Keeping living spaces armed vs mosquitoes

With the Department of Health (DOH) issuing a national dengue alert in July and with cases of the mosquito-borne disease surging by the thousands, it is imperative for us to take the necessary precautions.  It’s better to go the extra mile to keep our homes—and offices—free from those pesky mosquitoes now, rather than be sorry later.

Make your living spaces dengue-proof with these anti-mosquito must-haves.

Mosquito coils

Mosquito coils

Long before the advent of anti-mosquito lotions and mosquito repellent stickers, our parents and grandparents would place mosquito coils outside the front door or underneath the tables to protect us from mosquito bites.

One danger of using mosquito coils, however, is getting burned by a smoldering one if you are not careful. To protect yourself, your little ones, your pets, and even your home from getting scorched, use a holder to house your smoldering mosquito coil. You can get one from the home interiors section of department stores.  It doesn’t have to look boring either as there are decorative ones available as well.

Plug-in mosquito repellent

Plug-in mosquito repellent

These may not come as cheap as your old school mosquito coils but it goes a long way and is easy-peasy to use: just plug it into an electrical outlet, sit back and wait for the mosquitoes to leave you alone in peace. It is compact and portable so you can even bring it along on trips. Just make sure you stock up on refills so you’re certain that your room is forever mosquito-free.

Electric mosquito swatter

Electric mosquito swatter

Talk about a fun and easy way to get rid of those pesky disease-carriers. The rechargeable electric mosquito racket effectively zaps mosquitoes to their demise while letting you hone your tennis skills.

Unlike the traditional fly swatter for which you need the speed and stealth of a ninja, you only need to swing the electric mosquito swatter back and forth until you hear that zapping sound of victory. You don’t need to search far and wide for this handy bug zapper either as this can be easily purchased from any appliance or hardware store, the home section of any grocery, your friendly neighborhood market and even from online marketplaces such as Shopee.ph.

Tip: Pick the electric swatter with two external layers as these keep humans and pets from accidental low power shock. Aside from mosquitoes, it can also rid of gnats, fruit flies, and other annoying flying insects and bugs.

Mosquito Fighting Plants

Mosquito Fighting Plants

The safest—and probably, the most natural—way to keep your living spaces mosquito-free is by growing plants and herbs that naturally repel mosquitoes. Aside from protecting you from pesky insects, these herbs can also help keep your home, or office, pretty and smelling fresh.

Citronella is the most commonly known plant to drive away these disease-carrying insects.  Aside from requiring a lot of water, citronella are fairly easy to grow and take care of.

Basil, too, is an effective mosquito repellent.  It can be easily grown in pots and thrive well whether indoors or outdoors. Make sure, however, to water your basil plant every day and keep its soil moist and rich for it to live a long time.