6 Pro-Approved Pest Repellents You Can Make With Household Items

Summer is here—the perfect time to go outside and enjoy all the work you’ve put into your garden. Unfortunately, summer also comes with plenty of unwelcome guests. There are birds that eat seeds, bugs that leave holes in leaves, and rodents that steal fruits and vegetables.

The good news is, there are lots of ways to keep pests away using items you might already have around the house. The bad news is, most home remedies aren’t effective.

To save you the trouble, we asked three gardening experts to share the DIY pest control methods they actually recommend. Read on to find out their tried-and-tested remedies.

Stay on Top of Your Garden Chores

Having grown organic food for five years now, Sarah Warner, the greenhouse manager at Case Western Reserve University, believes regular maintenance is the best and easiest way to avoid an infestation.

“Pesticide application is always the last resort for my plants,” she says. 

Her advice: check your plants every day or every time they are watered to get ahead of any pest problems that may occur. You could even include a “pest walk” in your morning routine and handpick any bugs you find. 

The healthier the plant, the likelier it is to survive a pest attack. So, make it a habit this summer to remove weeds, trim off dead leaves, clean up fallen fruits and debris, and maintain a proper watering schedule. These tasks not only promote a healthy garden, they also help reduce insect populations.

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Create an Anti-Pest Barrier

If your garden is plagued with squirrels and other small rodents, your best bet is to physically protect your plants.

Troy Smothermon, gardening expert and founder of StartOrganic, says to cover young plants with anything that keeps rodents out and still gives your plants some sun.

You can place floating row covers or netting over garden beds, which is great for deterring all kinds of creatures, or set up a wire mesh fence. It might take time to install, but this will scare away furry animals, like rabbits, mice, and groundhogs—or at the very least, make it harder for them to get to your prized plants.

Use Strong Scents

Nicole Carpenter, president of Black Pest Prevention, points out that pests tend to avoid areas with strong scents.

“This is not because pests hate the scents of these plants, but these scents interfere with their ability to locate food, communicate, and avoid predators,” she explains.

One thing to remember is that some scents work better with certain pests. For instance, basil is more effective at repelling flies, potato bugs, and mosquitos. Conversely, the scent of garlic wards off pests like aphids and Japanese beetles.

For best results, try interplanting aromatic herbs and flowers among your crops and crush a few leaves or flowers every morning to release their scent.

Make a Dishwashing Liquid and Alcohol Solution

When tackling aphids and other soft-bodied insects, Warner prefers using Dawn soap, rubbing alcohol, and water.

“This is a great way to treat very small amounts of aphids on your plants,” she says. “The Dawn soap works to suffocate them and the rubbing alcohol breaks down their protective wax coating on their bodies to dry them out.”

Her formula is simple: combine ¼ cup of 70% rubbing alcohol, a small squirt of Dawn soap, and water in a 16oz spray bottle. Then, thoroughly wet the plant from top to bottom, including the undersides of the leaves where these tiny bugs normally hide. Leave the mixture to dry on the plants and apply every 1-2 days until the insect populations disappear.

Turn to Beer

It might come as a surprise, but beer makes a great line of defense against snails and slugs. These slimy creatures have a thing for yeast and malt, hence you might want to add beer bait to your pest-fighting arsenal. 

Smothermon says a cup (or more) buried diagonally in the soil with some beer at the bottom will do the trick. “Snails slide in, drink a bit, and don’t come out,” he explains. Empty and refill every few days to keep the beer appetizing. 

Although any brand will do, one study found that these pests have a favorite, which is Kingsbury Malt Beverage.

Control Pests With Diatomaceous Earth

If you’re already dealing with a pest infestation, Carpenter recommends food-grade diatomaceous earth.

“Diatomaceous earth is effective for most pests, including ants, aphids, slugs, snails, beetles, and caterpillars,” she notes. Plus, food-grade DE is safe for humans, pets, and the planet.

Carpenter says to use a duster to apply diatomaceous earth along the borders of your garden beds, directly on plant leaves, stems, and flowers, around the base of plants, and in any cracks or crevices where pests are likely to hide.

There is one catch, though—diatomaceous earth is only effective when completely dry, and you need to reapply it after rain and watering.