Table of Contents
The shade of blue used on many southern ceilings is often called “haint blue”. The blue color was meant to ward off “haints” or evil spirits who might want to harm the house or the family inside. Tricking Insects. Many people argue that painting your porch ceiling blue actually keeps insects away.
Why do they paint porch ceiling blue?
The painted blue porch ceiling started in the American South around 200 years ago. In order to repel evil spirits from plantations, porch ceilings were painted a soft blue. The color was meant to mimic water in an effort to keep any haints or spirits at bay.
Does painting a porch ceiling blue keep wasps away?
Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that blue ceilings do in fact keep bugs away. However, there are some personal testimonies that state they saw fewer spiders and wasps after painting their porch ceiling blue.
Does painting porch ceiling blue keep birds away?
Summer days seem to last longer when afternoons are spent on the porch, and a pale blue ceiling overhead helps extend the daylight into dusk. Blue ceilings are also said to deter birds from nesting there and insects from buzzing around.
Why do Southerners paint their porch ceiling blue?
Across the South, the tradition of painting ceilings blue is passed down from generation to generation. In the Deep South, a darker blue sometimes called “haint blue” is believed by some to keep away evil spirits.
What is the significance of a blue ceiling?
According to the Gullah/Geechee, a blue porch ceiling brought good luck to the home and helped to ward away evil spirits as these lost souls are unable to cross water. A haint blue porch ceiling resembles water and prevents haints from harming the people in the house.
What color is haint blue?
Haint blue is a collection of pale shades of blue-green that are traditionally used to paint porch ceilings in the southern United States. The tradition originated with the Gullah in Georgia and South Carolina.
Does painting porch ceiling blue work?
It was used as an insect repellent. There was a more down-to-earth rationale for blue porch ceilings, too—the notion that it could keep wasps and other pests from building nests there. The blue paint actually did thwart insects, but not by outsmarting them.
Why do blue ceilings keep bugs away?
When blue paints were first used on ceilings, they were usually milk paints, and those paints often had lye mixed into the composition. Lye is a known insect repellent, which would explain why insects would avoid nesting on a painted porch ceiling or ledge.”Apr 11, 2017.
Does the color blue repel bugs?
Mosquitos see colors differently than most insects and can pick up shades outside of the UV spectrum. Therefore, using brighter colors like white, yellow, and blue can repel these pests a little more effectively.
Does Sky Blue keep spiders away?
Sky blue paint might actually fool insects as well. Originally we painted the porch ceiling blue over seven years ago and I can say we have had fewer spiders, wasps, and other bugs trying to take up residence on our porch ceiling.
Do spiders avoid sky blue?
The color that spiders tend to hate is light blue. People don’t just paint their porches light blue for the aesthetic. Painting your porch ceiling in this shade is a pretty effective way of keeping spiders away. The color is also known to repel wasps.
Do light blue ceilings keep bugs away?
Well, it’s called “haint blue” and may repel more than just insects, thus the name. The South Carolina Low Country, blue paint has been used on porch ceilings ands ome say this color blue extends daylight at dusk and helps keep bees, wasps and other insects away.
What does a blue porch mean in the South?
The shade of blue used on many southern ceilings is often called “haint blue”. The blue color was meant to ward off “haints” or evil spirits who might want to harm the house or the family inside. Tricking Insects. Many people argue that painting your porch ceiling blue actually keeps insects away.
What color do Southerners paint their porch ceiling?
Porch ceilings in the American South (and parts of the Northeast) are almost always painted blue — whether the rest of the home’s exterior is white, yellow, pink or any other color of the rainbow.
Why are porch ceilings painted blue in Key West?
Blue painted porch ceilings are a common and aesthetically beautiful site to see in Key West. The idea was (and for some still is) that blue porch ceilings act as a natural bug repellent because the porch looks like the sky and fools the bugs who obviously won’t build their nests in the sky.
What is the meaning of haint blue paint?
The shade and the term “haint blue” have become mythic and ubiquitous. The Gullah Geechee legend says that evil spirits do not like water and painting spaces to look like water will keep them away. The color is said to have been originally based on the indigo grown in the region in the eighteenth century.
What color paint keeps bugs away?
Best Exterior Paint Colors That Repel Bugs & birds: Colors such as yellow and white will do a much better job of deterring mosquitoes from your property.
Can you paint a ceiling blue?
Your ceiling might not draw quite the same crowd, but painting it can have a big impact on the overall decor. And while white is certainly the safest choice, flip through any design magazine and you’ll quickly note that blue is a decorator favorite.
What is a haint ghost?
So what is a “haint?” It’s just another word for a ghost or spirit, a derivative of “haunt.” For centuries, Southerners have passed down ways to keep spirits from haunting your home.
