There are plenty of projects that savvy homeowners should definitely DIY. Painting a deck, putting together a bed frame, patching up the driveway asphalt, no problem. But when it comes to pest control, you need to leave it to the professionals. Unless you get a weird thrill from sharing your home with mice, wasps, termites, beetles, and bats, there's simply too much at stake to choose DIY pest control treatments.
If you still think you can DIY it, you might need a reminder of why you should leave extermination and removal to a professional pest control company. Here are a few DIY "treatments" for pest control that don't actually work like they're supposed to...
Dryer Sheets
Residential pest control is still pest control, which means it still requires a pest control service. Many people think that dryer sheets are a good deterrent for bed bugs, but the truth is that they only mask the smell of your furniture and sheets. The truth is, if dryer sheets could really get rid of bed bugs, we wouldn't have to deal with bed bug infestations in the first place. Don't believe this urban legend; if you really want to get rid of bed bugs effectively, call a pest control company.
Mothballs
While mothballs are effective for keeping moths away from clothing, they're not effective in any other form of pest control. Despite this, some people have tried to use mothballs to get rid of unwanted wildlife in their backyard. Not only is this ineffective, it's not a labeled use of the pesticide and could be harmful to the natural, four-legged wildlife around your home.
Kill it with Fire!
It's tempting to set fire to particularly creepy crawlers, but you've probably been told from the time that you were a small child not to play with fire. Exterminating insects with fire should never be the first thing that comes to mind! If there's an insect infestation that is particularly bad, call an exterminator immediately.
Gasoline
Even if you don't plan on setting fire to anything, gasoline is never a solution that you should use for residential pest control. Besides being extremely flammable, gasoline is toxic and shouldn't come into contact with your skin or eyes. Yes, this liquid might be deadly to pests around your home, but it's deadly for humans, too!
Homeowners in the U.S. spend approximately $5 billion every year to control termite damage alone, and for good reason. DIY insect control isn't something you should be doing, period. Unless it's squashing a single spider in the bathroom, make sure to call your pest control service at the first sign of a serious infestation.