Bug off, gnats! Well, they'll do just that and stay away from your houseplants if you … sharpen some pencils? 

Hear "Plant Doctor" and author of Wild Interiors: Beautiful plants in beautiful spaces, Hilton Carter, out. 

"Most of us know that cedar is a known bug repellant," Hilton says. So all you have to do to keep bugs away from your plants is sharpen some pencils and spread the shavings on top of the soil.

You'll essentially be creating pencil mulch. Clever, right?

"Bugs, like gnats, really like to be on the top of the soil, especially when your soil is a little bit damp," the "Plant Doctor" explains. So the pencil shavings will help dry the soil out.

If you have a bigger plant, Hilton says, you might want to get cedar chips or sawdust instead.