How to keep bugs out of home with easy-to-make DIY spray

A gran has shared a simple hack to keep bugs at bay this summer.

Flies, mosquitos and wasps can prove a pain as we reach the warmer months, especially when food is involved.

However, a savvy cleaning enthusiast and grandmother has revealed an easy trick to keep these pesky intruders at bay. With just a few common kitchen cupboard ingredients, you can create a potent spray to safeguard your home and garden from bugs.

In her TikTok video, Babs, who goes by @brunchwithbabs, revealed cinnamon is great for repelling insects. It can be deployed in various forms to fend off unwanted visitors from your dwelling.

A sprinkle of ground cinnamon in your wheelie bins can deter “maggots, flies, and critters” from congregating around your refuse. Additionally, placing cinnamon sticks amidst your fruit can banish fruit flies.

But Babs’ homemade “cinnamon spray” is her best defence against intruding bugs. Comprising only a handful of ingredients, this concoction can be spritzed throughout your home to maintain a bug-free zone.

She said: “Use my cinnamon spray to keep those mosquitos at bay. To make your spray just whisk in two teaspoons of cinnamon into four cups of warm water. Let it sit out and let it steep like you would tea.

“Strain your cinnamon mixture right into your spray bottle. Mix in half a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol and half a teaspoon of dish detergent – shake and spray!”

While cup measurements might not be standard in the UK, four cups of warm water roughly translates to about one litre.

Commenters on the video were keen to test the spray, with many already battling a barrage of bugs this summer.

One viewer exclaimed: “Babs this better work because I’m desperate to keep those mosquitoes away.”

Another concurred: “No lies detected! Cinnamon is a serious bug repellent,” and someone else thanked her: “Thank you Babs, these mosquitos have been killing me.”

Some viewers also shared their success using cinnamon against other pests, including one mother who found it effective for ant-proofing her children’s play area.

She commented: “I mixed cinnamon into the sand in my kids’ sandbox and not a single ant or anything in it for weeks now.”