Following are tips for using, storing, and properly disposing of insecticides responsibly:
1. Inside buildings, apply registered residual contact to small areas only, such as baseboards, corners, cracks, and crevices. Do not apply to entire rooms or buildings. Some insecticide formulations also have a strong odor.
2. Avoid using any insecticide around food or where children or pets can get into it. Do not allow children on insecticide-treated grass until three days after application.
3. Avoid breathing sprays or dusts. A handkerchief fitted to the face will help prevent excessive inhalation of these materials. If there is a chance of breathing highly poisonous materials, use a mask. While some insecticides may be harmful to persons with asthma, the chemicals are generally quite safe otherwise.
4. If emulsifiable concentrates or concentrated wettable powders are spilled on the skin, wash immediately with soap and water. Remove contaminated clothing and launder separately. Thoroughly rinse the washing machine after use.
5. Do not use insecticides in oil (kerosene) around open flames such as pilot lights, electrical wiring, or asphalt floor covering. Both oil-based and water-based insecticides may stain or spot fabrics and other porous surfaces.
6. Outdoors, avoid heavy applications to tender flowers and shrubs, especially emulsions. Read labels to avoid using any material specified as damaging to certain plants.
7. Never puncture an aerosol can. This can cause injury.
8. Read the label for each insecticide and then follow directions precisely.
SPECIAL WARNING
Inside, apply only those insecticides manufactured especially for use indoors. Formulations suitable for treating livestock and plants of all kinds outdoors are generally not for use in homes or buildings. Formulations for indoor application should contain only the purified grade of the chemical, not the commercial agricultural product. There is also less objectionable odor to purified grades than to the agricultural grade.
In addition to the kind of insecticide used in household preparations, the carrier (often an oil) should be specifically processed (refined) to reduce or eliminate objectionable odors. Keep in mind, though, that when a household pesticide is used in areas of heat, the odor from the chemicals may be more objectionable than the pest itself.
9. Store all pesticide chemicals away from the reach of children—preferably locked up. A separate storage area, well marked with an appropriate sign, is the safest option.
10. Carefully dispose of empty containers. The label for each pesticide should contain directions for proper and safe disposal. Your county agricultural agent also has literature concerning this.
