I always find it wonderful when I’m inundated with requests for things we’ve included in our videos. This time it’s more information regarding the fly spray featured in the video or for a dog friendly version for our little furry pals – so here it is!
First a small disclaimer – any essential oils used with humans should always be diluted before application as they can cause some mighty skin and breathing irritations – the usual guidelines to follow are no more than a 5% concentration of the oils in any blend that is a spray – this is to prevent staining of clothes and furnishings. If used on the skin then usually no more than 2% and if its to be used on a dog then less than 1% and generally should be checked with a vet first.
The English Aromatherapist explains the dilution maths here it’s been a fantastically useful blog as it’s a bit of a science. I have, however, found it’s always better to err on the side of caution and start off with slightly less oil as you can always add more later. Remember, this stuff is super concentrated to always be careful when handling it.
So – back to the bug spray; after being almost eaten alive during the last little “heatwave” I decided it was time to rustle up some more of this fantastic stuff – I do find it strange that I know how to make it and always have the ingredients in but still forget about it until I get bitten to death and can’t sleep from too much scratching. I’ve been having a chuckle reading messages from people astounded that I have “emergency cleaning vodka” haha.. turns out my 21st birthday party was enough to put me off wanting to drink it all the time.
My little Make My Own Cleaning Stuff Stash fits nicely into a little clear shoe box that slides into a cupboard out of the way – it’s great to have it there as in it there are enough ingredients to make antibac surface spray, toilet spray, toilet scrub, deodorant, facial toner, flea and tick spray, bug spray, drain cleaner and probably many more things too.
I do love having that little stash as it means no matter where we are I can rustle up any of that in no time at all and the best thing is that there are no nasties in anything in the van.
If you’d like to see my previous blog for Making your own chemical free cleaning and other Eco changes too then please click here
Living in such a small space means you breathe in a whole lot of things that would probably dissipate in a larger space so keeping things chemical free is a bonus, plus we don’t have to worry about any nasties leaching into the environment either.
The bug spray is made with 4 simple ingredients; a 50/50 mix of Distilled water and vodka, a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence and 20 drops of Lemon Eucalyptus oil. I used a 4oz bottle but that still gave me room to shake so it’s probably about 4 1/4 oz in total. If you don’t have distilled water, cooled, boiled water will do.
If you’re not sure about the capacity of the bottle you are using then just fill it with water to the level you need and pour that into a measuring jug.
Give the bottle a good ole shake before each use and spray your feet, shoes, door mats, bed – wherever you have the problem and, if it works as well as it does with me and many other lovely people who commented – you won’t be bitten.
If you would like to watch the Vlog that shows me pouring things into a bottle and shaking it then check out Vlog 81 here
Now on to the Dogs..
Although firstly let’s add a random picture of Coop with his awesome “Dogs riding motorbikes” bandana ❤️
Sprays and Spritzes
I once bought a wonderful spray from our local kennels, the bottle said to spritz him with it when we left for a walk to stop him being bitten by fleas, ticks or sand flies (good for cuts and abrasions too) and when the spray was used he didn’t have any – it was one of the times we didn’t that he had his one and only tick.
I looked at the ingredients which were hard to find as it doesn’t seems to be a legal requirement to list them if you’re not using them on humans – and found lots of other stuff I couldn’t pronounce in there too. I’m not saying they are bad as it worked a treat but, as my usual thought process works, I knew there would be an easier, more natural way to do it. Of course I re-used the excellent spray bottle for my own recipe spray too.
The most popular one i’ve seen is to fill a spray bottle with about 400ml of water and a few drops of lemon eucalyptus, eucalyptus, peppermint or tea tree oil in – shake and spray, this is great and whichever oil you choose will smell amazing.
As much as I loved this easy option, I thought that it would be much better if I could buy ingredients at any supermarket rather than needing mail order or health food shop, so looked a bit further and found my favourite – a 60/40 mix of Apple Cider Vinegar and water with some sea salt added then given a good shake. Just spritz the dog regularly (avoiding dogs eyes when you spray).
Apple cider vinegar is absolute magic for dogs as it’s antibacterial and antifungal too – just like coconut oil which is the next one I like and it’s so, so simple – you literally get a teaspoon of Coconut oil in your hand till it starts to melt, rub hands together briefly and smooth over your dogs coat. Not only does this change the PH of your dogs skin to be brilliant for them and ridiculously bad for fleas and ticks, it makes their coat wonderfully shiny and makes them smell like holidays.. aaahh coconut oil scented sun tan lotion..
Dog Washing
Organic peppermint soap is great to use to bath your dog, just make sure you thoroughly rinse afterwards – you can even use a 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water as conditioner too.
You can also use some freshly squeezed lemon juice mixed with your regular pet shampoo and some water. All of these together, with regular checks for fleas and ticks, will keep your pet happy and hopefully flea and tick free.
Flea Collars and Bandanas
Of course you can also make your own flea collar/bandana/whatever they like to wear. You can use an existing collar or grab some spare fabric and make a cool bandana for them (what dog doesn’t look super cool wearing a bad ass bandana?). Then very simply soak it in vodka (yes, vodka again.. haha) you can add one or two drops of peppermint, tea tree or eucalyptus oils if you have them too. You can then take it out and let it dry and it’s good to put on your dog – you can refresh this once a month or fortnightly if it’s warmer and your dog is out in fields a lot.
So there you go – cheap as chips, easy to buy and good for Humans, dogs and the environment – winner winner!
Thank you so much for reading – I really hope any of the items in this blog help you and your furry pal be bitten far less if not stop altogether. Before you know it it’ll be Winter again and we can stop worrying about insect bites and start worrying about the cold instead.
Take care guys
Mandy
