Summer is fast approaching, and warm weather is on its way. Naturally, with clear blue skies and warm weather, you'll want to sit out on your porch and enjoy it all. With hot weather comes insects, namely the dreaded mosquito. Mosquitoes can ruin any summer day with itchy red bites, so you've landed here to investigate how to keep them out of your house and porches. Look no further! We've discovered how sheer curtains can keep mosquitoes out of your house and revealed other tips to share with you as well.
Sheer curtains do absolutely keep mosquitoes out! Sheer curtains are incredibly easy to purchase and hang on your porch or doorways.
Keep reading below for tips on how to get rid of mosquitoes and other tips on how to use sheer curtains. We'll go into more detail about how to use them, how to hang them, and much more!
Can you hang sheer curtains outside?
Absolutely! The sheer curtains below are inexpensive for one pair, so depending on how big your porch is or how many doorways you'd like to mosquito-proof, they will surely fit in your budget. It's super easy to hang up curtains around your porch. Stapling, using a rod, or hanging brackets could be used.
As a bonus, sheer curtains are durable enough to last up to two summers yet can easily be replaced. They are machine washable, and you can even bleach them from time to time if they get dirty.
Click here for Ikea Mesh Lace Curtains, one pair at Amazon.
How do you stop curtains from flying?
Do your outdoor curtains keep flying away in the wind no matter what you do? Here are some top tips on how to keep your curtains looking great and grounded:
- Tie them down
- Clip the curtains together
- Install weights at the bottom hem
Tie Down
Tieing your curtains down at the bottom is a valid choice; however, we wouldn't recommend this choice for sheer or mesh curtains. If you have solid curtains, you can use tarp grabbers or cup hooks to attach them to the ground or deck.
Clip Curtains
Clipping your curtains together will significantly aid in your wind-defying crusade. Simply clip the edges of your curtains together to add more weight and substance to your curtains.
Click here to see weighted, waterproof curtain clips at Amazon.
Weigh Down the Hem
Installing weights to the bottom of your curtains is a great solution to this windy problem! You can install weights to almost any type of curtain, and you can use whatever object you desire or fits your outdoor theme. Washers, fishing weights, and rocks are great options. If you're the more artsy type, you can make your own weights, paint rocks or just get creative with it!
Check out these fishing weights from Amazon.
How do you keep mosquitoes off a porch?
No one wants to step out onto their porch or deck on a lovely summer evening only to be greeted by dozen of hungry blood-sucking insects. So how do you keep them at bay? Here are 10 easy steps you can take to ensure your porch is mosquito-free:
1. Empty Standing Water
One of the most effective ways of warding off unwanted insects is to ensure there is no standing water near your deck or porch. Stagnant water is where mosquitoes live and lay their eggs. Their larvae grow and thrive in standing water, so fixing and treating these areas is essential. That includes emptying water from clogged gutters, children's toys and ensuring water doesn't pool up in areas of your yard.
2. Fix Under Deck Drainage
Pooling water underneath your deck isn't always noticeable. As mentioned above, mosquitoes thrive in stagnant water. You can fix pooling water and recurring puddles by adding sand in those areas. If just adding sand doesn't help, you may have to install and French drain.
3. Mosquito Dunks
Mosquito Dunks are available at most hardware stores and are inexpensive. You can put them in any body of water that you can't empty, such as a fountain or birdbath, to ensure no mosquitoes lay eggs there.
Click here for these Amazon Basics MosquitoDunks.
4. Clean Your Gutters
Cleaning out your gutters is a simple way to ensure mosquitoes don't take up residence around your home. They can be another source of standing water that you don't even notice!
5. Bring Out the Fans
Mosquitoes can't fly in over two-mile-per-hour winds, so setting up an oscillating fan can help keep those flying pests away.
6. Expand Your Garden
You could consider planting mosquito repellent plants in your garden! Many plants are insect and mosquito repellent and reward you with great scents at the same time. These plants include citronella, lemongrass, mint, lavender, and catnip.
7. Trim the Grass
Ensuring your lawn and garden are properly trimmed and cut can help reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home. Grass can create extra water for their eggs and larvae, so keep it trimmed!
8. Burn Incense
Burning mosquito-repelling incense can help keep those buggers away from your outdoor areas. Bugs really dislike the smoke, and they won't go near it or you.
9. Install Bird and Bat Houses
Installing bird or bat houses is an easy solution to your mosquito problem. They simply eat them! Birds and bats love to eat flying insects, so giving them a home on your property can make it a little easier to get rid of bugs.
10. Burning Candles
Burning Citronella candles around your deck or patio is a good solution. Using torches or candles is inexpensive, but you might need numerous amounts of them. Make sure to keep open flames away from anything flammable and far enough away, so the smoke doesn't get in your face.
Check out these citronella candles on Amazon.
If all else fails, Bring Out the Bug Spray
This option might not be for everyone. Using DEET or bug spray is most likely the worst-case scenario, but it's the one that works the best if all else fails.
How do you get rid of mosquitoes in your house?
Oh no! Mosquitoes have already infiltrated your home. How do you get rid of them? Here are six fast and easy ways to be rid of those pesky biting insects:
1. Stop Them From Entering
Mosquitoes are much more active around dusk. So when the sun starts lowering you should tightly close doors and windows if you don't already have netting attached to them.
2. Stop Them From Breeding
You'll want to thoroughly check your home for any standing water. That means the kitchen, bathroom, garage, and yard. Make sure drains are properly cleaned and covered at all times.
3. More Plants
Remember expanding your garden from earlier? You can have those plants in your house as well. Lavender, catnip, and lemongrass are favorites. Mosquitoes don't like certain plants and won't go near them.
4. Sliced Lemon and Cloves
Mosquitoes hate anything citrusy and cloves. You can easily keep a plate of sliced lemons with cloves pushed in around your home to ward off unwanted insects.
5. Garlic Spray
If you don't want to use harsh chemical sprays to ward off insects, you could use a simple garlic-infused spray around your home. Crush a few cloves of garlic, boil them in water for a few minutes, and then pour the mixture into a spray bottle. The smell will extinguish the mosquitoes, and you won't be able to smell it for very long after you spray it.
6. Dish of Soapy Water
Perhaps the easiest solution on this list is to simply put out a bowl or dish of soapy water. Mosquitoes are attracted to water but once they land in the bubbles they get trapped and die. Make sure the water is soapy enough for bubbles to form.
In Closing
We hope this article helps you with your outdoor adventures! Don't give up hope on getting rid of those pesky bugs or finding the right sheer curtains for your porch and patio needs. Check out some additional related outdoor curtain articles!