photo via flickr/jimw

Summer is an awesome season, for outdoor activities. But being outdoors also means exposing yourself to all the pesky insects. For those of us that live in areas with breeding mosquitoes and other various flying insects, we know how annoying it can be to deal with insects during pretty much anytime of the day. (my favorite being night time, when their buzzing wings fly toward my ears every few minutes keeping me awake all night long)

If you’re like me, who makes the self promise of getting insect repellent during those outdoor hours, but ultimately forget to get it… every day… for several days, then the Do-It-Yourself insect repellent might just be what you need.

The geniuses over at wikiHow have posted up step by step instructions on how to make your own insect repellent with everyday materials.

Here’s a short summary of how to make one:

1. Clean out a small tin that has a lid to it.
2. Soak a small piece of cloth or sponge with one of the following oils: Lavendar oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus oil,  pennyroyal oil, peppermint oil, or lemon grass oil.
3. Put the cloth or sponge in the tin can, cover it with the lid, and let it sit for 24 hours.
4. Open lid and place in area where you want to deter insects. Cover after use.

You can find more details and tips at the wikiHow article here.

-Frank