Our balcony was supposed to be our escape.
Warm breezes, laughter, late-night chats.
But every summer evening turned into a battlefield.
Mosquitoes swarmed us — biting, buzzing, chasing us back inside.
The kids cried. I scratched for hours.
I bought sprays, citronella candles, fancy traps — nothing worked.
Then one evening, while venting on the phone, my grandmother calmly said:
“Just burn some cloves. That’s what we did when I was a girl.”
Burn… cloves?
It sounded like an old wives’ tale.
But I was desperate — so I tried.
🧄 Why Cloves Work:
Cloves are packed with eugenol, a powerful, natural compound with a strong scent that repels mosquitoes and flying insects.
Unlike chemical repellents, the smell of cloves is pleasant to humans but unbearable to bugs.
Bonus: It’s natural, safe, and smells warm and spicy — no coughing, no chemicals.
🔥 How to Use Cloves to Repel Mosquitoes
Ingredients:
- 2–3 tablespoons whole cloves
- A heat-safe dish or small ceramic bowl
- 1 charcoal disk or small candle (optional but effective)
- Optional: a few drops of clove essential oil
📋 Instructions:
- Place the whole cloves in a heat-safe dish.
- Add a lit charcoal disk, or if unavailable, sprinkle cloves near a burning tea light (safely placed).
- Let the cloves slowly smolder — releasing their spicy aroma into the air.
- Place near your sitting area (but not in direct wind).
- Enjoy bug-free peace for hours.
👉 Tip: You can also add cloves to your outdoor grill, bonfire, or burner pot for large gatherings.
✨ What Happened Next…
That night, I lit the clove dish and waited.
Within minutes, the air smelled like my grandmother’s kitchen.
Then something weird happened:
No mosquitoes.
Not one.
Five minutes later, my husband stepped outside, paused, looked around, and whispered:
“Where did they all go?”
We sat. We laughed.
We stayed outside for hours.
No bites. No buzzing. Just peace.
✅ Why I’ll Never Use Anything Else:
- Natural
- Safe around kids
- Smells amazing
- Actually works
💬 Final Thought
The simplest solutions are often the ones passed down quietly — a clove in a flame, a trick from a time before bug sprays and electric traps.
And now?
Our balcony is a sanctuary again.
Thanks, Grandma. 🧡🦟🔥
