Safety & materials
Two of the six Insectaway products contain no active chemical at all — the ultrasonic repeller and the UV trap are electrical devices — and the other four are formulated or constrained for a specific use. The heat pen reaches 45 to 50 °C and is for intact skin on children aged three and over. The coils burn and produce smoke, so they are outdoor-only. The spray is 20% picaridin, not DEET, and is not for children under two. This page lists every constraint we know about, including the ones that make a product less convenient to sell.
Less chemistry, more barrier.
The safest insect control is the one you do not have to breathe. That is why the core of this range is physical: a signal in the room, a wavelength in a cage, a patch on a screen.
Where a formulation is unavoidable — on skin, on a patio — we choose the option with the better safety profile rather than the cheaper one. Picaridin instead of DEET. A plant-derived binder instead of a paraffin filler in the coils.
The constraints, in plain terms.
| Plug-in repeller | No chemical output. Ultrasonic and low-frequency only. Keep out of reach of infants; do not cover the unit while running. |
|---|---|
| UV trap | No high-voltage grid: capture is by fan onto an adhesive board. Unplug before changing the board. Indoor use only. |
| Repellent coils | Produces smoke. Outdoor or well-ventilated areas only. Keep away from children, pets and anything flammable. |
| Bite relief pen | Contact plate reaches 45–50 °C depending on level. Adults and children 3+ under supervision. Never on broken skin, rashes or near the eyes. |
| Screen repair tape | Adhesive patch, no fumes. Keep the roll away from very young children — it is not a toy and the edge can be sharp. |
| Repellent spray | 20% picaridin. Suitable from 2 years, applied by an adult. Avoid hands, eyes and mouth; wash after use. |
Households with pets and young children
- Start with the repeller and the tape. Neither puts anything into the air, so there is nothing to ventilate and nothing for a toddler to reach if the unit is above floor level.
- Keep coils outdoors and downwind. Smoke is the point of a coil and also the reason it does not belong in a room.
- Watch the animal, not the label. Ultrasonic tolerance varies between individual cats and dogs. If a pet avoids a room after installation, move the unit and see whether the behaviour stops.
- Apply spray to your hands first. Never spray a child directly, and never let a child apply it themselves.