Paint stripping insect repellant??

[FuzzyTiger]

I keep a bottle of insect repellent on my toolbox for the summers when mosquitoes invade. Anyways, I accidentally knocked it over and it leaked out onto my tool box. I didn't pay it much mind since it's just insect repellent... It stripped the paint better than any paint stripper I've ever used. There wasn't even so much as a spec of paint left behind.

Just what is in insect repellant and if it's so good at this why the hell don't they just sell it as paint stripper. It does a better job than the modern eco friendly strippers.

Also considering just how nasty and dangerous every other chemical I've used for stripping paint is, I'm starting to wonder just how safe it is to apply all over my body.

This is the stuff for reference: https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/great-value-deet-free-insect-repellent/6000197480580

As an aside, I wouldn't recommend it for keeping mosquitoes away. Didn't work well.

 

[rlitman]

Yeah, DEET is known to strip paint. It also melts into fogged headlights, and some people use it to polish the plastic.

 

[measuredtwice]

If the link is correct, then the spray is "deet-free". It uses icaridin instead. I can't see the other ingredients in the photo.

 

[r0ckh0und]

LA's Totally Awesome cleaner works pretty well as paint stripper too and it's cheap.

 

[neophyte]

I can’t find the MSDS for that particular Insect repellent, but some of the others have Ethanol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Isobutane, Acetone, Propylene Glycol, etc.
Pretty much any ingredient like these might strip a “paint” ginish, depending on what the binder for the finish is.

 

[MarvinBerry]

As a lifelong musician & guitarist I've witnessed bug juice peel paint off guitars. Someone sprays themselves before going on stage and between the spray and sweat, an hour later the finish is stripped off their guitar.

Nasty stuff. It's especially toxic to laquer finishes. Will instantly desolve nitro paints and leave bare wood.

 

[American Locomotive]

It's the alcohol.

Googlin' some SDSs of other DEET-free bug sprays, it appears they're largely alcohol, propylene glycol, and then the repellent.

Alcohol will destroy most painted and lacquer finishes if allowed to sit on it long enough. The glycol likely held the alcohol in suspension, preventing it from evaporating. So it just sat there attacking the paint.