Buying guide for best insect foggers
Having pests in your home or office can cause more problems than most people even realize, ranging from health concerns to permanent structural damage. If you don’t have the luxury of calling a professional exterminator to fix your pest troubles, insect foggers bridge the gap between professional pest control and traditional do-it-yourself remedies.
While some people choose not to use insect foggers for fear of household food contamination or concerns over proper usage, insect foggers are now so safe and easy to use, nobody should be afraid of them. Some come with fresh scents or even no smell at all, and many are designed to make cleanup quick and easy. Before you buy, consider how large each room is that you need to debug and what kind of pest you hope to kill (not all foggers work on all insects).
To learn more, keep reading our shopping guide, which will give you the lowdown on how to eliminate pests. When you’re ready to buy, check out our top picks for insect foggers.
Key considerations
Choosing an insect fogger may seem like a simple task, but it’s not quite as basic as it used to be. With more companies competing for your dollar and more advancements in chemicals and technology, there is now a wide variety to choose from. Take the following factors into consideration when shopping for your own insect fogger, and you’ll be sure to get rid of those pests. (If you’re interested in other methods to eliminate pests, read our reviews on insect traps and bug zappers.)
Do insect foggers work on all pests?
Most household insects, such as roaches, moths, ants, and fleas, can be killed using standard insect foggers. Keep in mind, though, most foggers will not guarantee to kill fire ants, because they have a more robust defense system against the chemicals. Also, most insect foggers will not guarantee to kill bedbugs. If you have bedbugs, you need to see the recommended protocols for dealing specifically with that type of pest.
Indoor vs. outdoor use
Most insect foggers are intended to be used in indoor spaces; this way, the fog is contained in one place to do its job really well. However, if you are trying to rid your yard of certain insects, you may opt to purchase a chemical that can be put into a fogger gun that is designed for outdoor use.
Room size
Most insect foggers will treat a room of approximately 2,000 cubic feet. If you plan to treat a larger area, read the recommendations on the box for how many foggers should be used for your individual cubic footage.
Safety
Insect foggers offer a concentrated spray of chemicals, often in an aerosol can. Make sure that you choose a fogger that will not only solve your pest problem but will be safe in the environment where you plan to use it. Insect foggers can be susceptible to sparks or flames when the aerosol stream is placed too close to them. Keep this in mind when choosing which fogger to purchase and where you will place it.
For your safety
Always keep insect foggers at least six feet from any ignition source, like a pilot light on a stove.
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Features
Angled spray
Some insect foggers come with an angled nozzle. When used correctly, this angled sprayer will point the chemicals inside the canister away from the user’s face. This means that you don’t have to worry about accidentally being sprayed with insect repellent when setting off the canister.
Fresh scent
In recent years, some insect fogger manufacturers have begun altering their product to rid them of heavy chemical scents. Some of the companies add a pleasing scent to the formula to make it more appealing. Others offer a scent-free option, which leaves virtually no smell at all after a treatment. Although you might not consider these foggers as useful as an air freshener, they are not as aromatically intrusive as their predecessors.
No-mess fogging
Some insect foggers are now designed in a way to avoid messy cleanup. Oftentimes, an indoor insect fogging canister can leave a sticky residue in the surrounding area. A change in the chemicals used in some insect foggers now make them much less messy after a use.
"Foggers are a safe and cost-effective alternative to tenting an entire home when the pest problem is not a total infestation."
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Insect fogger prices
Inexpensive: For between $5 and $15, insect foggers offer basic household use for temporary relief from small insects.
Mid-range: Insect foggers that are priced between $15 and $25 will, many times, offer a more highly concentrated compound that can kill larger insects than the standard inexpensive range models.
Expensive: Within the $25 to $60 category, many insect foggers will be appropriate for use outside, where you will need to cover a much larger area of cubic footage and contend with dissipation of the chemicals.
Tips
- Measure the room you plan to fog before purchasing and using insect foggers. If you use too few foggers in a large space, you are likely to be disappointed with your results.
- Never stay in an enclosed space while insect fogging is taking place. Insecticide can pose real health threats if inhaled for extended periods of time by humans.
- Cover or remove all toys from the area where the fogging will take place. It can be dangerous for small children to handle toys covered in pesticide.
- Be careful not to set off your smoke detector with an insect fogger. Some smoke alarms are so sensitive that household insect foggers can trigger them. Make preparations so that you do not accidentally cause a panic with your fogger.
- Notify roommates or neighbors before using insect foggers in close quarters. It’s possible to have your fog seep into a next-door apartment, so it’s important to be cautious and considerate.
- Find the phone number for your local poison control office before using any insect fogger. In an emergency, you may not have the time to search for the number.
- Cover or remove any food before setting off your insect fogger. You wouldn’t want to consume food that has been covered with insecticide after fogging.
- Never leave pets in the house while using insect foggers. Just like humans, small animals can be adversely affected by these chemicals.
FAQ
Q. Are insect foggers safe for the environment?
A. Yes. Strict EPA regulations guarantee that commercially available insect foggers do not adversely affect the environment while ridding your home of unwanted bugs.
Q. Are insect foggers safe for a home with small children?
A. Yes, but as with a home that has pets, you will need to keep the children out of the fogging area for a period of time to allow the concentration of insecticide to dissipate before they return.
Q. Will an insect fogger cause my fire alarm to go off?
A. Possibly. In order to reduce the risk of setting off your fire alarm while using an insect fogger, place the canister in an area away from smoke alarms. Furthermore, seek out suggested mitigations for fire alarms during fogging, such as wrapping them in plastic. Just remember to remove any impediments after fogging.
Q. Can I use indoor foggers for outdoors and vice versa?
A. No. Indoor foggers are intended for use in smaller spaces where the fog is unable to escape. Using them outside would likely not render the pest-control solution you are hoping to achieve. Conversely, using an outdoor fogger in an indoor environment may offer too strong of an option for your needs. Fogging an enclosed area with such a strong chemical could be unsafe for a number of reasons.
