Insect Repellent Clothing

Insect repellent clothing is not really a new concept, but it is more popular now than it ever has been. Most of the insect repellent clothing on the market today is impregnated with some kind of permethrin based product which is a water-resistant contact killer of insects. This means that insect repellent clothing that has been treated with permethrin will kill insects that land on it, but will not necessarily keep insects from flying near you.

Insect Repellent Clothing

If you want to wear insect repellent clothing, you can either buy it pre-treated or you can do it yourself. The best insect repellent to use is Permethrin at 0.5% concentration. There are two very well-known insect repellents: DEET and Permethrin. Deet has an adverse effect on some materials and plastics, so is only recommended for use on the skin.

On the other hand, Permethrin 0.5% has no adverse effects on clothing, but is neutralized by the skin very quickly, which is why the label says 'not for use on skin'. It does not mean that it is dangerous on skin, just that it soon becomes ineffectual. In fact, there a lot of the armies around the world that use Permethrin drenched clothing every day.

There are two ways of making insect repellent clothing with permethrin, you can spray it on or soak it in, like the army does. If you spray it on, you should not be wearing the clothing at the time and it should be done outdoors, not that a small whiff of Permethrin 0.5% has ever been proven to have detrimental side-effects.

Do not put the insect repellent clothing on immediately, but wait until the chemical has soaked in and dried up. This will ensure that it remains active for longer. Statistically, permethrin soaked insect repellent clothing can last for up to 50 washes, but by then it has lost a lot of its power.

Sprayed on Permethrin lasts for about six weeks or six washes. However, it will last longer if it is not exposed to sunlight which breaks it down. if you are not wearing the insect repellent clothing, store it in black plastic bags.

Permethrin has one known danger after monitoring its use for 40 years and that is that it kills fish, so when you are spraying your clothing, keep well down wind from any garden fish ponds.

Permethrin is not only good for use on insect repellent clothing, it can also be used on sleeping bags, mosquito nets and net curtains. Studies have shown that Permethrin in high doses or when freshly applied will kill mosquitoes and other insects, but that as its power diminishes, it only deters them from landing on you.

If you want to be as fully protected from mosquitoes and other flying, biting insects as you can be, it is best to apply a DEET-based product to all ares of exposed skin and apply Permethrin 0.5% to all exposed clothing. If you are worried about the Permethrin and your skin, make sure that you wear underwear and a T-shirt to prevent bodily contact.

The DEET will last about five hours and the permethrin insect repellent clothing about six weeks.