We are have a birthday party for my soon-to-be three y.o. in a couple of weekends. Most of the activities are going to be outside, weather permitting. With all this rain we have gotten lately, the mosquitoes are horrible! Does anyone have any suggestions on deterrents that have worked well? There are so many products on the market, it's overwhelming. I don't really want to spray anything toxic (we have a dog and cat outside). Thanks for your advice!
Avon Skin So Soft works!! You have to order it online, but it's worth it. It's DEET-free.
Have a great party!!
I have heard that dryer sheets attached to your clothing keeps them away from you....I have also heard spraying Listerine mouthwash works if you spray it in the air. Make sure there is not standing water a few days prior and try putting the Listerine in any standing water if there is any.
the citronella tiki torches have been the best thing we've found... if you want to offer something to your guests that is personal coverage but non-toxic, we found one of the best things to apply is Avon's Skin So Soft - like baby oil, smells like sweet baby powder, and has worked as a bug deterrent for us in the past, sometimes better than off. If you chose to go that route, you could place baskets of individually sized bottles by the door so your guests can pick one up right before they go out.... Also, we've found that using a bounce sheet rubbed on the skin and hanging out of the back pocket works ok....You could get mosquito traps....another idea is to place dry ice in back corners of your lot where there are no guests....they apparently love CO2.
make sure to stay away from sugary snacks and esp. not eat any bananas prior to going out (like 24 hours or less) as the sugar stays in ur blood and they LOVE it!
You are going to love this easy trick. I found out about it when I was dining at a cafe and sat outside to eat. They had ziploc bags filled with water in them and put crumpled pieces of aluminum foil inside. I didn't know what they were. The waiter told me that the water bags filled with aluminum foil deterred mosquitos. I couldn't believe it. I tried it at home and it works great. My neighbor said that she has seen it used with ziploc bags with water filled with pennies. Google it and you'll see. It's cheap and easy. You can try it now and see for yourself before the party. Good luck!
Two things:
Plain old listerine-even the dollar store generic kind works. Just put it in a spray bottle and spray the area that you want to be mosquito-free. Even sprayed around doorways it will keep them from flying through the door! It sounds crazy, but it worked pretty well for us. It works for a while, too. Several hours.
Vanilla extract (I am not sure if the natural is any better than the imitation or not, I have not personally tried this one). Rub or spray some on the skin, supposed to repel them.
Just a sidenote: I have seen ziploc bags with plain water in them repel houseflies. How cool would it be to put the bags up for the mosquitoes by night and the houseflies by day!
Good luck!
Citronella candles are ok and maybe they could be worked into the party decor. But also, rubbing a dryer sheet on exposed skin keeps them away. Also, OFF makes a pretty good repelant and that could be used on the guests.
Google "Home remedies for Misquito repelant" and see what happens
Avon's original (blue containers, I think) Skin So Soft lotions have been found to be very effective at repelling insects/bites (although it was never marketed as an insect repellant).
How cool about the tin foil thing! I will have to try that. I was going to suggest calling a pest control company, they might be able to treat your yard that day for a temporary fix. And they use chemicals that are safe for kids and pets. I've never used them for mosquitos at home, but I know I worked at a place that had an infestation in the a/c system somewhere from a leak they couldnt get to, and we brought in a pest control team constantly to spray inside the building and vents until they cold find it. It would keep them down for a day or two.
I've had success with the Off coils. They last a long time and cover a big area. I also hear good things about the clip on fans especially for infants.
I've not had a chance to use it myself, but I've heard that Listerine works well. Supposed to spray it around doors and windows to keep them out of your house. Can spray it on tables and chairs without it harming food/kids/animals.
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I hear ya! This weekend we went to a pool party at a house in the woods. Our conscientious host had 2 cans of mosquito repellent spray out for our use.
The creek in my back yard makes mad mosquitoes. I swear by Avons bug spray and it has SPF in it. Its in a green spray bottle but you have to order it online or through a rep. It does work though.
I will have to try the tin foil in water trick. Never heard of that one.
Dawn
Have you tried Avon's Skin So Soft? It works well and we have folks that use on both their dogs and cats. I have some that say they use it on their horses as well keeps the flies and mosquitoes off as well.
B.
We use a product called "Bug Off", which is chemical-free and works very well, tho it needs to be re-applied every couple hours :)
