If you grow houseplants chances are you’ve had to deal with spider mites. Since most indoor air quality is worse than outdoor air quality the last thing you want to do is spray toxic chemicals to get rid of these annoying pests.

You can make your own environmentally friendly spray right in your own kitchen with ingredients that are readily available.

First, bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove and turn it off. Add the following ingredients to the pot.

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded coriander leaves
• ¼ cup shredded rhubarb leaves
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup shredded eucalyptus leaves

Method

Steep the above ingredients in hot water for 1 hour. Strain into a jar. Gently stir in 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Transfer the soup to a spray bottle using a funnel.

Spray infected plants well, making sure to get the under side of leaves as well. Spray again in 3 days and your spider mite problem will be gone.