As the temperatures rise insects begin to appear. Our best defense against itchy painful bites is insect repellent. Some insect repellents, on the other hand, will expire in the near future. Although there is no universally accepted answer, the general consensus is that insecticides have a shelf life of approximately 3 years. The sprays should be disposed of at that point, not because they will cause harm to you, but rather because they may not be as effective at repelling bugs as they were in the beginning.

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According to Laurence Zwiebel, director of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, the expiration date of a bug spray is determined by the ingredient that is active in the spray. The majority of active ingredients in bug repellents are long-lasting and can be used for an extended period of time. Even if the active ingredients are not expired and the formulation itself does not change, it is possible that the medication will become less effective over time.

Look at the label on the back of the bug spray bottle to see what chemical is being utilized. The following are the durations of the most commonly used active ingredients.

DEET

The active component in the majority of popular bug-spray products, such as Off, is N, N-diethyltoluamide, which is also known as DEET. DEET does not have an expiry date. In terms of stability and shelf life, it is a chemical with a long shelf life.

PICARIDIN

In addition to picaridin, there are many additional chemicals that are efficient in repelling pests. Picaridin, like DEET, is a compound that has a long shelf life. Picaridin-based repellents are not often labeled with an expiry date on the container. Picaridin is used by a number of different brands, including Sawyer and Ranger Ready.

IR3535

For ethyl butyl Acetyl Amino Propionate, it is usually called the IR3535. Since IR3535 is less stable than DEET and picaridin it’s common for bug repellents that have it to come with expiry dates. It can be as short as 18 months in between the date of manufacture and the date of expiry. It is utilized in the compositions made by Avon and Coleman for instance, just to name several companies.

OIL OF LEMON EUCALYPTUS OR PMD

These oils are also present in sprays such as Repel as well as Off Botanicals. PMD stands for para-menthane-3,8-diol, a name that references the substance’s origins in the component chemicals. The repellents that contain OLE are stable for long time periods and likely will not have expiration dates at the bottom of the bottle. Repel has been the most well-known brand that uses OLE.

If you’ve tried an old spray only to discover that it smells sour or isn’t keeping insects away from your home It’s time to purchase the latest bottle. If you don’t know when you last used the bug spray or have any questions regarding the ingredients, you should call the company to inquire about the product that you’re looking for. The company can provide the most current, specific formula information available for you.

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