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This DIY Fly & Gnat Repellent spray is super easy to make, but it is going to be one of your favorite tips to use this season.

Last year, we had a fantastic viral post with our DIY fly repellent for porches. It is a cool hack I use every spring and summer for my front and back porch. Everyone really loved it!

But I had some requests for a spray to use.

There are many ingredients and ratios you can use, and I have tried many over the years.

I still use our DIY all-purpose cleaner from the eBook on page 13 as a bug killer and repellent.

This spray today is a little different, but really good for flies and gnats. 

DIY Fly & Gnat Repellent Spray

The ingredients in this homemade spray are very well-known and scientifically proven ingredients to work against pests. 

Putting them together will create the perfect repellent!

Also, keep in mind that homemade solutions or home remedies like this aren’t going to be as potent as store-bought chemicals. It might take more solution or several tips to get the best results. More information on this below.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or witch hazel (scroll down to read more about why these options)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp dish soap
• 10 drops peppermint essential oil
• 10 drops citronella essential oil
• 10 drops geranium essential oil
• 10 drops of wintergreen essential oil
• Glass spray bottle

 

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a glass spray bottle. Glass is best when you are using essential oils.
2. Give the bottle a shake before each spray.

Side Note….Do I Need All Of The Essential Oils?

You can scroll down to the science section for more details on each oil, but I have found this combination of oils to be the best at keeping flies away. Each oil works as a deterrent, but using them together was more successful for me. The great thing about essential oils is once you buy them, you will have them on hand for a long time. Many of these bottles have lasted years! If you don’t want to buy them all, you can get away with at least citronella and peppermint or wintergreen. Those are essential for this recipe to work. 

Readers are already loving this! I love when y’all message me your success with our recipes 🙂

 

How To Use:

This is a repellent, and it can also be sprayed onto surfaces. Spray around door frames, porches, tables, or anything else like this outside.

You can even use this around animals and their fur too. All of these ingredients are safe.I have a friend who has livestock and she sprays apple cider vinegar spray with wintergreen oil on her animals to keep flies away, it works for her! If you are concerned about essential oils around pets like dogs or cats, just check with your vet 🙂

Combine With Other Fly Remedies to Keep Flies Away From Your Outdoor Spaces

If you combine this spray with our homemade fly remedy for porches, then some other fly repelling tips, you will be free from flies!

How Does the DIY Fly & Gnat Repellent Work?

The ingredients in this solution are specific. I wanted to use ingredients I know to work, but combine them into a spray that could be used on surfaces and also in the air.

Apple Cider Vinegar 

The base of this DIY fly spray is the apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or witch hazel. You might remember our popular homemade ant spray uses regular distilled white vinegar to kill ants. The reason I am using apple cider vinegar for this recipe is many of the articles I read about fly repellent used apple cider vinegar. I wanted to test it out to see how successful it was. The interesting thing about ACV, is some home remedies mention it attracts gnats due to the sweeter scent, then they get stuck in it and die. In my testing, I never had success with it actually attracting them! Instead, it seemed to repel them. Vinegar is a common repellent, and the apple cider vinegar also works at repelling in my opinion . You can use regular vinegar or you can use witch hazel for this recipe too. 

Dish Soap

We use dish soap in our homemade deterrents because it helps the solution to adhere or “stick” to surfaces. Using the small amount it calls for in this spray ensures you won’t have a sticky residue or suds, but just enough to keep the other ingredients on surfaces. I went with the geranium dish soap to just enhance the scent! You can use any dish soap in this recipe though. Since we aren’t cleaning with it, it doesn’t need to be concentrated either.

Citronella

I love using citronella oil for any homemade pest repellent and spray. It has worked very well for me, so I always keep it on hand. Citronella is well-known and proven plant and oil for insects.The scent works to repel many types of insects especially flies, gnats, and even mosquitoes. 

Geranium Oil

Geranium is also a fantastic oil for deterring insects. Geranium oil contains geraniol which is a good repellent for insects including flies. 

Peppermint Oil

My other favorite essential oil for insects is peppermint. We talked about peppermint oil in our DIY roach spray article. It is also a well-known and proven essential oil for insects, and very effective for flies too. 

Wintergreen Oil

I had wintergreen oil on hand, so I wanted to add this in too. Wintergreen oil is an ingredient you see in many store-bought natural remedies for flies. The scent repels flies, but other pests too like gnats. 

Combining these oils has been the best results for me! For the best results, I really recommend doing the peppermint and citronella as a minimum. If you have geranium and wintergreen or want the best solution, this is definitely worth adding!!

Does This Work For Mosquitoes?

Yes, it also works for mosquitoes. Although during testing in a huge mosquito area, there was still a few that got by. So, it helps with mosquitoes, but it is more specifically for flies on surfaces.

Can You Use This Inside?

You can, but I don’t typically need a repellent for inside. If I have insects to kill, I use our homemade ant spray or the DIY all-purpose cleaner from the eBook.

How Long Will This Last?

Forever. Just store it in a glass bottle for the essential oils, and it will be great for months or even years to come. 

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