How to Use Dryer Sheets to Help Repel Pesky Mosquitos

As the spring and summer sun arrives, it’s easy to dream of the fun you’ll have in your yard, from the barbecues and the cookouts to the cozy cocktail parties on the patio. But where there’s warmth, one very unpleasant and uninvited guest often swarms: mosquitos. 

Mosquitos have the innate ability to take a beautiful summer evening and turn it into an itchy, red nightmare. There are bug zappers and bug repellents, which work great, but over the years, we’ve collected our fair share of natural remedies to keep the bloodsuckers at bay.

Some include growing citronella plants, creating your own mosquito traps with yeast, dry ice, or buckets, and adding mosquito-repelling plants into your garden.

Lately, a laundry staple has been knocking on our doors—do dryer sheets really repel mosquitos? The answer is yes, to some extent. 

Why Dryer Sheets Could Work

Dryer sheets that have certain chemicals, like linalool and beta-citronellol (often the ones with strong lavender or linalool fragrances) which are pretty effective at keeping mosquitos at bay. They likely won’t be as effective as traditional mosquito repellents containing DEET, but they offer a convenient alternative.

How to Use Dryer Sheets to Keep Mosquitos Away

Using dryer sheets as a mosquito repellent is pretty easy, and there are loads of ways to incorporate them. Here are three of our favorite, most practical methods:

Wear Them

Probably the easiest way to use dryer sheets as mosquito repellent is to wear them. Tuck them into the collar of your shirt or the waist of your jeans, put one in your pocket, or slide one through your shoe laces. 

Rub Dryer Sheets Directly on Your Skin

You can use a dryer sheet like you might use a bug spray by rubbing dryer sheets on exposed areas of your skin. It won’t be super long-lasting, so you’ll need to redo it every once in a while, but it’s useful for a short amount of time.

As with anything you put on your skin, though, try it on a small area first to test it out.

Layer Dryer Sheets Around Your Space

If you’re looking for a way to keep mosquitos away but don’t want to smell like a freshly washed load of laundry yourself, you can tuck dryer sheets into the cushions of your patio furniture, under tablecloths and plants, or use them as coasters. Not only will it smell lovely, but the scent should help deter mosquitos.

Add Dryer Sheets to Your Picnic Basket

Next time you head out to the park for a picnic, toss a dryer sheet or two in your basket and place them around your food and drink when you lay it out on the blanket. 

While dryer sheets might not be the most effective way to keep mosquitos out of your space, they are incredibly convenient, they smell nice, and they certainly can’t hurt.

Other Effective Mosquito Repellents

For other natural mosquito repellents, try planting specific plants and herbs, lighting a citronella candle, adding a fan to your outdoor space, spraying your space with a mixture of water and essential oils like citronella, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil, or creating a garlic-based spray. Or, try a combination of them all to see what works best for you.