What to Look for When Choosing Home Insect Control Products

What to Look for When Choosing Home Insect Control Products

Choosing the right insect control products for your home is an important decision. In addition to figuring out which insects you’ll be controlling and where you’ll be applying the product, you should also think about the advantages of different types of products. At Safer®, we recommend that you consider the following criteria when making your decision:

Product Type

Home insect control products come in a variety of forms, such as sprays, powders, and concentrates. The best method of application for you is dependent on where you will be applying it. Consider how much space you need to treat or where the insects are coming from. Knowing these things will help you choose the product type that will meet your needs.

  • Powders – Products in the form of a dust, such as Diatomaceous Earth, are perfect for targeting insects where they live and hide. They may come in puffer bottles to allow for easy application into cracks and crevices or small voids where insects spend much of their time.
  • Sprays – These are great for treating a variety of surface types and can be applied quickly, over large areas. In addition to these benefits, our Safer® Home sprays also dry quickly, so there’s no residue to wipe up after application.
  • Concentrates – These must be diluted before use and may be found in forms such as outdoor hose-end sprays or indoor sprays you top off with water. Concentrates are an eco-friendly and economical choice for insect control.
  • TrapsDevices like these often combine an attractant (i.e. a liquid lure or UV light) with a method of trapping (i.e. glue surface or funnel holes) to eliminate insect pests. These types of products are usually long-lasting and require minimal maintenance.

Insect Type

Aside from knowing which type of application will work best for your treatment area, it’s also essential that you know which types of insects you need to eliminate. Afterall, you need to make sure that the product you select will actually get rid of the particular pest(s) invading your home. Common insect invaders include ants, roaches, spiders, flies, earwigs, and more.

Look for products that specifically target your invader, or better yet, choose a broad-spectrum solution that targets a variety of common insect pests. Using a multi-insect solution, such as Safer® Home insect sprays, will help you treat many common pests without needing to use multiple products.

Effectiveness

When you have an insect issue, the most important thing is to eliminate it. So of course, it’s essential to know that a product will do what you need it to do. When choosing a new product, check the label or consult the manufacturer’s website for testing data that proves the product works.

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Ingredients

Insect control products are usually composed of either natural or chemical ingredients. Chemical insecticides have been around for a long time. They are often powerful and target many insect species, however, they can be harmful to humans, pets, and the environment.

Natural insect control products, on the other hand, are usually made of essential oils, such as clove oil, cottonseed oil, or peppermint oil. If the product contains natural ingredients, these ingredients will be assimilated into the earth more easily than products made with synthetic ingredients.

For insect control products and devices, you should check whether the product contains harsh or potentially harmful chemicals. Look for information on the product’s environmental impact on the label or the manufacturer’s website. For example, Safer® Home formulations are made of simple common ingredients and contain no dyes, synthetic fragrances, or harsh chemicals.

Safety

This consideration goes hand-in-hand with ingredients. For most of us, safety is a primary concern with any type of product around our homes – especially if children and pets are present. Check the product label to see if you can safely use the product around children and pets prior to application. Before using any kind of pest control product, you should always check the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you are using it properly.

Pest control products that use chemical insecticides will often have a “CAUTION” statement that notes precautions you should take. These precautions may include wearing protective gear, clearing people or pets from the area, or ventilating the space during and after application. Chemical insecticides can cause a variety of adverse reactions when not used according to directions.

Some products, such as our Safer® Home pest control sprays, are made with natural ingredients that make them safe for use around children and pets when used as directed. Products the EPA considers devices, such as the Safer® Home Indoor Fly Trap and Safer® Home Fruit Fly Trap, are not permitted to make a safety claim. However, these Safer® Home devices contain no chemical insecticides, so they are still an ideal choice for homes with children and pets.

Insect Control in Your Home

Safer® Home offers a wide variety of family-friendly pest control products for your home. What do you look for in a home insect control product? Tell us on your next visit to our Facebook or Instagram. Also be sure to sign up for our e-newsletter to stay up to date on new products, exclusive deals, special offers, and expert advice on protecting your home, garden, and lawn.

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