Homemade Bug Repellents Using Beer & Dish Soap

Make your own homemade bug repellent with beer and dish soap.

You can mix beer with liquid dish soap and other ingredients to keep bugs out of your lawn safely, instead of purchasing harmful pesticides that can harm your health as well as any produce that you grow in the garden. A homemade insect repellent is a non-toxic method to prevent insects from eating your vegetation, and it will save you money because the ingredients are inexpensive to purchase. Once you make your own insect repellent, spray it every 20 to 30 days to keep the insects away during the spring and summer months.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup light beer
• ½ cup Epsom salt
• 1 cup mouthwash
• 1 tsp. liquid dishwashing soap
• Large bowl
• Spray bottle
• ½ package dry yeast

Instructions

1. Pour a can of light beer into a glass. Allow it to go flat before you mix it with other ingredients because the carbonation can foam up and become messy.

2. Add 1 cup of the flat beer, 1/2 cup of Epsom salt, 1 cup of mouthwash and 1 tsp. liquid dishwashing soap in a large bowl.

3. Stir the ingredients until the salt dissolves completely.

4. Pour the ingredients into a spray bottle. Add ½ package of dry yeast to the bottle, and shake it to mix the yeast with the rest of the ingredients.

5. Spray your lawn with the bug repellent. Spray the repellent around your garden or flowers instead of spraying it directly on the vegetation or produce to prevent harming them.

References

• University of Florida: St Lucie County Extension Office: Home Remedies for Insect and Disease Control on Plants
• Earth Easy: Natural Insect Pest Control
• First Ray's: Home-Made Remedies and Treatments