Are Pest Control Chemicals Safe?
- Sean
- Oct 23
- 3 min read
Hey, neighbor! It’s Sean from LOCAL Bug Guy, your friendly neighborhood pest control pros serving Utah and California!
Your home should be your place of comfort, so it’s natural to wonder if pest control chemicals are safe. This post should answer that question with some helpful details.
Also, if you’d like a professional pest control tech to handle your bugs for you, reach out to us at LOCAL Bug Guy for a free quote! One of our friendly and experienced pest control pros will give it to you straight.
So, again… are pest control chemicals safe?
For bugs? No. For you? Yes, when they’re properly applied, stored, and handled. Risk is measured by toxicity and exposure. Pest control companies like LOCAL Bug Guy use low toxicity products, and our techs are trained to apply them in a way that limits exposure to you. We can’t change the toxicity of the products, but we can handle exposure to the customer.
So when they’re applied by a professional like us, they’re safe.
But this underscores the importance of handling pest control products properly. Store bought pesticides have strict instructions on how you apply them, and if you don’t follow those instructions, you might be harming yourself, your pets, and your kids.
Pesticides should be applied in places that you’ll rarely touch or taste, and you should not touch the areas until the solution dries. Otherwise, you’ll need to wash and disinfect your hands.
Store bought products are fine, but we believe the safest way to treat your home for pests is to let a certified professional handle it. Professional pest control technicians are trained to apply pesticides in a way that follows federal and local safety laws.
The EPA and Pest Control
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the government organization responsible for making sure products we use are safe for our health and environment. They help with laws and regulations that oversee things like clean food, safe water, and of course, pesticides.
Anyone applying pesticides has to comply with local and federal laws created by the EPA. This includes the pest control chemicals and the way they’re applied.
Any professional pest control tech worth their salt is going to follow EPA guidelines. For that reason, LOCAL Bug Guy uses EPA-approved pesticides and our technicians are trained to follow local laws to make sure our customers are kept safe.
What About “Safer” Pest Control Products?
There has been some discussion in the pest control space about “eco-friendly” pest control products. But when you look closer, the grass really isn’t that much greener.
Essential oil sprays have gained some popularity. The problem is that most essential oil sprays don’t offer a long-term solution like traditional pesticides do. They might protect your home from bugs for a week or so, then their effectiveness dies.
Second, products with an “eco-friendly” label can be misleading. The truth is that there isn’t a lot of regulation around “green” pest control products, even by the EPA. So “eco-friendly” pest control products often aren’t much different than traditional pest control. Some companies just slap that green label on it to appeal to a different audience.
The Bottom Line
Are pest control chemicals safe? Yes, when they’re properly handled, stored, and applied. Please be mindful of store bought products’ warning labels and follow proper instructions when applying. Or better yet, leave pest control to a licensed professional that follows EPA guidelines for products and applications.
Ready to let a friendly and reliable pest control pro take care of your home? LOCAL Bug Guy offers reasonable pricing to keep your home safe from pests year-round. Contact us for a free, no-BS quote.
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