Woman's simple yet ingenious hack to keep houses and food bug-free during summer is already a hit

Bugs are a difficult thing to deal with, especially during the summer. But at the same time, chemical sprays and bug repellants (that could cause side effects most of us aren't even aware of) don't feel like an ideal choice. At such times, ingredients in the kitchen and grandma's recipes come in handy. Popular internet personality Babs, who goes by @brunchwithbabs on Instagram, is here to help keep bugs away with a secret ingredient found in almost everyone's kitchen cabinets. 

In the video, the woman asked, "Did your mother ever tell you the secret ingredient to be bug-free all summer long?" She excitedly answered, "It's cinnamon." Taking out two jars of powdered cinnamon, she instructed: "Use ground cinnamon to keep maggots, flies and critters out of your trash cans. Just sprinkle a light layer at the bottom and don’t forget the lid. Just a soft sprinkle. Bye bye raccoons." Babs further explained in the caption that "those critters hate the smell and the powdery texture of cinnamon." For fruit flies, one can use cinnamon sticks. "Just place a couple of cinnamon sticks in your fruit bowl and you will be fruit-fly-free all summer long," she noted.

"Use my cinnamon spray to keep those mosquitoes at bay," the sweet lady revealed. "To make your spray, just whisk in two teaspoons of cinnamon into four cups of warm water and set it out for at least a few hours to steep, as if you were making tea." She added, "Strain out the liquid to ensure it doesn’t clog up your spray bottle. Pour cinnamon 'tea' into a spray bottle then add the rubbing alcohol and dish soap. Shake to combine and spray." The grandma cheerfully pointed out, "This will keep mosquitoes away and is safe for you too." In the caption, Babs also left a brief note on why the remedy works.

"Cinnamon naturally contains eugenol, an aromatic compound commonly found in traditional insect repellants," she wrote. The video received over 52.8 million views and people took to the comments section to express how useful the method was and how they would like to try it for themselves this summer. @garden_of_blake commented, "It really works. I use cinnamon all over my garden. It also keeps the ants away." @ivyprosper commented, "I tried this last year. This does not work in Ghana. The bugs here are like gangsters and just laugh at us." 

@amycakes608 expressed, "Do you think this would be safe to sprinkle or spray on or near my fruit trees? I'd love to pick some of my peaches before the critters get to them this year!" @chickpea_blind shared, "When she said it’s cinnamon, she sounded like the mom from the Lorax when she’s showing off the all-season tree thing." @superiodealzone commented, "Thank you for this information. Cinnamon is good for a lot of things and even helps get rid of diabetes. But the 'establishment' doesn't want people to know that." @fricketynick cautioned, "Most of these are great but please don’t use cinnamon on your skin unless it’s from a professionally formulated product. Cinnamon can actually burn your skin if you aren’t careful."

You can follow Babs (@brunchwithbabs) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.