rub a little oil of lemon eucalyptus — the strongest natural repellent — on their skin to prevent bites.

Hack 3: Use a fan.

Mosquitoes can’t maintain flight when there’s a powerful fan running. If you have an oscillating fan, be sure to turn it on, especially at night when the sun is down, to keep mosquitoes from flying near you.

Hack 4: Adopt a repelling plant.

While mosquitoes thrive in nature, there are some plants that they don’t vibe with at all. To prevent mosquitoes from coming near you, here are some mosquito-repelling plants to adopt:

• Rosemary
• Catnip
• Marigold
• Holy basil
• Lavender
• Citronella Geranium
• Lemon balm

Hack 5: Sprinkle coffee grounds to prevent hatching.

If you like to have a cup of coffee in the morning, you can make use of the leftover grounds by sprinkling them in standing water. If there are any mosquito eggs in the water, they’ll rise to the surface and then dry out once exposed to air. This method obviously won’t kill adult mosquitoes, but it can prevent future generations from hatching.