When the weather is nice and the sun is shining, you want to enjoy it. Sometimes that looks like spending time outside and sometimes it looks like inviting the cool breezes and sunshine into your home. Whether you’re hanging out indoors or outdoors, your good mood can quickly be ruined if you’re swarmed by bugs. While there are certainly seasons when you’ll encounter more insects, there’s not any time of the year when you can expect them all to disappear—which means you have to battle them year round.

Fortunately, there are proven ways to repel bugs so you can keep them out of your home and your life. The solution for many is bug repellent and bug killing sprays, but these are loaded with harmful toxins and chemicals. When you mist bug spray around your living space, you also are breathing it in. In order to fend off bugs without having the damage come back onto you, too, here are five non-chemical ways that you can get bugs out of your life for good! Try them all and see which options work best for your individual bug-repellent needs.

1. Install a Mesh Screen Door

The most effective way to keep bugs away is to install a mesh screen door in your doorframe. During those sunny days when you want to open up the door and let the cool breezes circulate, a mesh screen door will ensure you aren’t constantly swatting bugs away inside the house, or even worse, finding them in your living spaces later on. Mesh screen doors are easy to install around the doorway and can even be uninstalled if you ever need to move them around. Plus, screen doors add extra security to your home against those who might see an open doorway as an invitation—whether human or animal.

An additional benefit to mesh screen doors is the way they also keep things in. When you’ve got the doors open and you’re not worrying about the bugs getting in, chances are you’re worried about your kids or pets getting out. The solution to wanting to leave the doors open—whether you’re entertaining or just enjoying the weather—is to seal off your entrances with mesh screen doors so you don’t have to worry.

2. Use Essential Oils

Essential oils are natural extracts that are highly concentrated and potent in a liquid form. They can be diffused into the air, added into health and beauty products, and even applied to the skin in some cases. Certain essential oils are also effective at warding off bugs. You might think that any sweet scent brings about bugs, but in actuality, the following essential oils are perfect bug deterrents:

Lemon Eucalyptus

Lemongrass

Lavender

Tea Tree

Geranium

Clove

Cedarwood

Peppermint

Basil

In order to use these essential oils against insects, simply mix 30-40 drops of your chosen oil with a cup of water and add it to a spray bottle. You can then spray surfaces and the air where you want to keep bugs away, and relax to the fresh scent of essential oil. If you have pets, be wary of this method in shared spaces, however, since some essential oils are toxic for pets.

3. Light Citronella Candles

Just as citronella essential oil is an insect repellent, bugs hate the scent of it in candle form, too. You can find these candles in many places, from home goods stores to hardware stores. There is some speculation that citronella candles aren’t as effective as the oil itself, so if you find yours aren’t doing the trick, aim to light more of them in the area where you’re spending time.

4. Crank the Fans

Another incredibly simple way to repel bugs (flying bugs, that is) is to get some wind going with fans. The theory goes that bugs are not able to fly to you when the wind is pushing them back, and it makes perfect sense. Try to get a solid flow of air moving around you and observe how the bugs are unable to fly over.

5. Open a Bottle of Nail Polish 

Bugs hate the strong alcoholic scent of nail polish and will avoid flying near it, so this is another way to repel bugs without spraying harsh chemicals on your surfaces, skin, or in the air. If you simply open a bottle or two of nail polish, or even begin painting your nails so that the scent lifts, you’ll be able to make the bugs steer clear of you. If you’re in a small space, you should be able to see the bugs head upwards to avoid the smell; at that point, they’re easy to catch or shoo away. But be careful about breathing in the nail polish fumes in a small space. If you’re in a large area, such as outside, you can place the nail polish near you to ward off the pesky insects.

When you need to repel bugs but don’t want to turn to harsh chemicals, you can use these five natural and chemical-free methods of warding off insects!