Is Pest Control Safe for Humans?

You’ve been noticing an increasing insect problem around your home, and you’re getting sick of turning a corner only to find another insect cluttering up your home. Yeah, that gets old really quick.

But when it comes to buying pest control, you’re pretty hesitant. You know that pest control is made up of all sorts of chemicals, and you don’t know which chemicals if any, you’re comfortable having in your home. You wonder, “Is pest control safe for humans at all?” After all, if you or your kids could get sick from the chemicals, you’d rather put up with the pests.

It can be challenging to find the right pest control for you and your family. Safety is definitely a concern anytime you’re using potentially toxic chemicals, but there are options that are safer than others. It’s just a matter of finding the right pest control for your needs.

First, let’s answer your question, “Is pest control safe for humans?” The answer, unfortunately, depends entirely upon the type of pest control you’re using. Some are safer than others. It does need to be stated that all pest control contains chemicals intended to kill insects, so regardless of how safe the pest control is, if it’s used incorrectly, it can cause harm. However, when used correctly, many pest controls can be safe to use.

When you go to buy a can of pest control at the store, the best thing to do is look at the labels. The pest controls at the store have a range of toxicity to consider. The safest pest controls have a “Caution” label, whereas the most toxic have a “Danger” label on them. If you’re not sure what to look for, learning more about what qualifies as a minimum risk pesticide will help you.

If you aren’t eager to do your own pest control though, it’s worth considering professional pest control. Professional pest control like Terminix often uses kid-friendly and pet-friendly pest treatments in your home. That doesn’t mean there are no risks when you use professional pest control, but some risks are mitigated when you let the professionals handle your pest problem.

Safety Benefits of Professional Pest Control

Pest control will always have its risks. In spite of this, there are a few ways professional pest control can be safer than the do-it-yourself pest control sprays you can buy at the store.

For example, one-way professional pest control is safe for humans in your home is that professionals have a lot more experience than you might with pest control. They know how to spot the real pest problems you’re having and which treatments to do to get rid of your pest problem.

When you do pest control yourself, you have to involve some guesswork. “What kind of insect was that again?” “Would this pest control get rid of the problem?” “How serious is the pest problem anyway?” And, of course, “Is this pest control safe for humans?”

Turning to a professional will fix your pest problem without all the worry, effort, and guesswork that you’d have to put into it if you tried to take care of the problem yourself. Plus, you don’t have to worry about applying it yourself and possibly breathing in the chemicals in the process.

Professional pest control is also safer for you and your family because once the treatment is applied, the extra chemicals are taken away from your home. But if you purchase your own pest treatments, you have to find a safe place to store all the different chemicals where your kids won’t find them and come in contact with any potentially harmful chemicals.

Finally, as mentioned before, professional pest control often goes out of their way to use treatments that are kid-friendly because they know how important it is to keep your home and family safe.

How to Stay Safe When Professional Pest Control Sprays

If you do choose to hire professional pest control to take care of your pest problems, there are a few extra measures you can take to make sure that you and your family are safe from any chemicals that could cause harm if anyone in your family came in close contact with them.

The first is to do a deep clean before pest control comes to spray. In particular, cleaning the floor will help the pest control to adhere to the surface better than it would if the floor had any dust or crumbs on it. Making sure to pack away all food into your pantry or refrigerator will keep you safe from accidentally ingesting any stray chemicals.

When pest control comes to spray your home, it’s best to plan on being away from your home while the treatment is applied. Professionals wear masks that keep them safe from airborne chemicals, but you and your family will be safest if you’re away from home. Luckily, you shouldn’t need to be away for very long. A couple of hours would be plenty of time for them to spray and to allow the treatment to dry.

Allowing the treatment to dry before coming home will keep you and your family safe from pest control. Once the treatment is dry, it shouldn’t cause harm to you and your family, however, don’t clean deeply for a few days so the treatment stays in place long enough to do its job.

Natural Pest Control Alternatives for Small Pest Problems

Even knowing that pest control can be safe when used correctly, you might still be unsure that pest control is safe for humans – or maybe you just aren’t sure you want it in your home even if it is safe.

Fortunately, traditional pest control is not your only option. If you have a bit of pest problem but it isn’t severe, you might prefer to use natural pest control in your home instead. For example, you can try things like garlic oil or peppermint oil mixed with dish soap to keep insects away.

Another good option is to research which plants could repel insects from your home. Plants have natural qualities like scent that can repel insects. As a bonus, many of those plants are also herbs that you can use while cooking.

These natural measures can be beneficial when you’re dealing with small pest problems. However, if a pest problem starts to get out of hand, you’ll want to turn to a professional for help in safely ridding your home of pests.