DEET Insect Repellant Add Water Travel Tip

travis from has written 23 comments

Hello Andy,

I did some research on DEET and it is safe, as reconfirmed in recent studies. One can google DEET cdc.gov to get some good references on its safety and effectiveness.

The percentage of DEET in solution does not really affect its strength in repelling bugs, surprisingly, but it determines for how long the repellent effect lasts on your skin. Here is what one study showed to give folks a general idea:

• A product containing 23.8 DEET provided an average of 5 hours of protection from mosquito bites.
• A product containing 20 DEET provided almost 4 hours of protection
• A product with 6.65 DEET provided almost 2 hours of protection
• Products with 4.75 DEET were both able to provide roughly 1 and a half hour of protection.

I think this is why DEET is often sold as a 29 DEET solution in the USA. Maybe the savvy traveler buys 100 DEET and waters down as needed.

Travis

Gadget from has written 1,027 comments

Savvy is correct, the no see ums bite one hour before or after sunrise or sunset. I need two hours of protection, therefore watering it down is a lot cheaper.

I do not feel it is safe for daily use, very few people would use insect repellent daily in the USA. I am doing so because of some uncontrollable variables. The owner of the apartments needs to have the whole building fumigated, then I would not have a problem. If I lived here a year, I would do it, and not need to use DEET.

I have sprayed my apartment down three times, maybe two more times and this problem will stop I hope.

Bottom line, DEET at full strength is overkill.

hoz from has written 62 comments

As a wilderness traveler I have much experience with bugs and DEET. Some tips, DON"T PUT DEET ON YOUR SKIN. Sprinkle it on your socks, a bandanna, or the brim of your cap. DEET doesn't need to be on your skin to be effective.

Some people use "Skin so Soft" by Avon, others tuck a dryer antistatic sheet in their collar, waistband or socks.

BE careful with DEET around plastic, it will melt. Deet can ruin a pair of glasses with polycarbonate lens, anything plastic.

In general, I agree with the content but would also like to suggest to the author that certain mosquito repellent lotions are bad for your skin and can contain toxic chemicals. As well, these are not good options for children or for pregnant women. I suggest to use non-toxic mosquito repellent wristbands that contain geranoil which is a natural mosquito repellent. To learn more about geranoil wristbands, visit http://www.pestcontrol-store.com