Household pests, particularly bugs, can be an unrelenting nuisance, often leading homeowners to search for efficient and chemical-free methods to eradicate them. Traditional approaches like sprays and traps can be effective, but they often have drawbacks, such as harmful chemicals or tedious maintenance.
Enter the ozone generator: a device that not only purifies the air but can also be an effective weapon against unwanted insect invaders. Ozone generators produce ozone, with potent properties that can eliminate bugs and pests. However, ozone generators are used in many ways to protect and make life easier for humans and pets. For instance, ozone is an alternative to chlorine for sanitizing pool and spa water.
In this article, we'll delve into the ins and outs of using an ozone generator to rid your home of bugs and provide you with a guide on its safe and effective usage.
It's important to note, however, that while ozone can be effective against pests, it can also harm humans and pets if misused. Ensuring that you follow safety precautions is paramount. Read on to discover how this powerful tool can be harnessed in your fight against household bugs while also keeping your home's inhabitants safe.
Do Ozone Generators Kill Bugs?
Ozone generators can kill nearly anything that breathes oxygen, but they do not easily kill the eggs left behind. In order to kill pests completely with ozone treatments, it either has to be a shock treatment or used over a long period of time. If you use an ozone generator to kill pests for only a couple of hours, you’ll find that it isn’t effective.
Whenever insects and other pests sense ozone or other gasses, they will immediately try to get out of the vicinity. That means they will leave the house, which would be fine, but they may return.
Either way, you have to blast the home with a top-tier residential O3 unit or run it periodically over a week.. Keep in mind that if you choose the latter, you will have to run it about 3 to 6 hours each day. That means you have to constantly be going in and out of your home to turn the ozone generator on and off.
This will not only kill the pests, but the ones that hatch from the eggs.
In reality, ozone isn't your best option for pest control. We love ozone generators and think it's the best and most effective odor remover, but due to the nature of insects and their life cycles, it's not the best option, because it doesn't do well with eggs.
As an example, if you have a flea infestation in your house, you're looking at a 12 day blast process to get rid of them using solely your ozone generator.
How To Use An Ozone Generator To Kill Bugs
What You Need
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Identify The Space For Treatment
This is often an entire house; it's rarely only one room that requires treatment. Even if you think only one room requires treatment, you should treat the entire home, anyway, just to be safe. If the bugs can get to another area of the home, they will.
Car infestations are more common than you may think; if your car needs treatment for bugs, you can follow the instructions on using an ozone generator in a car.
Remove Infested or Contaminated Items
If you know for sure a mattress, sofa, etc has bugs in it, you should remove it from the property immediately before treatment. This is because the ozone may not penetrate through these items to get to bugs further inside the material and due to the eggs that have been laid in these items.
The more contaminated items you remove from the home, the better your chances of success with treatment.
Seal Up The Space, But Not Completely
You want to make sure the house is locked up and that only a crack remains in the window where the ozone generator is placed.
Having a window slightly cracked allows the ozone generator access to a steady supply of oxygen to convert into ozone. Without this, the generator can't get the space to the optimum amount of ozone concentration to be effective.
If you're leaving the home unattended overnight, you should post a sign on any cracked open window that the house is being treated with ozone and should not be entered for any reason.
Set Up The Ozone Generator
Setting up the ozone generator is easier than it sounds. You want to place it in a centralized location and somewhat close to a window with a crack in it that's just large enough to allow some air inside.
Set the timer for 3 hours. Set a timer on your phone, as well, for the same amount so you know for sure when the machine should be off.
It isn't advised to use an ozone generator without a timer on it. Should you have a machine that doesn't have one, you should obtain a smart plug or a different timer that you can use. A smart plug will allow you to cut power from the device using your smartphone, so even if you have a timer, this is a great accessory to have in case you need to turn it off early.
Vacate The Space
You must leave the house. Make sure you take anything important with you that you may need for the day while you're out, because you can't go back inside once the generator is on.
The concentration of ozone that will be in the space once the machine is on isn't safe for humans, pets, plants, or anything else alive to be in, which is why we're using it as a pest killer in the first place. Once the machine is on, do not go back inside!
Wait & Treat The Exterior Of The House
While you're waiting, you can treat the exterior of your house and crawlspace (if you have one). If you want to use a natural product, you can try Wondercide Outdoor Pest Control. You can see a list of other reputable, highly rated products on Amazon here.
Wait the full amount of time that you had allotted for the machine to run so you're sure the machine is off. If you must turn the machine off early, use the smart plug we mentioned above to do so.
Air The House Out
Once you're sure the machine is off, it's time to open up the house. You should open doors and let the house air out for a couple of hours before attempting re-entry.
Once that amount of time has passed, you can try to re-enter the home. If you experience any type of respiratory issues upon re-entry, immediately exit the house and let it air out a while longer.
Re-Treat If Necessary
If you're not satisfied that one treatment was enough, it won't hurt to do a second treatment as long as you follow the same process above.
Conclusion
Navigating the world of household bug extermination can be challenging, especially when searching for solutions that are both effective and eco-friendly.
Ozone generators present a compelling option, offering a means to combat pests without the use of chemicals. However, it's crucial to approach this method with caution and be realistic, because hiring a professional pest control company is best in most circumstances.
