In today’s time, there seems to be a store bought product for almost any medicinal or herbal need that you might require.  There is sunscreen, bug spray, lotions, air fresheners, cleaning agents, and ointments.  While many of these products have had much research and development put into them with time and care used to deliver the best possible recipe, there are also many homemade and do it yourself solutions that can be used to replace store bought products. Not only will working with do it yourself and home solutions save you money, but they will also keep harsh chemicals and unknown substances out of your home that are found in many commercial and stock products. Many spray and chemical products that are often times found in department and super stores are products that are geared to keep away pests like ants, mice, flies, and any other critters that you would not want scurrying around your home. Many of these cleaners have two problems.  Either they simply don’t work, or are extremely toxic for people to be around when they are in effect and can affect your health in several negative ways. Luckily enough, there is a homemade solution that has come out that allows you to bug and rodent-proof your home without ever having to reach for the chemicals again! The secret compound is mint spray, and is extremely easy and cheap to make.  All you need to do is get some mint leaves, and let them sit in a spray bottle filled with water overnight.  During this time, the mint leaves will infuse the water with a fresh smelling crisp aroma.  This will allow you to spray the water an any surface anywhere, and leave a clean and fresh smelling aroma behind. Rodents and bugs hate the smell of mint, and if you mist your mixture anywhere where you have previously had problems, you should not see them coming back anytime soon again. If you want to make the mixture even stronger, you can also prepare the herb in an alcohol mixture and make is a tincture, which will allow you to have more of a mint extract rather than an infused water solution. Some other herbs that you can include in your mixture to help keep away the bugs is some sage, rosemary, lavender, and thyme.  These are all ingredients that have a strong aroma which will repel the bugs, and remember: the longer you let the herbs sit in the water, the stronger your solution will typically be. The main way the insects like to find their next piece of food or host is by sniffing them out, so if you disguise your scent or your home’s scent with something else you probably will not need to worry about them ever again. If you want to learn about some specific recipes on how to make your own bug sprays and repellents, then you can check out some of the instructions here, and let us know what you think of these home concoctions int he comments below!