What Pesticides Are Safe for Home Use?

Before reaching for a spray bottle, know how to choose the right pesticide—and when to skip it altogether.

Minimizing pesticide use reduces the risk to vulnerable household members, such as children and pets. ArtCreationsDesignPhoto/Shutterstock

Managing pests, including weeds, is a necessary evil when it comes to owning a home. Pesticides can be a useful tool to attack those little critters or weeds. But with pesticides comes the inherent risk to people, pets, and the environment.

Choosing pesticides with low toxicity is a good start. It all comes down to educating yourself so you can make the right choices regarding pesticide use.

Pesticide Is the Umbrella Term

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, pesticides encompass substances that prevent, repel, or mitigate a pest.

But it goes beyond eliminating a hornet’s nest. A pesticide can act as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant. It can also be a nitrogen stabilizer. In other words, the following products are also categorized as pesticides:

• Insecticides
• Herbicides
• Rodenticides
• Germicides (bathroom disinfectants)
• Algicides (pool chemicals)
• Fungicides
• Mildewcides (found in some cleaning products)

As you can see, that means that most people use some sort of pesticide in their daily lives. But how do you choose the right pesticide for the job?

Learn About the Pest You Want to Eliminate

Have you properly identified the pest? A lot of time and money is wasted through misidentification. You may be using the wrong pesticide.

For example, different types of pesticides are used to control specific weeds. Consider contacting your local extension office or other professional if you’re not sure what type of weed you’re dealing with.

The same goes for pesticides targeting rodents. For example, rat rodenticides may not be effective on moles.

You want to choose a product that is designed for the pest that you want to eliminate. These will be listed on the label. Understand the ingredients of the product. It goes back to the pesticide’s target. If you’re not sure, contact the National Pesticide Information Center.

Choosing the right plant varieties and maintaining healthy soil are long-term strategies to prevent pests without relying on chemicals. RossHelen/Shutterstock

Avoid Using Broad-Spectrum Pesticides

Some products are broad-spectrum pesticides and will claim to eliminate multiple pests. It is not a good idea to use these, according to Zack Snipes, horticulture extension agent for Clemson University.

“Don’t use broad spectrum,“ he said. ”You don’t want to kill hundreds of insects, don’t want to kill everyone. Instead, ask yourself what you can use to target the specific pest.”

Look For Signal Words to Determine Potential Harm

There are signal words on pesticides that can tell you the level of toxicity. These include:

• Caution (low toxicity)
• Warning (medium toxicity)
• Danger/Poison (most dangerous, often signaled with bold capital letters)

If the product doesn’t have a signal word, it has extremely low toxicity. But don’t be lulled into complacency by the low- or no-toxicity signal words.

“A common misconception is that if it says ‘caution,’ it’s totally safe,” Snipes said. “It all depends on how dangerous the pesticide is to you if you get it on you or in you.”

The amount of exposure is the key.

Pesticide labels contain legally enforceable safety and usage instructions—reading and following them is essential for responsible application. Jaral Lertjamekorn/Shutterstock

Read Safety Information on Pesticide Label

Reading the product label and following it is imperative.

“The label is the law; whatever is written will tell you the signal word and what to do if you get it on you,” Snipes said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, pesticide labels are legally enforceable. They carry the statement “It is a violation of federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.”

The label will tell you what pests the product controls. It will also explain how to apply it and how much to use. And from a safety standpoint, it will let you know how soon the treated area can be re-entered.

The label will tell you how long it takes the pesticide to dry. If you’re using it on fruits and vegetables, it will let you know how long before you can safely harvest.

How to store the pesticide is also written on the label.

“The label is going to tell you everything you need,“ Snipes said. ”Don’t misuse it.

“You should keep the label so you know how to deal with emergency situations. Infractions happen to those people who don’t read it or heed its advice.”

Pesticides Should Be Last Tool in Toolbox

According to Snipes, pesticides treat the symptom instead of the problem. Your focus should be on growing the right variety of plants, not on using chemicals. Nature has good insects that eat bad insects—natural pest controls are built into each ecosystem.

Rodent problems can also be managed without pesticides, according to the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides. Rat-proofing, sanitation, and trapping are all good alternatives to chemicals.

“Chemicals are a tool, but they should be the last tool used in the toolbox,” Snipes said.

There are a lot of ways to get the job done—the challenge is knowing the best way.

“Do you really want to kill everything?“ Snipes said. ”If you do it and your neighbor does it, that’s a lot of chemicals you’re putting out there. Can we do better as a society?”