What is Deet?

Do you have any issues with too many insects? Then you are probably using an insect repellent. If you are familiar with these, you will have surely heard of Deet.

Deet is one of the most widely used ingredients in insect repellents, and is considered by many as the gold standard in insect repellents. Most mosquito repellents also have Deet as their main ingredient.

But, there are surely many of you out there that don’t know what Deet is. So, here’s a comprehensive guide on what Deet is and how it works

Basics of Deet

Let’s begin by taking a look at some of the basic information about Deet. Deet is short for Diethyltoluamide or N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (for all you chemists out there), but we’ll stick to calling it  Deet.

The name refers to the chemical that is included in some insect repellents, which is also the active ingredient in them.

We have to go back to the World War 2 era to find the creator of Deet. It was developed by Samuel Gertler, and at first it was used by the US military. Cool right?

Then, after WWII ended, it was going to be sold to civilians, but it got released to the public in the late 1950s.

The most distinct characteristic of Deet is its colour. It is a yellow-coloured liquid, when its temperature is around room temperature. You can apply Deet directly onto your skin (our preferred method) or on your clothing.

For any chemists out there, Deet is a synthetic ingredient formed when m-toluic acid (3-methylbenzoic acid) is mixed with the corresponding acyl chloride using thionyl chloride, then reacts with diethylamine. If this sounds gibberish to you, you can move on to the next part.

How Deet Works

Let’s get back to simple information. Deet is a true repellent. This means that it doesn’t kill mosquitoes or insects, but it actually prevents or discourages them from landing on an area where Deet has been applied. 

There have been two theories on how Deet actually works on humans. At first, it was believed that Deet was blocking insects from smelling human skin. But, a new theory emerged, which suggests that the smell of Deet discourages most insects from landing on it. In turn, mosquitoes and other insects don’t want to land on your skin, so they won’t bite you.

Deet’s Effectivity

Deet is known for its protection against different insects. That’s where it shines. The best example we can think of are mosquitoes. No one likes mosquitoes, and mosquito bites can become really itchy, which can be really frustrating. That’s why you should look for a great mosquito repellent. And, if you will notice that most of the best mosquito repellents have Deet as their active ingredient.

But, not everyone has issues with mosquitoes. You might face problems with other insects, like fleas and ticks. These can also bite you, having the same outcome as a mosquito bite. If this sounds like you’re everyday life, an insect repellent with Deet is exactly what you need.

And, even if you have to deal with chiggers and leeches, Deet is the one thing that can repel them fast.

But, how should you apply Deet? We’ve already mentioned that you can either apply it on your skin (for the best results), or on your clothes. But, there are two different forms of insect repellents with Deet.

The first one is a spray form. So, if you face issues with mosquitoes in your garden, you can get a mosquito spray that has Deet as the main ingredient, so that you won’t have to deal with those mosquitoes. 

The other form is a lotion one. It is highly recommended that you use the lotion directly on your skin. This way, it will produce an odor that will repel almost every insect from biting you.

This all sounds really nice, but how long does Deet last? Will you have to douse yourself in a deet spray every hour? Well, the short answer is no.

But, it all depends on the concentration of the insect repellent. If you decide to buy a repellent with lower concentration of Deet (less than 34 percent), you’re looking at 3 to 6 hours of protection. The higher the concentration, the longer the protection. The longest that Deet lasts is 12 hours, which is a fairly long time.

Deet’s Safety

Many of you might be wondering if Deet is safe. After all, there are always rumours online about everything. We are here to tell you that if you use Deet products as intended, you will be 100% safe.

If you snoop around the internet you might find some reports of people being poisoned by insect repellents that had Deet as an active ingredient. Their number is really low, though. And, on top of that, most of them were a result of incorrect use of the product by the users.

But, even if (for some reason) you decide to misuse the products, and you end up getting deet poisoning, you shouldn’t be afraid. Most of the reported cases are really mild. So, no hospitalization was required, and the treatment was not serious.

Some people online have also claimed that Deet is carcinogenic. But, this is far from the truth. There are no actual scientific reports that Deet is carcinogenic. So, you can use it safely.

Deet’s Use on Children

We did just mention that Deet is 100% safe to use, and even if you misuse it, deet poisoning is really mild. But, the same isn’t true when it comes to children.

If you misuse Deet on children, it can be fairly risky. This means that if you apply Deet carelessly on your child, they might end up in the hospital, or in need of some serious medication.

But, what classifies as misuse of Deet? Well, the first one has to be ingestion. This is especially common when you use the spray form of Deet insect repellents. Be very careful when you spray that on your child’s skin. Make sure to tell them to have their head away from the area that you’re spraying. 

Another misuse example is when you apply the repellent too often for a long time. What does this mean? Well, make sure that you don’t apply a deet insect repellent daily for two weeks on your child. This will most likely irritate their skin, which can hurt a lot for an adult, let alone a child.

Our last example of misuse would be the application of deet repellents on clothing or objects that might be chewed, eaten or swallowed by kids. Just like our first example, your child might end up consuming a large amount of the repellent, which can be really harmful to them.

Deet’s Risk for Pregnant Women

We talked about children, but what about the risks for pregnant women? Well, thankfully, the risk of using insect repellents with Deet for pregnant women isn’t high.

It has been proven that if you are pregnant and you use a deet product, some of the molecules from the repellent will be able to cross the placenta and enter the mother’s womb. And, even though their concentration is miniscule, they still are able to get into the womb.

However, the evidence that we have so far can’t assure us that the molecules have any effect on the embryo. In other words, we can’t say for sure if deet harms babies before or after birth. We would suggest that you use deet repellents, but in moderation. This way, the concentrations of deet that travel to the womb remain really small, and virtually have no effect.

Deet’s Environmental Impact

Thankfully, because Deet has been used for so many years, we know how it impacts the environment. Generally, deet is considered as a non-pollutant and non-destructive to the environment chemical. So, simply put, it’s environmentally friendly.

But, why is that? After all, Deet is a chemical. Are we hiding something? 

No, we are not. Once deet is exposed to sunlight or the air, it takes a few hours for it to disintegrate. This is why you need to reapply an insect repellent with deet, or a deet mosquito spray often. Because it loses its effectiveness over some time, since it is broken down when it gets exposed to the air in sunlight.

But, what about the water? While washing clothes which have deet on them, or taking a shower after applying deet, might lead the deet to the water or the sewage systems, deet molecules break down naturally on water after a few hours.

So, deet still remains one of the most environmentally friendly options when it comes to insect repellents.

Deet’s Effect on Certain Surfaces

Even though Deet is considered the holy grail of active ingredients in insect repellents, make sure that it doesn’t end up in certain surfaces. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of different surfaces and materials that shouldn’t come in contact with Deet. Some examples of these are:

• Plastics
• Spandex
• Rayon
• Synthetic fabrics
• Painted surfaces
• Varnished surfaces
• Acetate clothing
• Dynel clothing

So, we would highly suggest that you make sure that you don’t wear such clothing when you apply deet on your skin. And, obviously, don’t let deet products touch any of the aforementioned surfaces.

Consult with Pest Guide About Using Deet Products

We have already mentioned some of the risks that Deet can have for different people and on different surfaces. But you can never be sure, right? How will you be able to know if an insect repellent that has deet is the right one for you, and is 100% for you to use?

Well, you can take a look on our website, where you will find tons of different articles about all kinds of different insect repellents. This way, you will find lots of information on some of the most famous insect repellents, and you will also find out about lesser known repellents that have deet as an active ingredient.

If you still can’t find the best repellent for you, you can always contact us, and we will happily help you. This way, you will find out what the best product is for you and your whole family.