Mosquitoes can be very annoying when you are trying to sleep at night, because not they feast on your blood and make some annoying buzzing noise in your ears when you are sleeping.
Mosquitoes are also vectors of several diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, etc. It is therefore very important to know how to prevent them from disturbing one’s sleep and infecting one with such diseases.
While insecticide sprays and insecticide-treated nets are the mainstays of repelling mosquitoes, you might be stranded in a place where you cannot get access to a mosquito net and/or sprays. But what if I told you that you can use onion as a mosquito repellant?
Steps to use onion as mosquito repellant
Follow the following steps to use onions as a mosquito repellant:
- Slice onions into a blow of water and allow to soak for 1 hour.
- Pour the water soaked with onion into an empty spray container.
- Then spray your room or sleeping area.
Alternatively, you can use onion peels to achieve the same result but without soaking it in water.
- Collect onion peels: Collect the peels of several onions, enough to fill a small bowl.
- Dry the peels: Spread the onion peels out on a flat surface and let them under the sun for a few days. This makes the onion peels easier to give off scent.
- Burn the peels: Once the onion peels are dry, place them in a metal container or ashtray and light them with a match. Blow out the flame and let the peels smoulder.
- Place the container: Place the container with the smouldering onion peels in the area where you want to repel mosquitoes. You can also carry the container with you if you’re moving around.
How does onion repel mosquitoes?
Onion is rich in sulfur compounds which gives it the pungent smell that makes you cry when it evaporates into your eyes. These sulfur compounds in the onion act as natural mosquito repellants which will be released into the water in the spray can, or directly into the air if you burnt the peels.
Other home-based uses of onions
- Cooking: Of course, you already know this one. Onion is a great spice commonly used in foods and salads. It is rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and oils, and also gives a nice taste to your meal.
- Prevent scarring after injuries: Applying a gel containing onion extract to the skin, alone or in combination with other ingredients, for at least 10 weeks has been found to improve the appearance of scars.
- Clearing the eye when dust falls in it: When a small particle falls into your eye, cutting onions to your face will stimulate you to produce tears which will help wash the eyes and clear the dirt from the eyes.
- Airway clearance: Onions have anti-inflammatory properties and help in clearing the airways. Eating raw onions has been found to clear the airway for better breathing. Eating onions has also been found to be beneficial for people who have asthma.
Other natural mosquito repellants
Asides from using onions are a natural mosquito repellant, here are other natural mosquito repellants to consider if you don’t have onions available.
- Lemon Eucalyptus oil
- Lavender
- Thyme oil
- Cinnamon oil
- Citronella
- Neem oil, etc.
The above-listed natural mosquito repellants are essential oils that can be applied directly to the skin to repel mosquitoes from biting you. They are safe with little or no side effects. However, commercial products may contain other additives that could make them unsafe for direct skin application.
Final words
Onion can serve as a mosquito repellant. It can be either soaked in water and sprayed, or burnt as dry onion peels. The sulfur content of onion leaves is what repels the mosquitoes away from the area where it is applied.
Using onion peels or water as a mosquito repellant is a natural and inexpensive method to prevent mosquito bites and the diseases that they can cause. If you are looking for a chemical-free option, or you are currently at a place where you do not have access to commercial mosquito insecticides, an onion will be worth the try.
