Finally. The 4th of July is on a Friday, which means a three-day weekend! A three-day weekend in which your company cell phone is going to accidentally be out of range. All weekend long. And your voice mail is going to be regretfully full so your boss can’t leave a message.
Take advantage of the three-day weekend by heading outdoors for sunshine, fresh air and quality time with the barbecue. But be prepared, too much sun and bugs can make you wish you were back indoors. Here are products to help make outdoor fun a little more comfortable.
Pitch a food tent
Flies are nasty. They hang out on garbage piles. Do you really want them landing on your food? The square food tent from The Companion Group is a light-weight tent with a tight mesh that is meant to keep insects from landing on food and ruining your meal. The tent costs $4.95 at barbecue-store.com.
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Take the sting out
It can happen in an instant. You’re standing by the picnic table, entranced by the chips and dip, when you feel a slight sting on your leg. Then another. Quickly, you have dozens of bug bites. After Bite Itch Eraser is a roll-on treatment that is meant to stop the swelling and itching that accompany a fresh bug bite. It’s intended for bites from mosquitoes, no-see-ems and chiggers. It contains ammonia to neutralize the bite area and comes in a pen-like tube. $3.49 at adventuremedicalkits.com or West Marine stores.
Burn mosquitoes away
Placing food and insect-repelling candles side by side on a picnic table is a little gross. Coghlan’s Mosquito Sticks are repellent molded onto a stick that can be inserted upright into the ground. Each burns three to four hours. $2.69 per package of five. Available at campingsurvival.com or Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.
Juicy sunscreen
Sunscreen is a must, but it can often have a powerful smell and a chemical feel. The SPF 30 mineral sheer moisturizer from Juice Beauty is a chemical-free sunscreen meant for use on the face and neck. It has certified organic white grape and pomegranate juices as well as vitamin antioxidants. $29 for a 2-ounce bottle at juicebeauty.com; also available at Whole Foods or Sephora stores.
A layer of protection
It’s easy to forget to reapply sunscreen when you’re having fun outdoors. And showing up with a sunburn on Monday morning lets the boss know why his calls really weren’t answered. The SunGuard laundry aid is meant to make clothing an extra line of defense against harmful rays. Added to a load of laundry, SunGuard claims to block 96 percent of ultraviolet rays from passing through clothes. One box lasts for 20 washings; $1.99 at sunguardsunprotection.com.