Hi, I’m Ben!
I'm a proud father to my beautiful daughter, and work as an exterminator here in southern Wisconsin. Each year I test and rank top household repellents. Enjoy!
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I'm a proud father to my beautiful daughter, and work as an exterminator here in southern Wisconsin. Each year I test and rank top household repellents. Enjoy!
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Testing line-up
This year had a pretty solid #1 as you'll see below. I haven't seen these in the past to test so assuming they are new this year - seriously, incredible.
Getting the right product that worked at a consistent rate proved to be difficult as many of the products had little to no effect. Having a child and pets at home, safety quickly become important in my rankings. To be honest, it's extremely challenging and overwhelming in such an urgent time where you just want them gone. Most of these products take time to really see results making the testing a drawn out process.
This in-depth guide can be used to take my learnings and apply them. Yes, this is more than the average homeowner is willing to go through, but with my background, I had fun with it! I also created this comparison chart that summarizes all of my research. I update this post whenever there's a new product to test to ensure that all of the information below is recent and accurate.
My key components and checklist ((Quality + Effectiveness + Cost + Safety + Smell) / 5).
Methodical testing using my test criteria and ranking formula.
I also needed to test the effectiveness of each repellent to see if it worked for removing mosquitoes. Finding the right test environment was the hardest part - here’s how I did it:
Test space: Basement (This was one of the three controlled test area's)
One of the main things I wanted to figure out is what style of repellent worked best. Throughout the process there were general themes that formed with similar outcomes depending on what style repellent it was. There's a few things I prioritized in this research:
To make a good decision and ensure I was doing what was best for my home, I used my research to create an extensive pro's and con's list for each type of repellent. Shares below:
I started with a bunch of overall research from websites, blogs, and large retailers (a few tested products not pictured).
Noticed results in the first week - It was relatively immediate results having tested these under the deck. We went from being swarmed to being able to enjoy spending time in our backyard.
Safety - After researching for days, the traps were the easiest to use, and 100% child and pet friendly. There is a little thought that needs to go into where you place these, but it's quite simple and once they are set up filling and refilling them is really easy.
Smell - This one is often overlooked, but important. Traps devices had no smell. I had mixed feelings between other solutions, some overwhelming, some bad, and one smelling like an air freshener. I like that the traps did not have any smell.
Less Expensive - The cost is extremely reasonable when you think about how much some of these products are. Pest control I was quoted over $2,100 including an ongoing fee. I'll focus on per unit cost in relation to overall coverage vs total cost as the volume was different on each one.
The breeding cycle is stopped - These are not only made to trap and kill living mosquitoes, but to stop the breeding cycle. This makes it a great solution that yields long-term results.
Snapshot once most of the products arrived for testing.
Out of stock issues - During peak seasons I've struggled to get my hands on more for friends, family, and clients. What I've found to work best is to stock up when available to avoid this. I'm sure this will improve over time, but something to watch out for.
Won't Kill Bees - While these work great on mosquitoes, they won't kill bees or other flying insects. For those with a garden, that may be a positive!
Replacement/Refill - While these are made well, and all of mine are still working, including the one in my toolshed that is exposed to hot summers and cold winters, it may add small cost if these eventually need to be replaced.
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The "even more robust" testing framework
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⭐ Overall Rating ️
My ABSOLUTE favorite this year! The MosquitoRX trap checked all of the boxes luckily making it a pretty easy #1 choice. To my knowledge, it's new this year. It completely cleared the backyard in the test phase, which was my main goal. It's also the safest and easiest to use, and quite affordable too.
❤️ What I love ️
A lot of the repellents I tried seem to have little to no effect. I remember mosquitoes landing on my hand while I was literally holding onto the pouches I tested. Not the case here. 1 week after setting these up, both the creek and under the deck were places I could spend time without being swarmed by mosquitoes.
Test Area: Near the Deck
🙈 What could be better
I've been using these for a while now, and coming up on peak season of 2025, this sounds minor, but is annoying that they run out of stock. Originally I only ordered 3 to test them out and when I later returned to purchase more they were temporarily out of stock, but just something to keep an eye out as they seem to have problems keeping up with demand. The other thing is usage outside. While not a concern for me, you may be stuck with getting a different solution for that.
📄 Description
"Stop mosquitoes from ruining your summer. Simply hang, fill with water, and voila, mosquito trap! A hassle-free mosquito control for any yard."
☁️ Quality & Packaging
The packaging was simple and clean, and the trap itself seemed to be high quality as well. I was actually surprised how well put together this felt.
📊 Multiple Options:
Depending on the size space you have or are going to be using these for, they had multiple quantities to purchase, and price discounts for ordering more.
📏 Instruction for use:
Very easy to follow instructions and usage recommendations. They also go over a lot more of the benefits and research they have done on their end. Pretty cool to see it live in action.
⭐ Overall Rating
These repellent pouches are a decent alternative, however, I found that needing more, not being as child and pet friendly, and having to replace every 30 days were some minor inconveniences that has me preferring the trap device. While effectiveness varied by brand, I do think these can see similar results to our top pick, and I may even test them more in the future. All natural ingredients make for a huge bonus as well.
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Testing in the kitchen.
❤️ What I love
While Easy to use, these did not seem as effective as the MosquitoRX in terms of results as in the time I spent testing them. The overall quality and design seems to be solid. I would recommend using this as a replacement if out of stock issues are causing problems.
🙈 What could be better
Not a ton of advantage of going this route in my opinion. Based on the testing and results I mapped, there's other packet / pouch options to help solve your mosquito problems.
⭐ Overall Rating
Another option if you're having trouble finding sprays or dealing with out-of-stock repellents. I didn’t have the best luck with OFF personally, but it may work better for others. The formula is solid and feels similar to other DEET-based sprays—very comparable to standard options on the market.
❤️ What I like
Clean design and recognizable packaging. It’s easy to use and widely available. The spray format is convenient, and it’s a trusted brand that many people rely on.
🙈 What could be better
It doesn’t use natural ingredients, which may be a concern for those avoiding chemicals like DEET. Also, it doesn’t clearly mention being safe for kids or pets, which made me cautious for my household.
⭐ Overall Rating
Quality tablets that may just need to be spread out closer together to which would probably leave better results. I do think these can see similar results to our top pick, and I may even test them more in the future. All natural ingredients make for a huge bonus as well.
❤️ What I love
Similar thoughts as other pouches, but not as effective in terms of results as MosquitoRX. The overall quality and design seems to be solid. I would recommend using this as a replacement if out of stock issues are causing problems. Price is also very cheap per unit.
🙈 What could be better
Not a ton of advantage of going this route in my opinion. You need to use a lot more of them, and they are messy. Based on the testing and results I mapped, there's other packet / pouch options to help solve your mosquito problems.
⭐ Overall Rating
A possible backup if you’re having trouble with traps or other repellents being out of stock. I didn’t get great results personally—the build quality felt a bit cheap, and mosquito activity barely changed. There was also a noticeable humming sound.
❤️ What I love ️
It’s super easy to use and is designed to work similarly to other zapping devices. I loved the concept and the look, but for some reason (maybe mine was faulty), it just didn’t do the job as well as to MosquitoRX. I still think there's potential here if they improve the design and effectiveness.
🙈 What could be better
It can be loud and a bit bulky. Unlike plug-in units that stay out of the way, this one needs batteries and has to be placed near humans to work best—not ideal. The design also feels a little clunky for my liking.
Considering all of my important factors for repellents (listed above), I created this comparison chart. Everything here can be found on Amazon or the respective products website.
To recap, I guess I was expecting a little better results across the board vs just a couple of products working. The main area I wanted to focus on was actually solving my mosquito problem. After that it was safety for my pets and kid along with the smell. For the reasons above, MosquitoRX outperformed in terms of easy and repelling than the other options above... a lot better. Obviously this is one use-case, so do with this information as you please.
I was able to place the devices in areas that I needed to without being worried about my dog or kids playing with it (like the pouches). The core areas for this were the creek and under our deck, both locations ended up with no mosquitoes. It's been months since I've been swarmed by mosquitoes, and I'm even going outside in t-shirts nowadays (previously you wouldn't catch me outside without a long-sleeve). I will continue to use the MosquitoRX through the season. As we head into warmer temperatures, I'll keep testing and update here if anything else is discovered.
I also enjoy seeing what other products come to market, so check back to see if this changes. If you know of a product not tested here that's worked for you, reach out to let me know!
Being a homeowner is fun, but I know the feeling all too well the first time you find out you have unwanted visitors. Good luck to you, I hope I was able to help!
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