Mosquitos seem worse this year. Everyone in our house is getting bitten like crazy, and the wet spring and summer mean that the swampy areas around us haven’t dried out at all, extending their use as mosquito breeding grounds.

Two things are helping us get through it:

OFF! Fragrance Free Clean Feel

It works, has no smell, and dries quickly. No greasy feel. Repels ticks and mosquitos. Forget those patches that do nothing but make you smell like citronella and end up stuck to the inside of your dryer because you forgot to peel them off.

Benadryl Itch Relief Gel

This stuff works better for me than the various itch relief sticks and hydrocortisone creams we’ve tried.

Shoe dryer

We stayed at an AirB&B in the Catskills that had a boot dryer back in February, and decided we must have one. Essential gear for people who spend lots of time outdoors.

We use ours all the time. No more worrying if Charlie’s wet shoes will air dry overnight. We toss them on here, turn it on, and they are dry in a few hours. Useful for my wading boots, too.

I don’t have strong opinions on brands for these, since I’ve only ever used two. Having any shoe dryer is better than not having one.