Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

Last post 06-29-2008 7:07 PM by marasmom. 25 replies.
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  • 06-09-2008 12:18 AM In reply to

    • kc000
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    • Joined on 02-02-2008
    • Posts 62

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    Hi tkayf, I haven't tried the candles yet, I will have to check Wal-Mart or some other place ( where they don't cost a fortune lol!) for some strong scented ones. I think it just might work because I've seen vanilla/citronella scented outdoor candles before at some of the discount stores. There must be something to it. I'll update everybody when I try it.

    K.Coats
  • 06-09-2008 1:18 PM In reply to

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    My kids and I use the avon skin so soft. But we'll have to try the vanilla. My hubby is always getting bit even if he uses bug spray. I'll have him try the vanilla though. I've found that corn meal works better than anything to kill ants, even the sugar ants. The ants can't digest the corn meal so they die. It's the only thing I use.

    Rachelle

    Rachelle


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  • 06-13-2008 6:14 AM In reply to

    • brb4y
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 04-24-2006
    • Posts 40

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    I've recently been told that Listerine (any flavor) sprayed in the area will also work.

  • 06-13-2008 6:25 AM In reply to

    • brb4y
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 04-24-2006
    • Posts 40

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    I apologize for the above. Haven't been on here in a very long time and didn't read the whole thing. Last year my SIL told me that in Mexico they use baggies (ziplock type) filled with water and hung around patio areas will repel flies. I didn't believe it but had to try such a stupid thing. Well, not only did it work on flies but also somewhat on wasps and mud dobbers. No more wasp nests cubbied up into the corners of the carport. The flies (we have dogs too who leave deposits flies like) disappeared. I posted that on BYL and a few others tried it with good results. I think the rest of them just dubbed me crazy since I don't know how it works. Anyone else hear of this?

  • 06-13-2008 10:48 AM In reply to

    • kc000
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 02-02-2008
    • Posts 62

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    brb4y, I have seen folks using the ziploc bag trick lots of times. I tried it and a friend of mine tried it but it didn't work, however, I do know others who have tried it and they said it does work. I think maybe flies are like fish in that maybe one day they prefer one type of bait/food and the next day they want something different? (The bag of water isn't really a bait but a deterrent) my point is that the bag of water might deter some flies in one location, but not work in another location.

     I went out and picked up some granulated fly bait a few days ago. They are supposed to be attracted to it, eat it, and then die.The directions said you could scatter it on the ground, or use it in a bait station. It said not to let animals or children near it and that it was extremely toxic to birds and fish (I'm wondering why they think it's ok to scatter it on the ground!)

    I decided to try this fly killing stuff side by side with my soda bottle/apple cider vinegar, sugar and water bait/fly traps. They never went for the granulated fly bait. While I was sitting on my patio in the shade, I watched 15 flies go into my homemade traps, and that was in just 1 hour !!

    I  made 5 traps, and have  4 of them hanging at 4 feet or less above the ground (this is important for flies, but I don't know why) on a privacy fence. I have flies in all of them, plus 1 of those hideous palmetto bugs and some mosquitoes, gnats, and some horse flies.

    What I really like about the soda bottle trap is that we can't smell the bait. The commercial disposeable ones that I used last year stunk so bad, the bait smelled like a dead animal and that was even from far away! It's no wonder they work so well! KC in AR

    K.Coats
  • 06-15-2008 4:24 PM In reply to

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    Thanks so much.It works really good .

  • 06-25-2008 9:54 AM In reply to

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    Hi all,

    I am so glad that I joined this wonderful forum!

    I just read someplace that basil is an effective mosquito repellent. The article said that keeping basil plants around outside helps. Also, "breaking open" and rubbing the leaves on your skin works (or so the article says!) too.

    I definitely plan on trying this!

     

    I found this site which has a few recipes for making repellents using essential oils and fresh herbs: http://www.wildroots.com/insect.htm

     

    Deb 

     

  • 06-26-2008 2:04 PM In reply to

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    im just wondering if anyone has any safe home remedies for geting rid of ants?they need to be pet safe.

     

  • 06-27-2008 10:50 AM In reply to

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    AVON Skin So Soft will work for most of the needs listed here. Here is a list of 100 Uses for Skin so Soft. There are a few recipes for animals, and keeping bugs off. Hope this helps.

     

    100+ uses for SKIN- SO- SOFT

    PERSONAL USES:
    1. It's a bath oil and after shower moisturizer.
    2. It can be used to remove makeup.
    3. Great tanning oil (no sunscreen).
    4. Hot oil treatment to soften cuticles.
    5. Great massage oil for tired muscles.
    6. Cleans off tape marks left from bandages on skin.
    7. Cleans ink off the skin.
    8. Insect repellent.
    9. Helps relieve itching caused by dry skin.
    10. Cleans oil and grease off of skin.
    11. Painting something? Use Skin-So-Soft to remove paint from the hands. (Instead of turpentine).
    12. It soothes light sunburn.
    13. Rub hands with it before washing, it helps get them cleaner.
    14. Rub on dry, cracked skin....helps heal skin in 2-3 days.
    15. Put 1-2 caps full in liquid soap and use it for shaving legs and under arms. Helps razor glide and leaves skin feeling smooth.
    16. Pour a little into your Foot Saver to help moisturize your feet while you relax them.
    17. It removes chewing gum from hair, skin, and most non-pour us surfaces.
    18. Cleans permanent ink off stamps.
    19. SSS Original Bath Oil works GREAT on Head Lice!!!!! Saturate head and let it set for 15 minutes. Then rinse under an outdoor faucet, but the lice were gone!!!!!!! Of course shampoo hair a couple of times to get the oil out, but the lice were gone and stayed gone!
    20. It kills ants instantly.
    21. Spray on skin to relieve dry itching skin. Helps skin retain it's elasticity.
    22. Wash hair with shampoo and conditioner like always and after it dries....Use about the size of a dime of SSS and rub it in your hair. It goes straight in and leaves hair as shiny as the ads on TV, not greasy at all, just soft and shiny.
    23. Use bath oil towelettes -- cover window sill with towelettes to keep ants out.
    24. (LICE) Sometimes, using a bath oil, like Avon's Skin So Soft, will work to loosen the glue which holds the nits to the hair. There is a product called Neon Nits, which when sprayed on the hair, will highlight the nits so you can see them to then snip them out with a small scissors.
    25. This is to let you readers known about something that helped me for a mild case of psoriasis on my elbows. My internist recommended that I try Avon's Skin-So-Soft bath oil spray. I did and it eliminated the psoriasis on my elbows.
    26. Bath use, fill bath with water and a little skin so soft, very relaxing and gets rid of dry skin.

    HOUSEHOLD USES:
    27. Sponge it around doors, windows, and on screens to keep crawling bugs out.
    28. It's a good wood cleaner and conditioner for natural wood.
    29. It removes glue and gum left from price tags and labels from glass, metals, and most plastics.
    30. It removes soap scum from shower doors and curtains, and bathroom and kitchen figures.
    31. It removes lime and hard water deposits from fixtures, tile, shower doors and windows.
    32. It's an oil lubricant for fitting pipe joints that won't slip together.
    33. It cleans ink off most vinyl and painted surfaces.
    34. It cleans heavy oil and grease from non-porous surfaces.
    35. It takes fur off of clothing.
    36. Rub on brass ornaments or figurines to help keep them from turning dark.
    37. Removes crayon from appliances and most painted surfaces.
    38. Wash cupboards with it mixed in your cleaning water to keep ants off and out of the cupboards.
    39. Use it to discourage hornets from building their nests. After using a hornet killing spray, remove the nest and keep the area sprayed with SSS. They will not rebuild there.
    40. Use it to clean leather, it will also keep it soft and supple.
    41. Use it on your air conditioning screen (filter)--your incoming air will smell fresher and the filter is easier to clean.
    42. Rub all over window sills to keep ants out.
    43. It cleans paint brushes easily and leaves them soft as new.
    44. It removes gum from carpets.
    45. It removes scuff marks from patent leather shoes.
    46. Use it on running rails for sliding glass doors and windows.
    47. It removes "ring around the collar".
    48. It removes liquid nail (paneling glue).
    49. Two glass bowls or glasses stuck together? Drizzle a little S.S.S down the sides and they'll come apart easily.
    50. It removes candle wax from furniture, carpets and clothing.
    51. Hummingbird Feeders: To deter bees try rubbing SSS on the feeder surface by the feeder ports.
    52. Maggots too!! You squirted SSS in can and lid, then later flushed with soapy water, you shouldn't have any bugs in cans rest of summer!!!
    53. It is a great furniture polish!
    54. Ok, we have a new use for SSS bath oil. Put it in one of the bottle that you attach to your backyard hose and then spray down the back yard! Will cut down on ants, mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies.
    55. People around the outskirts of Eureka and surrounding areas (and sometimes in town) spray it on their rose bushes to keep the deer from eating them, and at the cemeteries on the flowers they put out there for the same reason.
    56. Kills spiders.

    57. It cuts grease and cleans dirt from range hoods.
    58. Add a capful to wash water of clothes...acts as a fabric softener and keeps the bugs off clothes.
    59. Spray on orchids and other flowers for moisture and to keep bugs away.
    60. Cleans baseball caps. Just spray on and rub with toothbrush.
    61. SSS I used this recipe mix one part SSS and 2 parts water on my tomato plants and kept those ugly old tomato worms off. I think that adding the vinegar would be fine too and would be nice not to have to shake the spray bottle all the time. I sprayed my plants about every 2 or 3 days. Worked grand!! Too late for most this year, but file this for next.
    62. SSS bath oil also does a great job cleaning cherry wood cabinets.
    63. Put a little in your mopping water to help keep crawling bugs out. (Not too much or the floor gets slippery.)
    64. Use to clean windows.
    65. Removes crayon from most surfaces.
    66. It's a great insect repellent (or you can use Bug Guard, the actual SSS repellent)
    67. Screens can be lightly sprayed with Avon "Skin-So-Soft" to repel no-see-'ums and tiny gnats that otherwise might slip though the screens.
    68. Another use for SSS is it will **** those pesky earwigs. Spray it on & they don't return to life.
    69. Also if you ever make candles, use clear wax and melt put skin so soft in it and harden works great for out side in the summer.
    70. As a deodorizer, spray into air and let settle, kills those nasty pet orders.
    71. Kids rooms if a child wets the bed, spray the bedding and sheets before washing and will give it a fresh clean smell.

    ANIMAL USES:
    72. It's a great insect repellent for your pet. (as recommended in "Outdoor Life" and "Field and Stream")
    73. Mix 5 parts water, 1 part SSS and mist on animals. Brushing it in makes their coats gleam and keeps insects off so the animals don't fidget in the show ring.
    74. Mix in your pet's bath water. It takes the fleas off of them.....and in between spray them with the same mixture as in #2 to help keep them off.
    75. Rub on your hands before and after working with your pets and farm animals. It will remove the strong smells.
    76. Black Fly Spray For Dogs: Use as a spray or a dip. 1 cup SSS, 1/2 cup liquid detergent and 3 gallons of water.
    77. For dog's dry skin mix 1 tablespoon of SSS per gallon of water and use as an after bath rinse. Or spritz your pet's coat once per week.
    78. If your dog should get tar or asphalt on the pads of their feet rub on SSS and then wipe off.
    79. Flea Bath: Use a flea and tick shampoo. Rinse, rinse, rinse so no soap residue is left. Follow with final rinse of 2 gallons of water mixed with flea dip and 1 capful of SSS. The SSS helps replace the oils lost in bathing and has the added benefit of repelling insects.

    80. Flea Repellent: Avon's Skin So Soft Bath Oil. 1-1/2 ounces per gallon of water; used as a sponge-on dip (or as a spritz) has been tested and proven to have significant, but not complete, flea-repellent activity for a 6-day period. It should help those dry coats, too.
    81. Does anyone use the Avon Skin So Soft bath oil on their chows? I have begun using it on Chancey and it has done wonders for her skin. Like, many chows, she has very dry and flaky skin, especially for being black. Since I started using that product, her dandruff and itchiness has improved tremendously and her hair has become shiny and smooth. It also serves as a great flea and tick protector. I use it about twice a month and I just spray it on her. I really like it.
    82. I use the following on my horses and on my dogs when necessary.
    1 cup Avon Skin So Soft bath oil 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup (or more) water 5 cc of essential oil of citronella (from the health food store NOT the type you burn to keep insects away that is available in a drug store) Mix in a spray bottle. Straight SSS works well for mosquitoes too but really makes your dog greasy.
    12. (Barns) Use of an inexpensive fly control spray or a diluted mix of Avon Skin- So-Soft in water can be sprayed on barn walls and floor to discourage insects from hanging around or to eliminate them before putting in the new bedding. As time permits, and if you can keep your goats out of the barn for a few hours - let the barn stand and air out before re-filling with bedding.
    83. Rub on your hands before and after working with pets and farm animals, takes away pet odor.
    84. AVON'S SKIN-SO-SOFT bath oil massaged directly into the skin of your Rottweiler acts not only as a successful repellant and makes their dogs smell good but helps prevent drying and itchy skin.
    85. A natural way to help cats with flea problems and flea allergies is to rub Skin So Soft into the skin. Once a bug, always a bug. Fleas don't like it either! Spread the word!
    86. Cats: SSS IS SAFE FOR FUR LICKING -------The SSS plus is safe as long as it is the one without sunscreen.

    87. Don't overuse the SSS. I just use the lotion, and rub it into the skin, not more than every few days. My cat's sensitive and we're being careful. Common sense is the rule. Sprinkling Yeast on the cat food helps, too. My cat's fur is medium-length; he's part Persian, and he's doing fine, no ill effects from the SSS. You can check with your vet to be sure if it's okay...
    88. SSS can be used as a hoof polish. This will put a nice shine to the hoof without drying it. The farrier's wife will appreciate this one!
    89. SSS can be used as a muzzle, eye, a
    SKIN-SO-SOFT USES FOR HORSES :
    nd ear enhancer. Generally we used baby oil but it was so messy. I tried SSS and it works great and still helps keep bugs away.
    90. I have a show mare that has allergies and also gets dry skin very easily so I started giving her baths in SSS. What I do is bathe her like normal and then I put a capful of SSS in a 5 gallon bucket of warm water and sponge this all over her. Her hair coat dries silky soft and she quits itching. Works for her.
    91. The bug guard towelletes we had last summer work great on the horse's ears and around their eyes.
    92. When I have to band (braid) their manes I use the Techniques Oil Sheen. It seems to help hold the braids a lot better and they don't try to rub them out.
    93. The dry end serum works great in their tails as a detangler. Everything I have mentioned here I use faithfully on our show horses. The products are a heck of a lot cheaper than actual horse products. People see me using these products at the horse shows and start inquiring about them. I usually let them take my bottles and try them on their horses at the show which usually ends up in a sale for me.

    AUTOMOBILE USES:
    94. It removes tar spots from the car without damage to the paint.
    95. Use it to clean vinyl dashboards, seats, and tops. It not only cleans, but keeps it soft and helps to prevent any cracking.
    96. After washing your car, use it as a tire dressing to keep them looking like new.
    97. Put some on a small washcloth and leave in the car to help keep the air fresh and
    clean.
    98. Wipe down vinyl surfaces inside your car. Cleans nicely and removes smoke odors left by cigarette smokers.
    99. It gently cleans heavy grease and oil from skin and non-porous surfaces (great for Mechanic's Hands).
    100. It removes tree sap.
    101. Prior to traveling...rub SSS on headlights and grill. It makes insects and bugs easier to remove.
    102. Shines vehicle tires
    103. Open a towelette and use as an automotive air freshener.

    *Skin-So-Soft bath oil is approved by the FDA/CDA only as a bath oil. This list of uses comes from customers. Avon makes no claims of these uses, nor have they.

     

    Gotta love AVON!!!
    www.youravon.com/deniseellis
  • 06-29-2008 9:50 AM In reply to

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    SSS has never worked for me against mosquitoes.  Will try the vanilla thing as it is one of my favorite scents.  Thanks for the unique idea.

     

    Kim

    If the kids are still alive at the end of the day, then I've done my job.
  • 06-29-2008 7:07 PM In reply to

    Re: Keeping bugs away from you, CHEAP, easy and it smells good too!

    I had some mowing to finish up last Monday evening and I remembered to try out the hint using the vanilla extract. I poured some on my hands and rubbed some on my legs and arms. Not even one bite and I was outside until almost dark. I need to put some in a spray bottle next time since I do know it works.

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