Anti-mosquito coils: if you wet them, they are more effective - we'll explain why
Every summer day has its pros and cons: we love being outdoors, with the sun and the bright colors of the season, but we also have to deal with mosquitoes. And to deal with this pest, we use a host of products and measures.
Anti-mosquito smoke spirals are one of these products. Also known as coils, they are made of compressed powders generally obtained from pyrethrum and often soaked in oil essences which repel mosquitoes. The smoke produced by the coils keeps mosquitoes and other insects away and makes them indispensable in the fight. But there is also a way to make them even more effective: by wetting them.
Why is wetting mosquito coils effective? You might think that it is a method to get them to burn even more slowly, or perhaps a way to produce even more smoke. And, to a certain extent, this is true (especially if the coils are just a little damp).
In reality, however, this tip takes another approach.
Soak a coil set (usually two) under running water. As soon as the coils are soaked, get a small bowl: now break up the coils into segments of a few centimeters in length. At that point, add a glass of alcohol (70% is fine) and a little water. In this way, you can use the smell of the coil as an additional repellent around the home, where perhaps the smoke would be a nuisance.
You could also add a few drops of an essential oil with perfumes that are pleasant to us but unpleasant to insects (citronella is one of many, for example), and thus make the remedy even more effective.
And this tip is also a great way to use up all those unburned, broken pieces of coils that tend to accumulate (and get thrown out) during the summer!
