Preparing For Treatment

Bed Bug Treatment

There are steps each customer must take for our bed bug treatments to be effective. If a home is not properly prepared, we cannot guarantee a successful control. These instructions will help you to protect your belongings and also help your pest control technician to effectively treat your residence/building. It’s important to note you should not apply your own insecticides before or after treatment as they can worsen the problem.

Furniture Preparation

These tips will help you prepare for treatment.

All furniture and appliances should be pulled away from the baseboards. All furniture containing potential hiding crevices, such as bookshelves and desks should be emptied and left open for the exterminator to treat.
Water beds should be drained and air beds partially deflated to avoid damage. Select comfort-style air beds with an electronic pump must be partially deflated and unplugged from the wall outlet.

Items To Remove

The following items should be removed before treatment:

House plants
Fresh food, fruits, vegetables, etc.
Food that melts - chocolate, candy, etc.
Prescription and over the counter medications
Make-up - especially lipstick (wax based)
Wax based items - Candles, wax figurines, wax fruit
Anything pressurized - spray cans, fire extinguishers, oxygen bottles, etc.
Flammables lighters, lamp fuel, alcohol, solvents, etc.
Wooden and stringed musical instruments - leave the cases
Family heirlooms and irreplaceable items should be inspected to decide if treatment is needed

Some smaller items can be stored in the refrigerator during the treatment. Larger items can be boxed and left by the door for inspection to determine if they need to be treated. Items in tightly sealed containers are usually safe from bed bug infestation and need not be emptied.

Laundry

Everything that can be laundered should be using the hottest water and drying setting before treatment. This includes stuffed animals, drapes and so on. Linens, towels, and blankets can be left as they are likely to shelter insects.

Clothing in drawers can be left in place if loosely packed. Clothing on hangers may be left in closets with space between them. Clothing that you wear or take with you should be washed immediately upon returning home following treatment. Do not return the clean clothing to the container (bag, basket, etc.) it was transported in unless that container was also treated.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming can help reduce bed bug numbers and thus help reduce the population as part of preparing for treatment. A crevice attachment should be used on the seams of mattresses, on box springs, on bed legs, within furniture interiors, behind pictures, on curtains, baseboards, and anywhere there is a possibility of the insects hiding (e.g. inside dresser drawers, dresser cases, under chairs, etc.). Carpets should also be vacuumed throughout the home, preferably with a power-head. Vacuum bags should then immediately be removed and placed in doubled plastic bags and placed into strong plastic bag for disposal. Spraying inside the vacuum cleaner bag with an aerosol insecticide is a good idea.

Extra Tips

If you still have questions after reviewing our preparation tips, feel free to call our office.

All items that can be blown around and possibly damaged need to be protected. Loose papers need to be gathered and boxed.
Secure glass items, breakables on shelves , and collectibles
Take down pictures, paintings, and other wall-mounted items
Un-plug everything and leave in areas being treated
Remove all pets, including fish
Wheelchairs and walkers must be treated
If possible, increase the temperature on your home's thermostat two hours before treatment