Akshay Kumar’s home is completely pest-free with no chemicals. Wife, Twinkle Khanna shares organic DIY pest spray; all ingredients are available in your kitchen

Fed up with cockroaches and red ants in your home? Akshay Kumar’s wife – 'Mrs Funnybones’ Twinkle Khanna – recently shared an organic way to keep your home free from unwanted guests and turn your cherished kitchen into their garba ground.

She advised fans to create a mixture of tej patta, cloves and vinegar and spray the liquid to the corners, drawers and cabinets which are often hidden away in the dark and often attract pests. She also shared the recipe for the DIY pest spray:

• Crush 8-10 cloves and 2-3 bay leaves
• Mix one cup of water and a cup of vinegar. Bring to a boil. Add the cloves and the leaves to the boiling water.
• Strain the liquid and store inside a bottle.

According to home cleaning experts, bay leaves and cloves of garlic can be a wonderful organic way to ward off pests. Here’s how


Garlic is not only a powerful ingredient that adds a rich aroma and flavour to meals, but its intense smell can also help keep unwanted pests away. Ants, mosquitoes and various garden insects tend to avoid areas where the strong scent of garlic is present.

Sophie Officer, co-owner of the eco-conscious cleaning company Dustpan & Brush, in an interview with Martha Stewart.com, recommended crushing several garlic cloves and placing the pieces in spots where ants and mosquitoes are commonly found. These insects are guided toward people and food by signals such as carbon dioxide, pheromones and familiar food-related smells. The pungent aroma released by crushed garlic can interfere with these cues and discourage pests from approaching. As a result, garlic can serve as a simple, natural way to deter common household and garden insects without depending on strong chemical repellents.

According to Green Garden Tips, here's why cloves and bay leaves are such a lethal combo to ward off pests:

These herbs have a strong scent that repels pests, and they also secrete oils such as eucalyptol and cineole. These compounds mess up the insects' sense of smell and affect their ability to locate food.