Preparation and Treatment
Guidance for Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can be difficult to eliminate when they infest your home unless you do your part by cooperating with us. The following tips will help support a more successful treatment.
Proper preparation is essential for the control of bed bugs to be effective. This involves providing access for the pest control treatment as well as taking measures to ensure that bed bugs are destroyed or contained. If rooms are not properly prepared, successful elimination is practically impossible. Although this may be time consuming for you, without this, the treatment will be limited and less likely to succeed.
We will schedule two treatments over a fortnightly interval.
If you are going to replace a bed or mattress we recommend doing this prior to treatment. Please ensure you take care when removing large items, as bed bugs can drop off items, mattresses, beds etc, infesting other areas of the property.
We would strongly advise that you do not purchase any second hand mattresses or beds, as there is always a possibility that you may be buying someone else’s infested items.
Before Treatment Checklist
- Unplug: All non-essential electrical items on the day of the treatment.
- Move as few items as possible: Try not to move any of your belongings to another room during or before the treatment unless you are confident they are not infested. These items should be inspected. You might spread bed bugs to another area of your home.
- Vacuum: Vacuum all floors. Vacuum the mattress and box spring to remove live/dead bedbugs. Vacuum couches, chairs and recliners thoroughly before treatment. Bed bugs are often found in couches and upholstered chairs. If possible, turn the furniture over or on its side/back and vacuum underneath as well. If there is a dust cover attached on the underside, pull it back and vacuum areas that will need to be treated.
- Double‐bag: And discard the vacuum bags in an outdoor waste bin immediately to avoid re‐introducing or spreading any bed bugs caught in the vacuum.
- Dry items at high temperature: Place curtains, pillows, towels, stuffed animals, etc. in the dryer set on the highest setting that won’t damage the items for at least 30 minutes. Double bag these items immediately after drying.
- Carefully inspect all Items that cannot be washed: Books, electronics, picture frames, plastic toys, etc.
- The rooms: Being treated must be clear of toys, books, boxes, CDs, posters etc
- All furniture: And appliances in the rooms need to be pulled away from the baseboards, and in the affected rooms with bed bugs all furniture containing potential hiding crevices, such as bookshelves and desks, be emptied and left open for the treatment.
- Dusting: All shelves and units should be dusted.
- Drawers and wardrobes: Should be emptied and clothes must only be reintroduced to the rooms once they have been washed or tumble dried.
- All clothes: Are removed from the bedrooms and washed in hot water and then tumble dried at around 60 degrees to kill bed bugs at all stages.
- Clothing: That can’t be laundered and dried (including coats and jackets) can be dry‐cleaned or need to be inspected carefully. Do not place clothing in infested rooms/areas until treatment has been completed and the bedbugs have been eliminated.
- Remove and wash all curtains, bed sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and other bedding in hot water: Place the items in the wash on the highest setting that won’t damage the items. Dry the items thoroughly and then place them in strong plastic bags. Keep them separate from items that may be infested.
- Access to furniture, walls and flooring: Provide access to walls, closets, and areas around furniture to allow for a thorough inspection and treatment. It’s vital that on the day of the treatment all items are moved away from the walls and corners. These can be placed in the middle of the room. All wardrobes and chest of drawers etc should be clear. It’s not our responsibility to remove items from wardrobes.
- Cover: Any fish tanks and/or open water tanks.
- Treatment: To be completed with no occupants present and customers advised not to enter the property - approximately 4 hours after the treatment and air the property on return.
After Treatment Checklist
- Health and Safety. Do not: Enter treated areas until dry for as least 4 hours. You should open windows to allow the area to be fully ventilated for a further hour before entering the room. Please ensure there are no wet surfaces. After the spray treatment is completed do not let pets or children walk barefoot on the sprayed areas until dry as it can be a mild irritant while wet.
- Maintenance: You should not vacuum the area for 14 days (just before the second treatment and following the second treatment) . This will only result in removing the chemical residue. Avoid washing floor surfaces, especially the edges for at least 3 weeks after treatment, and do not steam clean carpets.
- DO NOT: Use other pest control chemicals (powders or sprays) or cleaning products anywhere near treatment areas, as this will decrease effectiveness.
- Routine: It's important to continue to sleep in your bedroom following the first and second treatments. As the host, bed bugs will continue to be drawn to you. If you remove yourself from the area, they will remain dormant and less likely to come into contact with the residual chemical.
- Bed Bug encasement: Following the first treatment , you should purchase bed bug mattress encasements. These should be thick enough so that bed bugs cannot bite through it and have tight zippers that the bugs cannot escape through. This will protect the entire mattress from being reinfested.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT BED BUGS WILL CONTINUE TO EMERGE, WHICH MAY RESULT IN OCCASIONAL BITES. AS THEY COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE CHEMICAL RESIDUE AND SLOWLY DIE OFF
Thanks
Thank you for checking out our resources
If we can help you with anything to do with pest control contact us today
