In case after case, chemicals that used to be considered “safe” for home use are taken off the shelves as new evidence shows they can be harmful. Non-chemical approaches have proven safe and effective for controlling pests inside the home, protecting your pets, and managing lawns, landscaping, and gardens.
Safer home pest control
Prevention is key when it comes to protecting your home from ants, cockroaches, flies, meal moths, mold and rodents. Harmful pesticide sprays, traps, and fogs can almost always be replaced by safer alternatives and common-sense pest management solutions.
See the Tips and Tools section on this page for resources and links to keep your house clean and pest-free without dangerous chemical pesticides.
Pesticides also appear in our homes as residues on food. We make choices every day about the food we eat that not only affect our health and the health of our families, and these choices also help to shape our food system. Visit WhatsOnMyFood.org to learn more about residues commonly found on our food — and how you can help build a food system that protects everyone, from field to fork.
Protect your pets
When pets walk through chemically-treated areas like lawns or gardens, they absorb pesticides through their mouth, nose, and eyes — and powdered pesticides can attach to their fur. Dogs often absorb chemical residues by chewing or eating treated plant material, and cats tend to ingest a higher dosage because of their grooming habits.
Pets can also be harmed if they eat bait put out for snails, ants, or mice. In addition, topical flea treatments containing pesticides are often not safe either for them or their families. Children, who are especially vulnerable to pesticide harms, may be exposed when petting or hugging an animal.
The Truth About Cats, Dogs and Lawn Chemicals is a short video illustrating the dangers posed by lawn and garden pesticides and providing information on pesticide-free alternatives. The filmmakers offer a companion community action tookit as well.
Visit this page on the panna.org site for specific information on non-toxic flea and tick control and safe rodent control methods.
Lawns & gardens
Every year, U.S. homeowners apply an estimated 80 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients to their lawns and gardens. This “cosmetic” use of chemicals presents significant environmental and health dangers, especially for children and pets.
A Chemical Reaction is a documentary film tracing the rise of the natural lawn care movement in Canada and the U.S., and the success Canadians — and a few U.S. communities — have had in reducing and eliminating cosmetic pesticide use.
For in-depth information on how to manage weeds and pests in your garden and yard without the use of harmful chemicals, see this resource page from our partners at the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides and explore the guides and fact sheets from Beyond Pesticides listed below.
Using pesticides in your garden can also harm beneficial insects, including pollinators. Across the country, people are stepping up to protect bees and other pollinators in their yards.
To take the “Honey Bee Haven” pledge and learn more about creating a pesticide-free environment in your backyard and community, visit www.honeybeehaven.org.
Roundup alternatives
In 2015, the international scientific community began raising significant concerns about the human health effects of the ubiquitous herbicide, Roundup.
First, the UN World Health Organization’s prestigious International Agency for Research on Cancer announced their findings that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is a “probable carcinogen.” That same year scientists flagged a growing body of evidence on other health impacts associated with exposure to Roundup, including endocrine disruption, organ damage and birth defects.
While agricultural applications make up the biggest portion of Roundup use in the U.S. this herbicide is also commonly used in home gardens. The resources below offer tips for maintaining your yard without using health-harming chemicals like glyphosate.
Resources:
- Organic Lawn Care Guide
- Simple Guide to Creating a Healthy Lawn
- Lawn Pest Alternatives factsheet
- Least Toxic Control of Weeds factsheet
- 8 Steps to a Toxic-Free Lawn