Mosquito coils are effective at keeping mosquitoes away outdoors - and they should only be used outdoors (even in sheltered areas such as the patio, care should be taken). Indoors, you should use mosquito repellent scented sticks instead.
Mosquito coils work by releasing toxins and fragrances that mosquitoes don't like over a long period of time. In addition, they also emit smoke, which confuses the mosquitoes and keeps them at a distance.
However, if you are prone to mosquito bites, you should not rely on IUDs alone as they will not provide sufficient protection. In these cases, you should instead use a mosquito repellent in combination with the coils.
Recommended mosquito coils
We recommend Sommer Incense brand mosquito coils, as we know from experience that they are the most effective. You can also buy a decorative "garden pig" specially made for the coils.
We recommend the mosquito coils above because they work as intended and have a relatively low price
Why can't IUDs be used indoors?
Although burning a mosquito coil indoors provides highly effective protection against mosquitoes, it is also harmful to our health.
Specifically, there are some harmful substances in IUD smoke that can be hazardous to your health. In a survey from 2003 it was found that burning one mosquito coil was equivalent to burning 75-137 cigarettes. Therefore, mosquito coils should only be used outdoors. In sheltered areas such as terraces, under canopies, etc. care should be taken when using the coils.
The toxins from IUDs find their way into the body via the respiratory tract. Whether or not to use IUDs should therefore be decided based on an assessment of how closed the conditions are.
In Asian, African and South American countries where the mosquito problem is very high - and where mosquitoes can also transmit deadly diseases - it is very common to use mosquito coils indoors. However, this is by no means necessary in Denmark.
Alternatives to mosquito coils
There are a number of alternatives to mosquito coils:
- Fragrance sticks: If you want to keep mosquitoes away indoors, you can use special mosquito repellent scented sticks rather than mosquito coils.
- Mosquito lightAlthough mosquito candles are not as effective as mosquito coils, they are a great alternative. Most mosquito repellents are based on essential oils. You can read more about mosquito lights here.
- Mosquito killersMosquito killers are usually expensive, but many are also very effective - especially those powered by gas. Read more about mosquito killers here.
- Mosquito repellentsMosquito repellents come in many forms and their effectiveness varies greatly. However, most are ineffective or completely ineffective and therefore a waste of money. Read more about mosquito repellents here.
- Mosquito trapsThere are a number of different mosquito traps on the Danish market, but what most of them have in common is that they don't work. Some traps even attract more mosquitoes without effectively killing them, which only exacerbates the problem. Read more about mosquito traps here.
Remember that mosquito repellents such as mosquito spray is the absolute best way to avoid mosquitoes and mosquito bites.