Having bugs move into your home and infest your kitchen is something that we would all consider a little disgusting and annoying. The last thing you want to deal with when you get home from a long day is a bug landing in your drink or your dinner.
Gnats can be one of the most annoying bugs on the planet. There are few things more disgusting and frustrating than walking through a giant mass of gnats, that get into your mouth, hair, nose, and eyes.
The great news for you is that there are some great natural remedies that you can use to get rid of gnat infestations, in and around your home. Today, we are going to give you some great ways that you can rid your house of these annoying little pests.
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A Few Natural Ways to Get Rid of Gnats
1) Citronella Oil
Essential oils can be a great way for getting gnats out of your home. The potency and the scent of certain oils will drive the bugs away from the places that they were formerly gathering around. Citronella oil is one of those oils that can dramatically reduce the gnat population in your home.
All you have to do is combine some drops of citronella oil with water and dish soap, in an empty spray bottle. Then spray the solution wherever you have an infestation of gnats, whether that be indoor or outdoor. This will not hurt your pets or your plants, which is why a lot of people prefer to use citronella for getting rid of gnats.
2) Red Wine
Did you ever think that one of your favorite beverages could be the perfect trap for gnats? If you have an old or turned bottle of red wine laying around the house, if you aren’t going to drink it, we might as well put the rest of it to good use.
The gnats will be drawn to the sweetness of the wine. All you have to do is:
- Set out a bowl around where the gnats are
- Poor some of the red wine into the bowl
- Add some dish soap to the bowl. The dish soap will break the surface tension of the wine so that the gnats fall through and drown
- Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and poke a few holes, so the gnats can get in, but not out
Now, you have made the perfect wine trap for gnats!
3) White Vinegar
You can build a similar trap using white vinegar or white wine vinegar. Make sure that you are using some kind of container to trap the gnats in a way that they won’t have a hard time getting in, but adding something that prevents them from getting out.
For example, you can use:
- A soda bottle that you cut in half, then flip the top of the soda bottle upside down and use it as a funnel to the lower half of the bottle
- Using a mason jar and rolling up a piece of paper to make a funnel, or just using a paper funnel at the top for the mason jar
Once again, make sure that you add dish soap so that the gnats can’t land on top of the vinegar.
4) Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is another great, natural way to attract and kill gnats. Use the same trap making process as we did for white vinegar and white wine vinegar.
5) Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is another great way to attract and kill gnats. If you want to make a simple trap using lavender oil, all you have to do is soak a normal kitchen sponge in the lavender oil, and set it out in the areas of your home that are being invaded by gnats. The gnats will actually get trapped in the sponge and die.
6) Make A Honey Trap
Honey is another great way to trap gnats, and it’s something that you may already have in your home. You may have noticed that gnats are really attracted to sugary smells, and they also really like bright colors. All you have to do to make a honey trap is spread some honey on a bright plate or a bright piece of plastic. The gnats will be drawn to it, land on the honey, and get stuck in it like fly paper or a bug trap.
7) Alcohol
Since rubbing alcohol is potent and not that sweet, it can be used as a gnat repellant around your home. All you have to do is dilute some rubbing alcohol with water and add it to a spray bottle. Spray the solution in the areas that you are finding you have gnats.
8) Fly Paper
Fly paper is another classic way to get rid of gnats in your home. You can simply set out fly paper in the areas where you are having your gnat infestation, and it will trap and kill the gnats.
9) Make a Jelly Trap
Similar to honey, you can also make a trap using some jelly or jam. Spread some jelly on a bright piece of plastic or a bright plate and set it out near the gnats. Once again, they will land on the jam, get stuck, and die.
Using these Natural Remedies
Now you have the natural remedies textbook for how to get rid of gnats in and around your home. Feel free to mix and match these as you like to see which ones work best for you.
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