Many bug repellants on the market today contain harmful chemicals, harmful aerosols, and leave a filmy residue.
Over the years, some companies began transitioning to safer, greener ingredients, but your pantry could contain what you need to repel mosquitoes. If you have Apple Cider Vinegar on your shelf, you might be able to use it as a safe, natural mosquito repellent!
Does Apple Cider Vinegar Repel Mosquitoes?
Apple cider vinegar has been trusted for years as a natural mosquito repellant and is cited as an effective way to manage mosquitoes at every stage of their life cycle.
Many people stand by this as their primary mosquito repellent because it is inexpensive, natural, and seems to work very well.
How Does Apple Cider Vinegar Repel Mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes, like many other insects, have hyper-sensitive receptors.
Because of this, the strong scent of apple cider vinegar is thought to irritate these sensitive receptors, discouraging mosquitoes from getting too close to the source.
How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar to Repel Mosquitoes
The most common way to use apple cider vinegar for repelling mosquitoes is to mix it with equal parts of water. After doing so, it can be put into a spray bottle and applied to desired areas.
For a better scent, you can add some essential oil proven to repel mosquitoes, such as lavender, lemon eucalyptus, or peppermint.
In addition to repelling mosquitoes, you can kill maturing mosquito larvae by pouring apple cider vinegar into standing water where larvae are present. To be effective, you must pour a concentration of at least 15% vinegar to 85% of standing water. Doing so should kill the larvae in about 18 hours.
Can Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar Repel Mosquitoes?
There is evidence that drinking apple cider vinegar does help repel mosquitoes. It works by slightly altering the scent given off by the human body. This small change in smell is less enticing to mosquitoes, but it is not enough for other people to notice.
Mosquitoes primarily track us down by sensing the carbon dioxide we exhale and by the odor given off by our bodies. For most of human existence, no one knew how mosquitoes “sniffed” us out, but this study dives into the explanation of how they do it, as well as giving some insight into how ingesting apple cider vinegar helps repel mosquitoes. In short, they are attracted to the acidic scents we give off when we sweat and drinking enough apple cider vinegar will help to mask these smells.
There isn’t a standard of how much apple cider vinegar one should ingest for this method to be effective, but you should start with the recommended daily dose of 15-30 mL (or 1-2 tablespoons) daily.
If you don’t feel like downing a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar on the daily, there are other ways to keep mosquitoes away from you such as avoiding going out during peak hours, cutting back on alcohol intake, and wearing light-colored, loose-fitted clothing.
Looking for an Alternative Way to Get Rid of Mosquitoes?
Here at Mosquito Magician, we share your desire for effective alternatives to harmful pesticides. Because of this, we have developed natural active ingredient products that are safe for children and pets, when used as directed
Don’t let mosquitoes keep you indoors — use our mosquito repellent to keep mosquitoes out of your yard for good!
