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Wirecutter’s 100 Most Popular Picks of August 2024

From Top-Pick Bug Repellent

Everyone should avoid bug bites, which are annoying at best and debilitating (or even lethal) in worst-case scenarios.

For a bug repellent that’s safe and effective—and that won’t stink or leave a puddle of oil on your skin—skip the DEET and get a picaridin formula, like Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent. It’s the best bottle of bug spray we found after testing over 25 repellents and talking to everyone from the EPA to the American Mosquito Control Association.

Continue reading to learn more, written by the Doug Mahoney.

LAST UPDATED

September 9, 2024

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Doug Mahoney

Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning.

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If covering up exposed skin is not possible, Tipton County Health Department officials also encourage residents to apply EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin...

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Ind.
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Sprays like Hot Shot Ant, Roach and Spider Killer and Sawyer Products Premium Insect Repellant—which uses the ingredient picaridin—are specifically designed to kill gnats.

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You can use [Sawyer Permethrin] to treat your clothing, hiking boots, hat, sleeping bag, tent, and backpack, Dr. Connally says.

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