Here’s why dryer sheets aren’t an effective mosquito repellent.
You may have heard an online claim and now seek an answer: Do dryer sheets repel mosquitoes? Dryer sheets may seem a handy way to repel mosquitoes during the peak season. However, they are not as effective or long-term as, say, a can of bug spray. Bounce dryer sheets and other top brands may contain very low concentrations of linalool, citronella, beta-citronellol, and other chemicals that repel bugs.
However, you can’t really be sure about the effectiveness because the box doesn’t contain a list of active ingredients. These products have the same goals as cosmetic and perfume companies – to smell nice – not to repel insects. Thus, they are not subject to labeling standards like food or drugs.
In fact, well-respected science writer Sarah Zielinski called using dryer sheets to repel mosquitoes “a modern-day old wives’ tale in Smithsonian Magazine. Research agrees.
Tayloe’s Mosquito Control offers a more effective solution to control mosquitoes and other annoying bugs for up to 30 days. Our services offer better mosquito control than rubbing dryer sheets on your clothes, although we must admit.
Do Dryer Sheets Repel Other Bugs?
The chemical content of dryer sheets sometimes contain oils naturally found in mosquito-repellent plants. An example of this might be a brand that mentions citronella, lavender, or sweet basil essential oils on the box.
Dryer sheets often contain insect-repellent qualities and compounds that may serve as a mild deterrent to mosquitoes and other pests. Those Bounce dryer sheets might provide you with some short-term protection against mites, German cockroaches, beetles, gnats, flies, and weevils, but they’ll not likely last the whole time you work outside in your yard or garden.
It’s an okay idea to experiment with dryer sheets as a bug repellant. Hang them in your garage bay, rub them on your clothing, or stuff them in your pocket. (Just don’t run them on your skin, as the fragrance may irritate it). See what you think about the claim of the mosquito-repellent qualities of laundry sheets after your experiment.
What Dryer Sheets Might Help Repel
Researchers have been searching for a definitive answer to whether dryer sheets are an effective repellent for numerous insects ever since people started to claim that Bounce dryer sheets could repel mosquitoes, gnats, and others.
While the researchers have agreed that mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide, using gas chromatography to measure and analyze the human odors that attract them to our skin. Scientists checked and measured lactic acid, ammonia, and the carboxylic acids, in addition to CO2.
While dryer sheets may mask our mosquito-attracting chemicals, no amount of beta-citronellol or citronella will stop our bodies from outlasting the short-lived Bounce sheets. That said, there is one notable exception in which dryer sheets helped repel pests:
Bounce May Repel Fungus Gnats
Scientists at Kansas State University tested dryer sheets and found that they could deter fungus gnats. They published their findings in the journal Horticultural Science in 2010. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to call in a pro if you have a severe infestation.
Call Tayloe’s Mosquito Control for Professional Mosquito Fogging
We’re confident you’ll agree that Bounce sheets are very short term after you’ve tested them out for yourself. Now that you have that answer, call Tayloe’s Mosquito Control. Our monthly fogging service kills mosquitoes for up to 30 days. Connect @ 252.287.3376 – we cover Hertford and Bertie County, NC.
