# Insect repellent melts foam rubber and plastic. Yikes!



## lydanynom (May 26, 2010)

This is just a cautionary tale, I guess. I would certainly not have suspected that I needed to be all that careful about mossie repellent overspray, but we live and learn.

I picked up this "100% DEET" insect repellent the other day.










I recently used some, applying it standing in the cockpit of the boat. Some got on the closed-cell foam strip sealing my screened drop board and some got on my plastimo compass. The foam turned into goo and the compass globe is now clouded. The surface has a million little melted spots where the spray misted down on it.

The wikipedia page about DEET mentions, "DEET is an effective solvent, and may dissolve some plastics, rayon, spandex, other synthetic fabrics, leather, and painted or varnished surfaces including nailpolish." I rarely use repellent and had no idea.

I'm really bummed about the compass, it was virtually brand new. I guess I will try some toothpaste or one of the plastic polishes on it to see if I can polish away the damage. *sigh*

So there you are, be careful with this stuff.


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## donradclife (May 19, 2007)

That's the really good stuff, that 100% deet--imagine what it does to your skin. We usually dilute it 3:1 with Avon Skin so Soft, but when you're in the jungle, you need the heavy duty stuff.


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## mmazour (May 23, 2000)

*Meguiar's Headlight and Clear Plastic Restoration Kit*

You might want to contact the compass globe manufacturer and ask them if Meguiar's Headlight and Clear Plastic Restoration Kit might help fix the damage.

Meguiar's Direct Headlight Restoration Kit


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## lydanynom (May 26, 2010)

mmazour said:


> You might want to contact the compass globe manufacturer and ask them if Meguiar's Headlight and Clear Plastic Restoration Kit might help fix the damage.
> 
> Meguiar's Direct Headlight Restoration Kit


I have a bottle of plastx around somewhere that I used on my motorcycle windshield, I was just going to try that. Can't really do any harm, it's a very fine and mild abrasive. I don't think that there is a coating on the globe, and if there is it is already ruined, so I think the worst thing that can happen is that the abrasive is too mild to cut away the damage.


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## tomwatt (Dec 11, 2009)

Oh yeah, DEET does a number on plastic. Lost an altimeter that way. I'd be concerned about getting it on gelcoat, epoxy, or anything else that isn't steel or stone.
Just imagine what it does to your liver!


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## DwayneSpeer (Oct 12, 2003)

lydanynom said:


> This is just a cautionary tale, I guess. I would certainly not have suspected that I needed to be all that careful about mossie repellent overspray, but we live and learn.
> 
> I'm really bummed about the compass, it was virtually brand new. I guess I will try some toothpaste or one of the plastic polishes on it to see if I can polish away the damage. *sigh*
> 
> So there you are, be careful with this stuff.


Go to your local Novus Store. They have an excellent three grade plastic polish that should do the trick. The three grades are course, medium and fine and are used in succession to achieve an excellent polish.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

It also eats Gore Tex, ruins dodger windows and just about anything acrylic or polycarbonate such as gps screens, instruments, sun glasses and yes, compass globes.

We have a rule that NO sprays of eitherbug dope or sun block are allowed on the boat. If you use bug dope you then must wash your hands.

We avoid it at all costs...


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## roline (Apr 7, 2000)

I learned that it will also eat the finish off of a bow. I was only 17 up in Canada where everything that flies bites and the only area that was free for a meal was around my hand, palm where I could not put the repellent. I believe the finish on the bow was a form of varnish... Over sprayed on my fish finder, used 1200 wet to remove the bumps and flitz to polish. At least I could see through it.


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## carl762 (Jan 11, 2010)

I'm sure glad I read this thread. I'm keeping the DEET far far away from my boat. 

But, what to replace it with?


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## lydanynom (May 26, 2010)

carl762 said:


> But, what to replace it with?


Looks like Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus or Icaridin-based products are both good bets.


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## tomwatt (Dec 11, 2009)

carl762 said:


> I'm sure glad I read this thread. I'm keeping the DEET far far away from my boat.
> 
> But, what to replace it with?


Get a few dozen geckos and let them roam the boat... they chase down and eat bugs. Plus they walk on the overhead areas - very entertaining.

OK. That's probably not really good advice.
I've tried several "natural" repellents with so-so success. Green Ban was highly touted several years ago, but midges didn't seem to notice it at all and continued to eat away at me. Mostly I've given up on repellents and just cover up and go in.


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## dreuge (Sep 18, 2009)

lydanynom said:


> I guess I will try some toothpaste or one of the plastic polishes on it to see if I can polish away the damage. *sigh*
> 
> So there you are, be careful with this stuff.


I polish plastics quit often. I have found "semichrome" polishing paste to be the best. You can buy it online or at some auto supply stores. In the past, I used Noxon brass polish too. If the plastic is deeply damage, you might try polishing paper first. I usually start with "0" then "00" working up to "0000", then follow up with semichrome.


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## carl762 (Jan 11, 2010)

> OK. That's probably not really good advice.
> I've tried several "natural" repellents with so-so success. Green Ban was highly touted several years ago, but midges didn't seem to notice it at all and continued to eat away at me. Mostly I've given up on repellents and just cover up and go in.


Hmmm, exact reason why I've been using DEET all these years of car camping and kayaking. The stuff really works. Spent way too much money on useless crap that doesn't work.

Suppose we could just spray up off the boat, then get on.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

DEET is famous for that. Usually there's a warning buried in the small print on the back of the label. If there isn't--complain to Coleman about that. You never know, sometimes a company does the right thing.

And then sometimes, even reading glasses aren't enough to read the tiny smears.


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## Nautichthys (May 2, 2010)

A friend of mine was in a field camp in Nunavut years ago, the sort of place you either bathe in DEET or go insane. He saw another technician casually lean on the nose bubble while talking to the helicopter pilot and leave an imprint of his hand in it when he pulled away.

Bad day.


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