Getting ready for a pest treatment at home

Why there is anything to prepare

Pesticides are toxic. Used carelessly, they can harm the person applying them, other people and the environment. The Better Health Channel is clear that licensed operators are trained to handle, store and apply them safely, and that the right precautions greatly reduce the risk to health. The precautions are partly the operator’s and partly yours.

The operator’s side is written into every Victorian pest control licence. The holder must apply chemicals only as the label directs, follow the label’s other safety information, and have copies of current Safety Data Sheets for the chemicals they use. The Better Health Channel’s checklist for choosing an operator includes checking for a valid Victorian pest control licence and enough insurance.

The day, in order

1. When you book

   Ask for the full chemical name of the pesticide the operator will use. In an emergency, it helps with first aid.

   Raise anything that worries you, such as how the pesticide could affect a pregnancy, young children or allergies. Asking before work starts gives the operator a chance to talk through the treatment options with you.

2. Before the day

   If any spraying will happen outside, tell your neighbours in advance.

3. Before a kitchen treatment

   For a kitchen treatment against cockroaches, the health department says cupboards and pantries should be emptied first, and surfaces where food is handled must not be treated.

4. While it is applied

   Leave the house while the pesticide is mixed and applied, and stay out until it is dry. Four to six hours is the general guide, but your operator will recommend the right time for the treatment used.

   Move pets out during the treatment and keep them away until the pesticide is dry.

5. Coming back

   Return when the operator says it is time. After a bed bug treatment, the health department says the room should be well ventilated and re-entry periods observed, and the Better Health Channel says not to vacuum straight away, so the residual pesticide stays where it was put.

For fleas, the pets are part of the job as well as the house: fleas in the house covers what Victoria’s advice says about both.

Between visits, if you spray yourself

Household pesticides from the supermarket or hardware store are made for householders to use, but being easy to buy does not make them harmless. The Better Health Channel’s household advice includes these points:

• Choose the least toxic product, the one with the lowest schedule. A household pesticide should not be schedule 7.
• Never mix pesticides: the reaction can be unexpected and dangerous.
• Before using an aerosol indoors, cover or remove bird cages and fish tanks and move other pets. Many pesticides are extremely toxic to birds and fish.
• Leave the room while a spray takes effect, then open the windows when you come back.
• With a rainwater tank, keep spray off the gutters and roof. If residue could wash in, divert the collection pipe away from the tank until after the next rain.
• Keep traps and baits out of reach of children, pets and native animals, and store pesticides in their original containers, sealed, out of children’s reach.

If something goes wrong

If you rent, Consumer Affairs Victoria says to tell your rental provider straight away when you see signs of pests. Owners corporations and pests sets out what it says about who fixes what.