8 precautions to take after a pest control treatment

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Having a pest control treatment completed in your home or business might be required from time to time to control undesired pests. Even though the goal that we are trying to achieve is a good one you have to remember that all pesticides, even organic pesticides, are toxic to a certain level. For this reason, certain precautions need to be followed and steps are taken to minimize the risk of contamination.

1. Follow your technician instructions
   1. He is the one that knows what and how treatments were completed on your property. Depending on what was completed, specific recommendations might have to be followed to avoid any safety issues or health hazards.
2. Stay clear from all areas until they have fully dried
   1. Most pesticides are safe to be around once they have fully dried, for this reason at a minimum you should stay away from all treated areas until they are fully dry. This is normally about 2 hours on a sunny day; however, your technician may recommend a longer time depending on the treatment completed.
3. Wash pet food and water bowls before reusing if left near treatment areas
   1. Even though our technicians always look for any pet food or water bowls left behind, there is the possibility that maybe empty ones are left outside or near the areas of treatment. If this is the case, dispose of all food and water on them and wash three times before reusing them.
4. If treatment was completed inside, open windows and doors to allow the area to ventilate
   1. Ventilation will allow drying of pesticides to happen more quickly. It will as well introduce fresh air into a space that might be contaminated with pesticide residue.
5. Do not tamper with pesticide or rodenticide placement nor with traps
   1. All pesticide is applied in a way that it will have the strongest effect on the target pest. If the areas in which it was applied are tampered with, the intended results might not be achieved.
6. Do not clean treated surfaces until instructed to
   1. If you clean the area before the intended effects of the pesticide take place, then it will diminish the effects that it could have. Your technician will provide you with instructions about how the treatment will work and when you can clean and reuse the areas treated.
7. Dispose of any contaminated consumable items
   1. If you believe that consumable items were contaminated during the treatment, dispose of them immediately. There are times where homeowners have things inside of boxes or areas that they do not disclose or remember. If you notice that any consumable item like food, medicine, pet food, etc. was in any way exposed near the treatment area, do not risk it and dispose of it.
8. Save your treatment tag in a secure place
   1. Your treatment tag will include information like the pesticide used, the quantity, and when it was applied. If for any reason one of the occupants has a bad reaction to the pesticide, this information will be essential to assist first responders in understanding what is going on.

Remember to follow at all times the instructions that are provided by your technician, they are the ones the completed the treatment so they will know best. This is just a list of things that you can do to minimize your exposure. If you have any questions about any of the items or are unsure as to what instructions to follow contact your technician or our office (if we are the ones that completed the treatments).

As well if you have any pest control issues that need to be exterminated give us a call today at (619) 421 – 2101 or send us a message using the form on the side.