Tangerine peels are more useful than you might think. Do you know there are people who place them near doors or windows? No, it’s not just a decoration or tradition thing, it’s more practical than that. Tangerine peel can be used as a natural repellent to take care of your house without using toxic products.
Of course, there are many natural remedies to get rid of mosquitoes, flies, etc., but with this one, we can get the most of the natural properties of tangerines and not waste their potential. So, let’s find out how you can make this natural repellent.
Properties behind tangerin peels
When we eat tangerines we take off their peels, I mean they are just there to protect the pulp, right? Let me tell you there’s more to it. They have essential oils rich in bioactive compounds which, once they are slowly released in the air, produce a very nice citric scent for us, but bothering many insects.
Basically, tangerine peels act as a natural barrier for mosquitoes, ants and many other unwanted visitors. If you place these peels in strategic places of your house it will work perfectly. The best of all? You won’t be breathing any chemical products, so it’s much safer for homes with children, pets or people who are sensitive to aerosols or artificial repellents.
Great things about having tangerine peels
As you can see, this idea is very easy to do because you just need tangerine peels. So, let’s gather all their benefits:
- Natural repellent: it gets rid of many insects without pesticides.
- Fresh and clean scent: their citric perfume creates a very nice atmosphere, mostly when it’s warm.
- Environmentally-friendly: you are using organic waste that would normally end up in the trash.
- Healthy: you won’t need to worry about breathing any toxic product because it’s a natural remedy.
- Long lasting: even if the peels dry, they will continue releasing the scent for several days.
How to properly use them
If you want to try this technique, you should know there are some specific ways to do it:
- Fresh peels: place the fresh peeled peels in small dishes or directly over door frames and windows to release the scent continuously.
- Strategic places: you could also place them where there normally is humidity like behind the fridge or under the sink. These places tend to attract insects.
- Dry and ground: leave the peels to dry under the sunlight and then ground them. Once you have this dust, you can spread it in problematic places such as cracks or corners where you might find ants.
- Combine them with clove: if you want to enhance its effect, you can mix tangerine dry peels with clove. Both have repellent properties so this mix will be so efficient.
- Spray infusion: boil the peels in water, let the infusion cool and put it in a spray container. You can use this to clean surfaces with repellent and leave a fresh scent.
A powerful and simple solution
What seemed to be waste, it ended up being a great solution for keeping our homes free from insects. Maybe tangerine peels could be the start of making the most of the resources we have around our house.
So, next time you feel like eating tangerines, think twice before throwing their peels in the trash. As you can see, they can be your best allies when it comes to getting rid of insects, keeping your home fresh and adding a nice scent. Would you have a go at this home-made remedy? It is not difficult to do, so you don’t have anything to lose.