LITTLE HELPERS

4 ingenious products to make your day easier

1 LEAF STRIPPER

A speedier way to separate greens from their stems. The various-size holes on this kitchen tool accommodate everything from thyme to kale. Chef’n Looseleaf Stripper, $8, amazon.com.

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2 CLOTHES-SEPARATING LUGGAGE

Hate clean garments commingling with dirty stuff? This suitcase has a hamper with an air valve, so you can roll laundry compactly and save space. Carry On Spinner, $238, geniuspack.com.

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Deflates for easy compact storage.

3 SOLAR-POWERED LANTERN

Whether you’re camping out or stuck in a blackout, this inflatable light provides 12 hours of consistent LED light. PackLite 12, $23, luminaid.com.

Written by

Tanya Christian

Photographs by

Jens Mortensen

4 SILICONE TUMBLERS

Save your nice barware. Use these colorful, shatterproof nine-ounce glasses for serving refreshments on the patio instead. In five patterns. $30 for four, silipint.com.

Eco revamp

MOSQUITO CONTROL

Citronella and tea-tree oil? They provide only a few minutes of protection. Here are green solutions that really keep bugs from biting.

ELIMINATE STANDING

WATER. Anything that holds water for a week or more, even an underchlorinated swimming pool, is a potential breeding site, says Laura C. Harrington, Ph.D., the chair of entomology at Cornell University. Spots in need of draining: baby pools, birdbaths, recycling bins, pet bowls, flowerpot saucers, and clogged rain gutters.

BLOW THEM AWAY. “Many mosquitoes are highly active in the hour before and after sunrise and sunset,” says Jim Pecor, a museum specialist in the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit of the Smithsonian Institution. If you’re outside at these times, set a fan on high nearby to make flying difficult for the pests.

USE A KINDER REPELLENT.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that DEET, the most effective ingredient in bug sprays, is safe if used properly, but many people fear it may harm the environment. An alternative is an oil of lemon eucalyptus–based product, like Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Spray ($8, drug store.com), which works for up to two hours. —KAITLYN PIRIE