Soaking Clothes In Permethrin

I am goin to fly to Johannesburg and the hunt in Limpopo with my brother in a couple of days.

I just soaked my hunting clothes in permethrin 0.5% home made solution and waiting for them to dry. Are there any safety concerns regarding permethrin? Thanks for any advice

Sjakon

Unless you drink some of it, I doubt much danger. Seriously, I would rather have a tiny risk with permethrin than a much bigger one with tick bite fever! I have been eaten alive by ticks in Africa and how I didn't get tick bite fever I don't know- just really lucky!

Thank you. That’s a relief.

Wear underwear for sure.

I dont know if it was because of the mix I used or just a little sensitive, but I broke out with a slight rash on my arms and legs the first day. After 2 washings and putting on long john's and long sleeve t shirt my rash and itching cleared up after a couple of days.

Either a rash from permethrin or I from a patch of African poison ivy.

It was a 25% perm/75% water,(in a 20 ounce spray bottle) and wetted--not dampened my clothes and boots.

I will be soaking my clothes even better this coming trip. I treated all my clothes except socks last year. I had one of the bad ones go up my pants leg and attach itself. I came down with tick fever after I arrived back home. I never want to go thru that again! Picture of what my leg looked like 6 days after tick was removed!

Ooh No. I will make up some more solution for my socks

I gave my socks, pants (especially the leg cuffs and waist) and shirts (especially cuffs & collar) a good spray with Sawyers before my trip last year. Let them hang outside to air dry for a few minutes, then packed them in sealable plastic bags. Wore 'em every day, without baselayers, and had no bugs nor issues.

Since I started using the permethrin a few years ago, the number of ticks and bugs in spring/summer/fall hunting and fishing have gone to nearly none. Great stuff.

Thank your advice Tbitty

Another option is to go where there are no ticks. I have never seen one in Namibia or Mozambique.

You may laugh at this, BUT it works!!
I take normal dog shampoo ( anti tick and flea type) and shower with it.. Especially when getting back from the bush... Gets into all those hard to get to nooks and crannies!!

I spray my hunting clothes with a spray containing permethrine...never on bare skin….has worked for me thus far..

Problem with any pesticides are the accumulated affects over a extended period of time. It will be absorbed through your skin and although you will urinate out a good deal of what you absorbed, some will settle in the body. Now for a once in a year African trip you probably could go on and live to be 200 years old, but for everyday use you will eventually reach the LD and either get extremely ill or just die, but I am positive it won't be due to a tick bite.

Use to wash my clothes in the stuff when in the Solomon's, not ticks but mozzies, the malaria kind were the biggest worry. When going to tick areas now I use the spray on clothing stuff, they are not drenched in it. Has worked so far

Ridge Runner said:

I dont know if it was because of the mix I used or just a little sensitive, but I broke out with a slight rash on my arms and legs the first day. After 2 washings and putting on long john's and long sleeve t shirt my rash and itching cleared up after a couple of days.

Either a rash from permethrin or I from a patch of African poison ivy.

It was a 25% perm/75% water,(in a 20 ounce spray bottle) and wetted--not dampened my clothes and boots.

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Guess I should have elaborated a bit more:

I wore long sleeve shirts and long pants tucked into my below the knee snake boots, and briefs, no t-shirt, and knee high snake boot socks.

The clothing previously sprayed, dried and packed for the trip was worn next to my skin, the first two days of my trip at the lodge.

The weather turned cold, thus the wearing of the long sleeve t-shirt and long johns, which became a barrier between the permethrin treated clothing and my skin.

Since joining AH and learning about permethrin, I use it whenever I decide to venture out into the woods or go bank fishing.

The percentages (guesstimations) are a little off: it's more like ...a.little over/ between 2 to 3 fingers of permethrin, around 4 or so fingers of water, and around 2 fingers of air from between the bottom threads of the spray cap and liquid. Shake and spray. When the mixture gets low in the bottle (about a finger or so from being empty): make more; (eventually/maybe/perhaps ending with a 50/50 mix): repeat until clothing is saturated, but not dripping wet, let dry....about 4 to 6 hours in 80 +/- degree heat.

The temporary rash (irritation) looked like I had a heat rash or a minor case of poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac: Itchy, bumpy, reddish skin.

Ridge Runner said:

I dont know if it was because of the mix I used or just a little sensitive, but I broke out with a slight rash on my arms and legs the first day. After 2 washings and putting on long john's and long sleeve t shirt my rash and itching cleared up after a couple of days.

Either a rash from permethrin or I from a patch of African poison ivy.

It was a 25% perm/75% water,(in a 20 ounce spray bottle) and wetted--not dampened my clothes and boots.

Click to expand...

Everything I know about permethrin says you should dilute it down to 1%. Definitely not 25%. That is probable why you got a rash. Thus if you buy the 10% bottle of permethrin you need to put one part solution and ten parts water. There are some bottles like I have that are 33% permethrin. I put two bottle caps of solution and fill up the rest with water. This is a spray bottle. Be careful of the stuff. A very little goes a long way.

Ridge Runner said:

I dont know if it was because of the mix I used or just a little sensitive, but I broke out with a slight rash on my arms and legs the first day. After 2 washings and putting on long john's and long sleeve t shirt my rash and itching cleared up after a couple of days.

Either a rash from permethrin or I from a patch of African poison ivy.

It was a 25% perm/75% water,(in a 20 ounce spray bottle) and wetted--not dampened my clothes and boots.

Click to expand...

Yikes!

I bet that would give a rash! You are supposed to use .5% solution! You used 50x what you're supposed to ! No bueno.....

Sjakon said:

I just soaked my hunting clothes in permethrin 0.5% home made solution and waiting for them to dry. Are there any safety concerns regarding permethrin? Thanks for any advice

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Just use as directed. The % is correct. Make sure you don't touch the clothes until dry. I mix my own solution Inna bucket and literally soak my clothes in the bucket. I always wear rubber gloves while handling.

And if you make your own solution do some research on what kind of concentrate to use. Their are many recommendations against any with petroleum distillates. Some say it is ok. Do the research then take your chances.

I'd also try the clothes on before the trip and wear them for a day to make sure you don't have any reaction. It would be terrible to get to Africa and find out that you get such a bad rash that you can't wear any of your clothes.

My last trip I sprayed (soaked) my shoes and socks and gaitors—wore shorts every day. Sprayed calves daily with bug spray. No problems and no bites!!

I went to Moz and soaked EVERYTHING in it and wore them for a week there and a week in RSA afterwards with no ill effects. Tractor Supply has it in stock.

Edit: NO, I didn't wear the same clothes for two weeks. They went through the standard camp washing machine protocol.

Ridge Runner said:

It was a 25% perm/75% water,(in a 20 ounce spray bottle) and wetted--not dampened my clothes and boots.

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I think that is a very strong solution.