Exterminating bed bugs requires the combined efforts of both homeowners and bed bug professionals. Homeowners play an important role in this process by turning the home into the ideal environment to receive chemical or heat treatment. In this article, we’ll teach you how to prepare for bed bug treatment and guide you through each step of the way.
How to Prepare For Bed Bug Treatment
Preparation is key to success in getting rid of bed bugs. Here’s what you should do as soon as you detect bed bugs in your home or apartment:
- If you live in a rented property, your first step should be to notify your landlord before contacting a pro or attempting home remedies. If you live in a building with other housing units, an infestation that affects your home will likely affect other apartments as well.
The landlord should notify you when the professional treatment will be done; then you can start your preparations. Remember to let them know if you have pets or small children and check with the company for how you should prepare, since the instructions may differ slightly from company to company. - If you own your home, contact at least three pest control companies for quotes and treatment options. Treatment approaches as well as costs will likely vary by company, so having several options and opinions will help you decide on the best course of action for your home.
Now the process of preparing for the bed bug treatment starts. However, it’s important to note that this process varies depending on whether your home will receive a heat treatment or a chemical treatment. Let’s discuss how to prepare for each of these cases.
How to Prepare For Bed Bug Chemical Treatment
Although company protocol may vary slightly, there are some general guidelines on how to prepare your house for a chemical bed bug treatment, which usually involves spraying affected areas in your home.
Use the following steps as a general checklist on how to prepare for a chemical treatment:
- Declutter: Get rid of old magazines, bags, newspapers, all cardboard boxes (where bed bugs can hide), and excessive clothing items. Don’t move any items from the infested area to other non-infested areas. Instead, double-seal them in a plastic bag and throw away what is disposable in an outside bin.
You can separate the items that you want to keep. Clothing items should be washed and dried on high heat (we’ll delve into that further on). Ask the company if other items that you want to keep can be treated. - Store loose items and food: Store loose items that aren’t infested and cannot be washed in closed drawers or plastic storage containers. In the bathroom, remove toilet paper, shampoo, and other items from the top of the furniture.
Prepare the kitchen for bed bug treatment by clearing all countertops and removing any loose items from the top of other kitchen apparatus. Keep food and kitchen utensils in closed cupboards and drawers. - Move the furniture: Move your bed at least 6 inches from the wall and other furniture items at least 2 feet away from the walls to ensure the pros will have free access to walls and baseboards.
- Vacuum: After moving the furniture and decluttering, vacuum all surfaces in the infested area with a strong suction vacuum. Include mattresses and couches, the walls and picture frames hanging on them, the floor, and baseboards. Pay special attention to the couch seams and any cracks and crevices you can find.
Remove the vacuum bag and seal it in another plastic bag before putting it in a trash container outside the home. - Isolate the beds: Keep new bed bugs from climbing up by isolating the beds. Protect the mattress and the box springs with a bed-bug-proof encasement. Tuck in the bedding to keep it from touching the floor. Place bed bug interceptors under each leg. You can buy those online or make your own bed bug traps.
- Wash and dry on high heat: Collect all washable clothing or fabric items around the house, such as clothing items, rugs, pillowcases, sheets, and curtains, in a plastic bag. Transfer them to the washing machine and wash them with hot water. Seal the used bags inside new ones and throw them in the trash.
Dry all items on the highest heat setting for at least 30 minutes. Keep the freshly dried items in new plastic bags until the treatment is done. Wait until after the home is treated to return the items to their places. Jackets or other clothing that can’t be laundered should be dry-cleaned to kill bed bugs or steamed and inspected carefully. - Get rid of their habitats: Bed bugs hide in cracks, crevices, or anywhere a playing card can pass through. After vacuuming, caulk crevices around baseboards and the rims of electric outlets to prevent bed bugs from getting behind the plates. Also, fix any loose wallpaper.
Pro tip: If you need to dispose of a large furniture item, seal it in plastic, destroy it, or spray “bed bugs” with paint to prevent it from getting picked up on the street and reused, which would spread the infestation to other households. A pro can help you determine if the item can be safely treated or if it needs to be disposed of.
To offer a visual aid, here is a video showing how homeowners can prepare for a chemical bug treatment:
What About Children, Pets, and Plants?
All pets, people with breathing problems, pregnant women, or babies under 18 months should be kept away from the home for at least 12 hours after chemical treatment. Plants can stay, just make sure to move them away from windows and walls.
If your kids have plastic toys, place them inside plastic bags or plastic container boxes so they won’t come in direct contact with the insecticides.
How to Prepare For Bed Bug Heat Treatment
Heat treatment is regarded as one of the best non-chemical methods of treating bed bugs. This kind of treatment relies on exposing the bed bugs to high temperatures. It should not be attempted by yourself as it requires specialized training and should only be conducted by professional bed bug exterminators.
Check with your hired company for specifications on how to prepare or in case you have questions about their instructions. Here are general guidelines on how you can prepare your apartment for a bed bug heat treatment:
- Leave clothing items: With heat treatments, the loose items you would be asked to store (like books, toys, your clothes, and other belongings) before chemical treatments can be left to be exposed to the heat.
Arrange clothes on hangers with 1/2 inch of distance from one another so the air can circulate. Loosely place them in drawers and shelves. If you don’t have enough space, place them in laundry baskets with an open weave. - Keep food in the refrigerator: Fresh food or any food items that can melt or be spoiled by the heat should be stored in the refrigerator. Medications and small items that can melt, such as wax figurines and candles, should also be kept in the refrigerator or taken out of the home.
- Unplug any electronics: For heat treatments, leave your belongings in place, just make sure to unplug all electronics from electrical outlets.
- Remove wall-mounted articles: Since the equipment used in heat treatments is heavy and cumbersome, remove anything that is hanging on walls (like knickknack shelves or picture frames) to prevent damage. Oil paintings should also be removed since they can melt from the heat.
- Gather pressurized and flammable materials: Aerosols, sprays, canned drinks (like beers and wine), or flammable materials like alcohol, lamp fuel, solvents, and lighters should be gathered and kept in a box marked with “do not heat” by the entry door, which will be removed during treatment by the pros. Some companies may ask you to remove the items yourself.
- Set aside musical instruments or irreplaceable items: Stringed musical instruments such as guitars and violins and old items like irreplaceable family heirlooms can be damaged by heat. Soft plastic items can also be included, such as plastic blinds. Remove them from the house or set those aside along with the “do not heat” box. Check which is preferred by the company.
- Place CDs and videocassettes in the bathroom: The bathroom is usually the last place to be treated, so the items won’t be exposed to excessive heat.
- Empty air beds and water beds: If you have air mattresses or water beds, make sure to empty them before treatment.
- Store loose papers in a box: Because heat treatment involves the use of large fans, store all loose papers like magazines and newspapers in drawers or a box.
- Remove all pets and plants: While some companies may ask you to remove pets and plants by yourself, others will ask you to indicate if you have fish, tortoises, or hamsters so they can place them in safety during the treatment.
- Wash and dry the clothes you’re wearing: Since the only items left untreated will be the clothes you’ll be wearing the moment you leave the home, wash and dry them on high heat to prevent reinfesting your home.
Here is a video with step-by-step guidance on how to prepare your home for a heat treatment:
FAQ About How to Prepare For Bed Bug Treatment
What Should I Do With My Area Rug?
You can prepare your area rug for bed bug treatment by washing it in the washing machine with hot water. If your rug can’t go into the washing machine, drying for 30 minutes on high heat or steaming it will do the trick. This also works for stuffed animals, curtains, or pillows.
What to Do After a Bed Bug Treatment?
After bed bug treatments, procedures will differ:
- After a bed bug heat treatment: You’ll notice some items out of place, which is part of the normal protocol since pros will have to move items to evenly distribute the heat.
Your home will still be warm, so open windows (if temperatures outside are not too cold) and turn on fans to regulate the temperature. Don’t turn on air conditioners until temperatures have lowered significantly. - After a bed bug chemical treatment: Do not wash floors or windows for two weeks; only vacuum or sweep the floors daily for the first week. Put your clean clothes back in place.
Will The Bed Bugs Instantly Die After a Treatment?
If a heat treatment is used, most bed bugs will die within 20 minutes under 118 degrees, and the eggs die within 90 minutes. For chemical treatments, it can take longer, up to two weeks. Since some chemicals don’t kill bed bug eggs, retreatment might be necessary to get rid of newly hatched nymphs.
Find a Pro Near You
Getting rid of bed bugs is a team effort, and finding the right company to work with can guarantee your success on this journey. That’s why Pest Gnome is here to connect you to the best pros in your area. Get in touch with a local termite pro and find your perfect teammate for the match against bed bugs.
Main Image Credit: AndreyPopov / Canva Pro / License
Editorial Contributors
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Teresa Joaquim
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Teresa is a creative writer who holds a Master's degree in Psychology. Despite being a nature lover, she is terrified of cockroaches. As a native of the tropics, she is used to dealing with mosquitoes, although they still manage to bother her. Her favorite things are art, music, and playing with her two cats.
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Sarah Bahr
Editor
Sarah is a writer who has previously worked in the lawn care industry. In her spare time, she likes to garden, create mosquito traps out of five-gallon buckets, and use chickens for pest control in the backyard.
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