Submitted by diavolo_bossu t3_10nzuo1 in LifeProTips
Stops them from itching. Easy
Comments
Oudeis16 t1_j6d2oko wrote
Be careful about this one, in all seriousness. You only need to warm the spoon for a moment. It only takes seconds for a spoon held in a lighter to get hot enough to actually burn you.
chubbybronco t1_j6dbb95 wrote
Thanks you saved my dumbass from burning myself.
Oudeis16 t1_j6devqk wrote
Well the hard-won wisdom came from not being smart enough to avoid burning my own dumb ass.
chubbybronco t1_j6dqq2z wrote
Haha your sacrifice is appreciated
[deleted] t1_j6e3tlc wrote
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drumsripdrummer t1_j6e4zg5 wrote
When you have a stroke and die mid comment
Oudeis16 t1_j6e6675 wrote
With his last gasping breath he hits 'send', his one regret that he doesn't have the time to type out "last post"
bigloser42 t1_j6dkcgw wrote
Running the spoon under hot water from the tap will get it right just about every time. The goal is to get the mosquito bite to 125°F.
Oudeis16 t1_j6dl19t wrote
Yeah that's better than using a lighter, in my opinion, but I didn't wanna just come here and say "don't do that thing."
abnortality t1_j6ctzy8 wrote
Will it help you find friends? Asking for a friend.
TurtleRegress t1_j6czcwx wrote
Maybe, but probably not the kind you're looking for... Unless they are the kinds of friends you're looking for...
But you have to carry around the spoon all the time. In your hands. And show people.
bigloser42 t1_j6dk7g9 wrote
It works a lot better to run the spoon under your taps hot water.
SapperBomb t1_j6drdhb wrote
I was gonna say what happens if you already have a scorched spoon already lying around
some-key t1_j6h0ojd wrote
They're still easy to clean while warm, you just wipe both sides clean. If they cool down, you need to scrub.
I imagine that only repeated use with no cleaning would permanently tarnish them.
Dandibear t1_j6bzkgp wrote
Unless you're allergic, in which case you try and try and try all of these things, always wondering why your friends think you're a wimp for hating mosquito bites so much, but they give you welts for days and you're sick of it, man!
Then this won't work for you.
anamethatstaken1 t1_j6c8jg7 wrote
Is it not normal for mosquito bites to swell up like a golf ball for a week and itch like crazy??
GalFisk t1_j6cbdci wrote
You're allergic.
My bonus daughter used to play soccer, and she'd take allergy medicine beforehand to stave off such consequences from the inevitable mosquito bites.
mikewentworth t1_j6cmi5q wrote
Wait - what? That worked? Like, I could go camping with mosquitos and take allergy medicine and the bug bites might not swell up?
GalFisk t1_j6cph72 wrote
They would still swell up, but not to abnormal size.
mikewentworth t1_j6d5vm3 wrote
Life changing - can't wait to put this in use next time I'm outside with those little critters! Thanks!
GalFisk t1_j6fga7w wrote
Hope it works for you.
I don't go onto the wilderness much, so I rarely get bitten nowadays. The highest risk is at the air field where I skydive, but DEET roll-on or stick work great.
SnooRegrets5042 t1_j6cxwon wrote
What’s a bonus-daughter?
GalFisk t1_j6czt2z wrote
A cute Nordic word for a stepdaughter. With all the European folk tales about mean stepmothers (mostly), the step- prefix has a slight negative connotation here. Bonus- is much more positive and better reflects our feelings.
ElJamoquio t1_j6fuqu9 wrote
Love it.
Noswellin t1_j6czw8q wrote
A spouses birth child. Step child.
anamethatstaken1 t1_j6cg8pc wrote
TIL...
skankyone t1_j6hgtjz wrote
Do they hand out bonus kids where you live? What's the bonus for?
JohnC53 t1_j6divfh wrote
Not normal. Not uncommon though either. Mosquitoes can bite me all they want and my skin doesn't react one bit. I'm lucky.
Her_Nerdship t1_j6fd56s wrote
Happen to me, on my ankle. It was aweful
some-key t1_j6cclow wrote
I'm allergic, and it's cumulative. The more bites I have, the worse the swellings. And to make it worse, in a group of people, I'll always get the most bites 😖
I've found nothing that makes it totally go away, but using heat as soon as I notice the bite helps a lot.
TheCrowsSoundNice t1_j6cs2j1 wrote
Stop wearing so much perfume. And eat some garlic before spending time outside. They are targeting you because of how you smell inside and out.
some-key t1_j6h0a3i wrote
Perfume I know about and don't wear it when going to nature. Actually I barely wear any in my daily life.
I did not know garlic could be useful like this, thanks! I will give it a shot. I normally eat it, but for sure not before most nature outings.
nitsual912 t1_j6cyqcs wrote
Yeah, I didn’t realize this was not everyone’s reaction until I was well into adulthood. I can literally not touch one at all, and before I know it, it looks like I scratched it til it bled…but I didn’t. (Welt with an opening in the middle, that scabs over) Growing up my parents always just accused me of scratching them too much and that I just needed to resist. Well, I tried that, and my skin still reacted that way. Very unfair.
Medical_Shmedical t1_j6d6ft9 wrote
I'm allergic and often have to resort to taking antihistamines because it gets unbearable (especially if I have many bites, as someone else commented it seems to be cumulative somehow). But using hot water really helps relieve the itching, at least temporarily. I do it loads and it's a blessing.
So even if you're allergic I would suggest to try it, it could still help!
Prestigious-Step-213 t1_j6cygg6 wrote
Who is allergic to spoons? How do they eat cereal?
wildadragon t1_j6bvix8 wrote
You heat up a spoon with hot water then hold it against the bite.
diavolo_bossu OP t1_j6bvkyt wrote
I usually do it in the shower
pm_me_flaccid_cocks t1_j6bwgfz wrote
We're still talking about neutralizing the itch of mosquito bites with hot water, right?
ElJamoquio t1_j6futjl wrote
I can do two things at once
diavolo_bossu OP t1_j6bxp7b wrote
This is just easier
YaBoyEnder t1_j6fm0yu wrote
r/woooosh
[deleted] t1_j6byheg wrote
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willy_billy t1_j6d520n wrote
That's how I do it. Instant relief.
bookbagbarbie t1_j6ftulx wrote
Didn’t work when I tried it. Also practically burned my skin from the hot spoon, lol.
ExNihiloish t1_j6jhjel wrote
You just need more heat. The idea is to kill the nearby nerves so they can't feel.
some-key t1_j6cbvlr wrote
I was using a hot spoon for a long time and last summer discovered that there are insect bite relief pens.
They're small pen shaped things that you can easily fit in your purse. They have a metal pad that heats up when activated.
What's good about them is that they don't stay hot longer than needed so there's no risk of burns. Plus, they're more portable and get less attention than a spoon with a lighter 😅
acgilmoregirl t1_j6dd3kf wrote
We had to buy one for my daughter when she was a baby. If we didn’t use it immediately, she’d get welts the size of golf balls wherever she got bit. Thankfully, now that she is three, she seems to have grown out of the sensitivity. She still gets bigger than normal welts, but nothing like when she was a baby. Those were scary.
some-key t1_j6h0v23 wrote
Sounds scary! So happy to hear she grew out of the sensitivity.
Oudeis16 t1_j6d2l1u wrote
For those wondering why: A mosquito bite itches because there is a small amount of poison in it. It takes very little heat to do what's called "denaturing the proteins" which basically means it's just turning the poison into something harmless.
Anything that applies enough heat will do. Run it under hot water. Hot water on a cloth. Heat a spoon in hot water or near a candle or something (be careful with lighters or flames or anything of that nature, it can rapidly get hot enough to burn you).
justfuckingstopthiss t1_j6gdpgv wrote
I mean not really. If you were truly denaturing proteins injected by the mosquito, you'd also destroy your own proteins and cause a shitload of damage to the skin.
some-key t1_j6h20wq wrote
I don't know if it destroys the insect proteins, but it does work to reduce swelling.
You do need to be careful though, the shitload of damage you mentioned is a danger if you use fire.
Iouis t1_j6c3k7s wrote
hairdryer works too
JeromeMixTape t1_j6ezeff wrote
Hair dryer isn’t good for ur skin and prolonged exposure to hot air will dry ur skin out and can accelerate ur skin to age.
[deleted] t1_j6fn7yk wrote
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TeslaMecca t1_j6c1xj1 wrote
Salt and water over the bite, it'll stop itching in 30 seconds. Learned this while I was in Asia
I_Want_To_Know22 t1_j6c5ucw wrote
I put a spoon in the freezer for the same reason.
DroolingSlothCarpet t1_j6cegx5 wrote
Hot water will not kill a mosquito bite.
Burstar1 t1_j6cybag wrote
How do you kill that which has no life?
ChewsOnBricks t1_j6g55xd wrote
Stabbing?
wigzell78 t1_j6d5byt wrote
Run a spoon under hot water, then press the back of the spoon against the bite till the spoon cools down, then repeat on any other bites. Heat neutralises mosquito bites.
ragamuffinsquirrel t1_j6dxdpb wrote
The Bug Bite Thing
diavolo_bossu OP t1_j6dxv3f wrote
Well i wont lie the concept of pulling out the poison is cool. Thing is this is free
AftyOfTheUK t1_j6fw9jb wrote
Lots of people talking about heating up spoons, that will work but can accidentally be quite painful - you can just blast the area with a hairdryer for a few minutes.
Afrojones66 t1_j6bvj97 wrote
Calamine lotion, and apple cider vinegar work too.
huh_phd t1_j6cv2iq wrote
If you catch it early enough, you'll deactivate the protein your body is reacting with
Emotional-Ebb8321 t1_j6daawh wrote
Instructions unclear. severe scald injuries on arm.
diavolo_bossu OP t1_j6dp7q5 wrote
At least the bite is gone
JohnC53 t1_j6dj6je wrote
Works good for lake itch / swimmers itch too. HOT shower and vigorous washing with washcloth.
Beazore t1_j6ezji1 wrote
What is swimmer's itch?
Beazore t1_j6ez475 wrote
Additional tip: if you drink tonic (in the US this means soda with quinine in it, not a general medicinal drink) or take quinine pills then mosquitos won't bite you.
I drank tonic like it was water one summer just because I liked it, and I realised in the fall that I had gotten bitten exactly once, whereas usually I am the person around the campfire who is SWARMED with them. I'll take the dog for a walk in 90 degree heat and still put on long socks, pants, and a sweatshirt just to try to block them, and will still get bitten around the face. So it was definitely the tonic that helped.
DO NOT follow the above tip if you are on medication that would interact with quinine. If you can't eat grapefruit while on your meds, you can't have quinine. Check that shit first. It's much more common than you might think.
They also make bug repellent lotion, so there's an option other than spray!
diavolo_bossu OP t1_j6fhb37 wrote
Garlic, lemon juice, ginger, and other probiotics work aswell
Mosquitoes fucking hate me for it
some-key t1_j6h2hsu wrote
Thanks for sharing! Lemon juice and ginger are so easy to do in a nice cool drink in the summer 😃
keepthetips t1_j6bum8x wrote
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myfrnsfoundmyoldredt t1_j6c0hbl wrote
Capsaicin cream would work too I guess
some-key t1_j6cc65p wrote
Creams help on a different level, they numb the sensation and soothe the skin. They treat the existing iritation.
When you use heat, especially if you use it shortly after the bite, you're neutralizing what the mosquito injected under your skin. So you reduce the irritation before it fully develops.
S-Markt t1_j6cmfg0 wrote
use a hairdryer instead. much safer.
meltysandwich t1_j6dgktb wrote
Hot blowdryer works well!
cgk001 t1_j6djh2i wrote
Ice works better, with aloe gel
diavolo_bossu OP t1_j6dpbxf wrote
I use ice for spider bites usually. Had a pretty bad infection and swollen arm and my friend told me to use ice, was gone by the end of the week
[deleted] t1_j6djp1w wrote
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SapperBomb t1_j6drsvg wrote
I personally like to press the top of my finger nail into the mosquito bite really hard in an X shape. It takes the irritation away 100%
SammILamma t1_j6e3bkt wrote
Also rubbing the inside of a banana peel on the bites also helps me.
Interesting-Dog-1224 t1_j6ctks3 wrote
I did what OP said, now I have itchy blister.
FactsFromExperience t1_j6e3y6b wrote
Oh that doesn't work! Pretty much nothing available now works. For people who have like a high tolerance to mosquito bites are itching maybe but those of us who get systemic allergic reactions to poison ivy on places where it didn't even touch and for it has not been spread by contact and people who have had dangerous reactions to mosquito bites from scratching with swelling oozing and running red streaks... None of these normal remedies are going to work. Lol Even alcohol doesn't really work nor anything else. The only thing that ever worked that was worth its weight in gold was the original Afterbite formula. Sadly, they changed the formulation three or four years ago and now it's junk also. They were other brands out there that were similar dab on rub on Stick kind of application and most of them had benzocaine or lidocaine or something like that to try to numb it but none of them worked. Let me go grab my trusty tube from the large amount of stock I bought years ago and check the ingredients but I know it has ammonium in it. It says ammonia 3.5% and natural oil. It used to say mink oil but I do believe they pulled the minkle out at one point in time and replaced it with whatever they call this natural oil. I don't care but I have known people who say they are allergic to mink oil. Regardless, this is the only stuff that ever worked but you did have to do a little bit of scratching first because you really need to get it a little bit raw so the ammonia can get in there.. Now the funny thing is I've tried actual ammonia and it doesn't seem to work as well but the key for these bites is to squeeze them and scratch them enough to get them all because otherwise they're just going to keep itching, and then put the after bite on there or straight alcohol or ammonia vinegar or whatever else you can use that will burn the heck out of it because then the itching is GONE!
ElJamoquio t1_j6funeq wrote
LPT: use paper towel to kill mosquitoes.
richcournoyer t1_j6fwmp2 wrote
More old wives' tales that never seem to die.
diavolo_bossu OP t1_j6fwpq2 wrote
Have you tried it? Its always worked for me
richcournoyer t1_j6fx2f1 wrote
Mosquito bites do not cause me to itch..... So in theory I guess your method works. SMH
Jabberwocky613 t1_j6grm1v wrote
I've used this treatment for midge bites,which for me, are far worse than mosquito bites.
It works, but provides only temporary relief.
lawrencebillson t1_j6bydif wrote
Heating a spoon with a cigarette lighter and pressing it against the bite will also help. It’s also a great way to have your friends throw you a surprise party/intervention when they find the charred spoon.