Chemical concerns around the home higher than ever for Australians

Following the trend towards chemical-free homes, Rentokil’s report found almost half the population are consciously reducing chemicals in their home and three quarters looking for products or services that use less chemicals.

Kate Levy, Head of Marketing Services at Rentokil said with summer approaching there is an increase in pests around the home, including termites. This means there is also an increase in pesticide use. Consequently, chemical concerns gnaw away at parents and pet owners as many look to protect their homes from these destructive pests.

“Protecting homes from pests can inevitably lead to the use of chemicals so it’s not surprising to see families concerned, given their children are more active, playing in and around the home,” said Kate.  

“Rentokil has listened to consumers and introduced a new, non-poisonous termite solution that is completely safe for children, pets and the environment. This new termite solution extends Rentokil’s existing suite of safe pest treatment offerings.”

Simon Lean, Australian Technical Manager at Rentokil said in addition to being safe for families and the environment, Rentokil’s new termite solution is actually faster to stop termites from feeding on your home making it more effective than other termite solutions on the market.

“When Rentokil’s new termite solution comes into contact with termites it paralyses the jaw muscles causing them to stop eating timber in your home within hours. The termites stay alive just long enough to transfer the termite control agent onto other termites and back to the nest leading to a higher chance of colony elimination.”

Homeowners are encouraged to have a termite inspection once a year to detect termites early and prevent extensive termite damage to the home. If termites are found early during the regular inspection they can often be treated with Rentokil’s new non-poisonous termite treatment with minimal damage to the property and its value.

National Statistics

• 70.9% of adults with children are concerned about chemicals that may be in and around the home. 26.7% of those are very or extremely concerned
• The presence of children in households significantly increases concerns around chemicals that may be in and around the home – 70.9% vs 50.8%
• 81.1% of families with children are concerned about chemicals in relation to children. 35% of those are very or extremely concerned
• 74.6% of pet owners are concerned about chemicals in relation to their pets
• 59.1% of families with children are more concerned about their home’s exposure to chemicals compared to 5 years ago
• 46.1% of Australians are concerned about the short term reactions that chemicals in and around the home may cause
• 69% Australians are concerned about the long term reactions that chemicals in and around the home may cause
• 52.9% of families with children would pay more for a product or a service that uses less chemicals
• 43.7% of Australians have consciously reduced the number of chemicals in their home over the past 5 years

Brisbane Statistics

• 53.9% of Brisbane-ites are concerned about chemicals that may be in and around the home
• 63.7% of Brisbane-ites are concerned about chemicals in relation to children. 32.1% of those are very or extremely concerned
• 60.2% of Brisbane pet owners are concerned about chemicals in relation to their pets
• 44.8% of Brisbane-ites are concerned about the short term reactions that chemicals in and around the home may cause
• 74.1% of Brisbane-ites are concerned about the long term reactions that chemicals in and around the home may cause
• 44.1% Brisbane-ites are more concerned about their home’s exposure to chemicals compared to 5 years ago
• 67.8% of Brisbane-ites if given the choice, would buy a product or service that uses less chemicals
• 39.9% of Brisbane-ites would pay more for a product or a service that uses less chemicals
• 42.7% of Brisbane-ites have consciously reduced the number of chemicals in their home over the past 5 years

• 1 in 4 homes will be attacked by termites in its lifetime
• The average cost of termite damage is between $7,000 and $8,000 and is not covered by most home insurance policies
• A termite infestation could decrease the value of a home by more than 20%

*Research conducted by Pure Profile on behalf of Rentokil, September 2014 with 1382 respondents