thermacell refill pads
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How to Make Your Own Thermacell Refill Pads to Stay Bug-Free for (Almost) Free

Bug repellent is an amazing thing, and once you know how to make your own Thermacell refill pads, you'll be even better prepared for this spring.

Thermacell makes a great product; we almost wouldn't step into the spring turkey woods without one. Not only do they help keep you mosquito and tick free, but by doing that, they help you stay focused on your hunt and not busy swatting at bugs all day.

Unfortunately, the downside of a Thermacell is that once you use the pad of repellent, it's essentially trash... unless you know how to make your own Thermacell refill pads.

thermacell refill pads

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Making your own refill pads is really easy, if you know the proper ingredients. Prepare yourself to be bug-free on the cheap!

What You'll Need:

  • Thermacell repellent mats
  • Permethrin 10% (Such as Martin's from Amazon)
  • Water
  • Mixing cup
  • Syringe
  • Old dropper bottle
  • Blue food coloring (optional)
  • Safety gloves

The Process:

Using the syringe and the mixing cup, you'll need to mix the Permethrin with the water, keeping the ratio at one part Permethrin to six parts water. The overall quantity is up to you, but keeping the ratio 1:6 of Permeation: water is the important part.

After you have the two combined and well mixed, you can add a couple of drops of blue food coloring. This step is not mandatory, but if you add the drops to the used up white pads, it will help to make them blue again so you know when they're still good and when the repellent has been burned off.

Using the syringe, add the entire solution to your dropper bottle. Something like an eye-drop bottle works great and allows you to store the solution until you are ready to use it.

Shortly before you are ready to use your Thermacell, take out your dropper and your used repellent pad and simply drop 6-9 drops on the pad before inserting it into your Thermacell. Once the blue burns off and the pad is white again, it's ready for a few more drops and another cheap and easy refill.

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