Hovex Naphthalene Sachets Questions & Answers

I wish that they would bring back the sachets. They were great. I put them in a plastic bottle with holes in the lids works a treat. Hover please bring them back

I have searched everywhere for them - Produce stores, hardware and supermarkets and they just simply aren't available. They do however put out Moth balls in little containers for hanging in cupboards. I want the sachets to put in bottles with holes in the lid in feed barrels to keep the weevils away, they worked the best of everything I have tried.

Banned.children poisoning

i do not wish for any child or pet to be poisoned but its ridiculous..they ban something that is clearly effective and works, government and big companies make things with the aim to be a consumable. The main product is cheap, its the refills, repeat products required where they make their cash... printers /copiers are just one example of this. tv commercials and programs get banned or censored because a minority complain its offensive, yet when the masses petition for something they are rejected or ignored... then 1 or more kids are poisoned from eating the Sachets and its not the parents/guardians held accountable for not adhering to the safety directions.. when kids were swalling button batteries flat out they weren't banned....funny that because they are way too profitable as its a consumable product that runs out quickly, pfffft... am wishing i didnt decide to write a response because now my comment has turned into a rant and has made me so angry at how screwed our world has become.. there's enough crap to deal with without having to have all the little things controlled because of a small minority of careless, stupid people, also to give benefit of the doubt -kids are quick and accidents do happen, a ban on the product isnt the only way to prevent future incidents, safer packaging, different name/branding to make less appealing, if they can make snail bait apparently less appealing to dogs and cats then they can make Hovex naphthalene FLAKES repell children aswell as insects and other critters,

what led me here was I stumbled upon this homemade recipe (from Henley's Twentieth century formulas, recipes and processes; published 1916) page 421 . For Dogs, Cats, etc. —The following is an excellent powder for the removal of fleas from cats or dogs: Naphthalene .... 4 av. ounces Starch 12 av. ounces Reduce to fine powder. A few grains of lampblack added will impart a light gray color, and if desirable a few drops of oil of pennyroyal or eucalyptus will disguise the naphthalene odor. Rub into the skin of the animal and let the powder remain for a day or two, when the same can be removed by combing or giving a, bath, to which some infusion of quassia or quassia chips has been added. This treatment is equally efficient for lice and ticks.

can anyone recommend an effective homemade / or store bought treatment for dogs with extremly itchy, irritated skin,, (on the lower end of $$ price range ) have treated for fleas a while ago a couple times& was successfull however the itchyness only stopped for one of our 3 dogs temporarily,,no sign of fleas or eggs on either dog,, so am thinking his issue is probably just sensative skin due to ageing, or allergic reaction to plants/weeds or insect/spider bite, basically could be anything really .. the poor boy has got so many patches of liitle to no hair, some areas get so sore and red,, and then scabby,, he is really miserable but the whinning and other sounds he is making constantly is also driving us all nuts cuz any efforts to remedie doesnt last long, bathing 3 staffies who each have a different response to having a bath is exhausting and a huge effort so really dont want to have to do it more often than I need to!!!

hopefully someone out there will read to the end and suggest something that works ,!! lol thanks

just because parents can not watch their kids and dont have common sense to put it away people have to do with out.

I agree with you both. Common sense flew out the window after the year 2000 it seems :-( Re the dog check your vet. There are plants that are known to cause allergies to some dogs. When walking my dog (a cross Kelpie Blue heeler Cattle dog) or even from the car to the Dog park I had to make sure he didn't go near certain plants to pee, as he started to get a red itchy rash. The plants are Zebrina; Trad; Turtle Vine; Moses-in-a-cradle; Purple heart; Inch Plant. (www.dermacare.com.au)

Banned.children poisoning

They have a ball type thing in a case. I don't think it is as good. I used to put the sachets in a plastic bottle and put holes in the lid and put them in my bird seed barrels and it keeps the weevils and other insects away. Rats and Mice don;t like it either. Wish they would bring them back, They used to be in a plastic bottle type thing

Hi Catherineb. I have been trying to buy them myself and have been unable to find them anywhere. Hovex now make Naphthalene in hangers for the wardrobe. I use them and cut the hanger off and put in jars with holes in the lids in my seed barrels and that keeps the weavils out of the seed and mice away.

Yes, this is in fact true - it is not legal to buy Hovex Napthalene Sachets any longer in Australia or New Zealand! This very useful product not only prevented our woollen clothes from being eaten by moths, it also gave our wardrobes a very pleasant, beneficial odour. We can now only buy a very inferior product out of China, which I find not a deterrent at all !!! I am told this wonderful product was removed from retailers shelves, as ONE child had swallowed a Napthalene ball. I think it is high time parents took more care of their children and taught them RIGHT from WRONG and put products like this out of there reach as we did in our time with our children! This world has become over protective, all due to parents lacking responsibility and guidance.

I whole heartedly agree with you. There would be less problems with children and nasty substances if parents took more time for their children and less time being selfish and thinking of themselves.

It's not just ingesting, apparently the vapors can be really bad for children and pets, and some sensitive people. My recent reaction to the vapors was very scary - constant nausea, constant headache, foggy head and confusion, swollen throat, asthma/trouble breathing, and apparently jerking in my sleep. It took a few days to discover what I was reacting to!

I am 73 and grew up in a house that had naphthalene flakes everywhere. I think it is all an over reaction. Governements continue to react to the minority, NOT common sense.

Absolutely true

Banned.children poisoning .buy hovex brand.refer pascoes .they sell

ever since the government came yo the conclusion that All Humans other than parents must Go without napthelane flakes, I now have Rats and mice visiting and trying to set up home in my yard and home! sprinkling the flakes under the house was a great deterrent to vermin and other nasty creatures and no pets or birds or children could access due to lattice and a locked gate around the home! seems to me that All parents are now off the hook for teaching children about the dangers in life and we who have no young have to suffer! I now go to an industrial pest controle company and purchase 20 kg buckets of rat blocks with far worse poisons than the flakes had after wasting hundreds on the supermarket brands of rubbish rat blocks. A deterent was by far a less poisonous way of control! perhaps I should send the bill to the government for the cost of the poison blocks they have forced me towards using! with rat and mouse plagues come snakes and terrible deseases that are by far more dangerous to children than little packets of flakes!

You are right, but.....Common sense went out the window ages ago

Hovex has discontinued this product because the do gooders say it is dangerous !! But you can still buy rat poison and caustic soda

Unable to purchase anywhere anymore. Hovex do not sell/make.

Go direct to their website for alternatives you may like but I have not found anything.

Pure Naphthalene is not for sale in Australia. However, I purchased a few packets of naphthalene mothballs from Korea on eBay and they arrived ok. I was on holiday in N.Z. this year (2018) and saw them in the $ shop in a suburb of Wellington, so bought five packets.

Was the Napthalene in satchets or loose ? I think the process of washes you have gone through should be enough but I'm not an expert just a wife and mum

It was in sachets Chris thanks for ur response I think it will be ok it's been on the line for days in 30-40 heat So I can't see how there would be any left.... I'd be over joyed if a moth hole appeared in something LOL

I belive you need to air them out (so sunshine would have been good) until the odor is gone.

I am sorry, Denise, and the other 25 million SENSIBLE Australians,- you CANNNOT buy napthalene because this incredible Country is now run by the "Scribes and Pharisees"!! The "Scribes" are those incredibly intelligent, overeducated,but well-meaning Academics, and the "Pharisees" are of course the Corporate People who now have about 80% of the wealth of Australia, and who number about 10% of Australians! The "Scribes" know SO much that they know no one else could prevent a child from eating Napthlaene. In fact anyone who put that in their mouth would SPIT IT OUT at once, as it tastes so foul. This Country is now run by them! I am a (stupid?) practicing Catholic. Jesus had NO TIME AT ALL for his "Scribes and Pharisees" did he? He loves all people, but he liked ordinary people BEST! So while we allow well-meaning "Scribes" who know everything, and "Pharisees" who know that ONLY the dollar matters, run Australia, life is going to become much more uncomfortable! Comments will be welcomed with interest!

To my knowledge the naphthalene satchels are no longer on the market. I am about to try a new Hovex product called Vaporguard a clothing moth killer with a citrus fragrance'. I don't know how effective it is as I haven't used it yet but it could be worth checking out.

Kerry S. I have to admit you are a legend, I sign your post. I am one of those australians who is sick and tired of politicians bringing out rules and laws. I also miss naphthalene flakes made by Hovex which used to be packed in plastic bottles. However you can still buy naphthalene mothballs at The Reject shop for $3/70 g. if I remember correctly. One pack used to cost $2 but since the government decided it has to be enclosed in a plastic cage the price went up to $3 (50% increase). How sweet and convenient. Our government cares for our health but it does not care for our wallets. Regards....

Amen to the above. We are governed by IDIOTS!

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has taken action to stop supply of naphthalene loose flake products in retail outlets. These products are generally used in the home to protect clothing, blankets and other stored items from moths and silverfish.

This follows recent advice from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing that the packaging and warning statements on these products may not be adequate to protect sensitive people and young children exposed to treated fabrics from inhalation and ingestion risks.

As a result of this action, these four products:

Mosom Pure White Naphthalene Flakes

Hovex Naphthalene Flakes

Recochem Naphthalene Moth and Silver Fish Flakes Household Insecticide Fumigant (no product label available online)

Recochem Naphthalene Flakes

will not be available for sale until further notice.

People can dispose of unwanted products by contacting their local council to determine the correct method of disposal. Unwanted products should not be disposed of in household waste. Treated clothing can be washed in accordance with clothing manufacturers' instructions or aired in an open place until the naphthalene odour is no longer present.

Naphthalene block and ball products are not impacted by this decision.

This is absolutely a case of ACADEMIC OVERKILL!! Or else everyone is far more STUPID than up until now? Napthalene flakes, if a child did accidentally try to eat them would, I believe, be spat out at once, as they taste dreadful!! Even the tiniest human has a "Self-Preservation" instinct, I also strongly believe. Will the incredibly intelligent, overeducated, but well- meaning people who decided this please provide some ACCURATE information? Like what PERCENTAGE of different age groups have died or even been hospitalised by Napthalene in powder or "ball" form? Is it as many as those who STUPIDLY but deliberately use ILLEGAL DRUGS? Is it as many as those who stupidly get themselves drunk every weekend? Go and help them, please,- we "ordinary" people can manage not to poison ourselves and our children to a very high level! Not ALL "undereducated" people are actually stupid, I have to suggest to you. The way we legislate today in Australia I firmly believe legislators consider that we are all (compared to them, I guess?) stupid!! We do NOT want to live in a NANNY STATE, thank you! (Mr.) Kerry Schiemer, Ph.C., MPS, JP.(NSW) Still Practising Pharmacy,- since 1961!

I request that the decision to ban sales of flakes be reversed forthwith, please!

You an still purchase moth balls but these are not as effective as the Naphthalene flakes.

Due to safety regulations, Naphthalene Flakes have been banned for sales in Australia

That's a bit sad many valuable use for this product and certainly the best for some jobs, I guess it's about product not being used correctly by a few so all have to go without it seems to be the answer now days. don't teach the correct way to use something and punish the ones who don't but punish all for one person error

Unfortunately you cannot obtain Naphthalene Flakes anymore in Western Australia. I don't know about the rest of the country but would imagine it would be the same. I understand it is no longer available because of safety issues but my mum used them and her mum and we have survived using this product. My mum is now 87 and using Naphthalene Flakes has not hurt her any.

It is like many other products on the market today, use it properly and as instructed and it is beneficial and keeps bugs away. Misuse it and you will get sick. Common sense !!!! We have many products on the market today that is very, very harmful to humans but we can still purchase them and can use them freely so why remove this product from the market and not the hundreds of others???? They take one product from us that is harmful if used inappropriately and replace it with many others that are very harmful to humans.

It does not make sense to me.

Some "2 dollar" shops in Australia may still have stocks of Chinese manufactured naphthalene mothballs? The lawfulness of this is doubtful - so beware. BTW, I heard a joke years ago saying, "I bought some mothballs, but had to ask for a refund, because when I threw them, I did not strike a single moth!" (HA HA)

Look on e-bay and buy Eagle brand mothballs from Sri Lanka.

Some people, particularly kids and pets, can have terrible reactions to the vapors (nausea, headaches, but most worryingly, breathing problems).

I used to sprinkle the flakes throughout the house then go out for 3 hrs and then vacuum all up. Would do it fortnightly. Never had a problem. They dont flysprays or rat poisons. Stupid. I swallowed coins as a child! Now they make them smaller. They didnt ban them though.

They have been banned by the Federal Government: external link 

You can still buy mothballs............ Compressed naphthalene or camphor