Pest Control Safety
If you’re dealing with a pest infestation and you hire a professional exterminator to remove them, you’ll notice that the pro wears personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout the job.
If you’re DIYing your pest control, though, you should, as well. PPE protects you from contact with harsh pesticides and insecticides and allows you to perform DIY pest removal responsibly.
If you’re not a pest control professional, though, it’s difficult to know how to dress safely for pest control.
In this guide, we’ll share our top PPE picks and help you learn what precautions to take to keep yourself safe during DIY pest management.
6 Essential PPE for DIY Pest Control
You’ll want to wear the right PPE whenever you apply pest control products.
To determine which items you need, consult the label on your pest control product. The label will recommend the types of personal protective equipment you should wear.
Recommendations usually include:
- Coveralls
- Closed-toed shoes
- Waterproof gloves
- Safety glasses
- Respirator
- Disposable spray suit
Once you’ve determined what you need, purchase the required items from the list below:
Whenever you apply pesticides or insecticides, wearing a mask is critical.
We recommend these disposable N95 masks. In our field testing, we’ve found them to be practical, and functional – they feature five filtering layers for a 95% reduction of specific aerosols in the air.
Plus, they offer a snug fit for maximum filtration.
Just like it’s essential to protect yourself from inhaling pesticide or insecticide particles, it’s also important to keep them off of your skin. Fortunately, these Nitrile Chemical Resistant Gloves can help you do that.
For a straightforward nitrile glove option, we recommend these disposable nitrile gloves, which we like to wear whenever we’re performing a job requiring tactile sensitivity and comfort.
Safety glasses protect your eyes from injury. For a lightweight, affordable option, we recommend these Global Vision Eyewear Hercules Safety Glasses.
Available in clear, smoke, and yellow lens colors, these glasses offer shatter-proof polycarbonate lenses, a convenient scratch-resistant coating, rubber ear padding, and a lightweight, durable, comfortable nylon frame.
Are you looking for a way to get all the necessary PPE, including a chemical safety suit, in a single package?
We recommend this basic safety kit, which comes with one pair of chemical-resistant Tyvek coveralls, goggles, three N95 masks (suitable for filtering out 95% of liquid aerosols), and one pair of chemical-resistant gloves that cover past the wrists.
This is the perfect kit for anyone applying insecticide dust or liquid insecticide inside or outside.
A respirator is critical for filtering pest control products like aerosols, fogging solutions, and dust.
A respirator like this one offers medium and large sizes and is fully adjustable for comfort and function.
The respirator filters 99.7% of airborne particulates, including fogging solutions, dust, and aerosols, and is ideal for residential applications.
Maintaining and Inspecting Your PPE
To provide optimal protection, your PPE needs to function correctly. With this in mind, inspect each piece of your equipment before you use it.
Here’s what we recommend:
- For items that protect the skin, like chemical-resistant suits and gloves, visually inspect the material to ensure there are no tears, rips, or other damage that could allow chemicals to come into contact with your skin.
- For eye protection, inspect all strips and fasteners for damage, and check the lenses for holes or cracks.
- If you’re using respirators, check and replace the filters as needed. If you’re using disposable masks, wear a fresh one for each pest control job.
- If at any point any of your pest control equipment fails or stops working, repair or replace it immediately.
In addition to the inspection tips listed above, you’ll also need to maintain your PPE.
Avoid spilling, splashing, or leaking pesticide or insecticide formulas on your PPE whenever possible, properly dispose of all contaminated clothing, and take precautions to prevent chemical exposure – like tucking gloves into the sleeve of long-sleeved shirts and removing gloves without taking either glove off.