How To Make Mosquito Repellant Using Onions

You are familiar with onions for cooking, but what if I tell you that you can readily use it as a cheap mosquito repellant, especially when you are in a place where insecticides and mosquito nets are not readily available?

Mosquitoes can be very annoying when you are trying to sleep at night because they make a buzzing noise in your ears while you are sleeping. The itchiness in their bite areas may also disturb your night’s sleep. And then, about 24 hours to a few days later, one might come down with symptoms of malaria.

Mosquitoes are also vectors of yellow fever, dengue fever, etc. Thus, it is important to know how to kill and repel them from disturbing one’s sleep and causing disease. Here is a quick instruction on how to use onion as a mosquito repellant.

Steps to Using Onion as a Mosquito Repellant

To make a mosquito repellant from onions, follow the following steps.

Materials Needed

1. Fresh onions or onion peels (preferably red onions because they contain a higher sulfur content)
2. Distilled water or ethanol (optional, for stronger extraction)
3. Blender or mortar and pestle
4. Fine sieve or cheesecloth
5. Glass jar or bottle with a lid or trigger sprayer.

Method 1 (Using Distilled Water)

1. Chop or peel onions finely to break the cells and release the enzymes.
2. Add 1 part of chopped onion/peel to 2-3 parts of cold distilled water.
3. Cover and let the mixture soak at room temperature for 4-6 hours. Avoid heat, because it destroys sulfur compounds, which are the main mosquito-repellant ingredients.
4. Filter the liquid extract through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into the jar/bottle.
5. Then, spray it in your sleeping surroundings to repel mosquitoes.

Method 2 (Using Ethanol)

This method is preferred if you want to store it for a longer period.

1. Chop or peel the onions and soak them in 70% food-grade ethanol for 48-72 hours in a closed container.
2. Shake occasionally, and then filter into your spray can or container.
3. Store in a cool, dark place and spray in your room before sleeping.

Method 3 (Dry Burning)

1. Get some dry onion peels into a shallow metallic bowl or ashtray.
2. Light them up with a match, and blow out the flame to let the peels smoulder.
3. Then, place the smouldering plate in your room. The fumes can repel mosquitoes due to the high sulfur content.

I stumbled across a TikTok video describing how to make mosquito repellent by boiling onion peels. However, while this is not a bad method, it may not be recommended if fresh onions are used instead of peels. Boiling the onions may destroy some of the sulfur compounds that have mosquito-repellant properties.

Watch the video below.

@ourfoodplug

NATURAL MOSQUITOES REPELLENT ~ My Favs! Stop throwing out your onion and garlic peel! ~ Onion peel is a sure home remedy for mosquitoes because of its high content in micro nutrients such as magnesium and copper that naturally repels mosquitoes and cockroaches. ~ Don’t waste your money on mosquito coils, try this home remedy today! ~ Will you? Video Credit @velvetyfoodies #africa #nigeria #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #goodvibe #ourfoodplug #foodblogger

♬ Sability by Ayra Starr – Ayra Starr ⭐️

How Do Onions Repel Mosquitoes?

Onions are rich in sulfur compounds that produce the pungent smell that makes you cry when cutting onions. These volatile compounds also act as natural mosquito repellants.

When extracted into water or a suitable solvent like alcohol, they may be used to repel mosquitoes from one’s surroundings. However, when the smell dies out, the mosquitoes may find their way back to disturb your night’s sleep.

Other Health Uses of Onions

In addition to repelling mosquitoes, which are carriers of diseases, onions have the following health uses.

1. Cooking: Rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and oils, which improve your health and immunity. Also, gives flavour and taste to your food, as you probably already know.
2. Prevent scarring after injuries: An onion-gel extract applied alone or in combination with other skin health ingredients has been shown to improve the appearance of scars, a study reported.^[1]Draelos ZD, Baumann L, Fleischer AB Jr, Plaum S, Avakian EV, Hardas B. A new proprietary onion extract gel improves the appearance of new scars: a randomized, controlled, blinded-investigator study. … Continue reading
3. Clearing the eye when dust falls in it: By stimulating tears, onion vapour can help clear your eyes when dust or tiny particle falls into them.
4. Airway clearance: Onions are said to have anti-inflammatory properties that help clear the airways. Eating raw onions may help clear your airway for better breathing and may be beneficial for asthmatic individuals.^[2]El-Hashim AZ, Khajah MA, Orabi KY, Balakrishnan S, Sary HG, Barakat AM. Treatment with onion bulb extract both prevents and reverses allergic inflammation in a murine model of asthma. Pharm Biol. … Continue reading

More Natural/Plant-Based Mosquito Repellants

Aside from using onions are a natural mosquito repellant, here are other natural mosquito repellants to consider if you don’t have onions available.

1. Lemon Eucalyptus oil
2. Lavender
3. Thyme oil
4. Cinnamon oil
5. Citronella
6. Neem oil, etc.

These contain essential oils that can be applied directly to the skin to repel mosquitoes. They are safe with no side effects, but if the essential oils are extracted using alcohol, they should be diluted with water before applying directly to the skin.

Final words

Onion can serve as a mosquito repellant when better alternatives like mosquito insecticides, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and coils are not available. By extracting the high sulfur-containing compounds in onions into a suitable solvent (water or alcohol), you can produce a solution that repels mosquitoes.

Making a mosquito repellant out of onions is a natural and inexpensive method to prevent mosquito bites and the diseases they cause. Let me know in the comments section if this is a method you may be willing to try.