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Discovering a bed bug infestation in your home can be a physically and psychologically traumatic experience. You must prepare your house carefully before you have a professional bed bug treatment to ensure the pests don't return. Start your bed bug treatment preparation by decluttering your home and throwing away anything you don't need. Avoid storing items outside your home because bed bugs could hide on them and return with the items. Then, give every item in your home a thorough cleaning, paying special attention to crevices where insects could hide. Move your bed and furniture away from walls to allow the treatment to reach all surfaces. Next, buy a mattress protector to encase your mattress and box spring and install them around those items. Then, wash all fabrics, including clothing, sheets, and drapes, in the hottest water possible and dry them in the hottest setting. Finally, be prepared to stay away from your home for a night after the treatment. If you need advice on eliminating a bed bug infestation read tips from my years as a pest control professional, please see this article: "How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs." Keep reading this article for a more detailed guide on preparing your home for a bed bug treatment. See also my article: "American Cockroach Information." Eliminate Clutter—A Bed Bug's Ideal Hiding Spot Bed bugs can hide in the tiniest places and reemerge after pest control treatment to reinfest your home. Eliminating all hiding places increases your chances of beating the bugs. When decluttering, prevent bed bug dispersion by not transferring items from infested zones to uninfested ones. Directly place trash or other infested articles into plastic trash bags, seal them as best as possible, and then get them away from your house. If storage is necessary, opt for plastic containers with tight seals. Dispose of items you no longer use, such as: Clothing Magazines and newspapers Cardboard containers bed bugs love hiding in cardboard) Furniture Clean Each Item In Your Home Any item in your living space could hide bed bugs. Examine everything you have for bed bugs or eggs and wipe them down with a cleaner. Some items to pay extra attention to are: Furniture- Check upholstery seams and the nooks and crannies for bed bugs. Baseboards- Wipe down molding grooves. You may have to remove some trim pieces to clean behind them. Outlets and Light Switch Covers - Remove these covers and clean them behind them. Carpets and Rugs - Vacuum your carpets and quickly dispose of the contents in a sealed plastic bag. If rugs fit in the washing machine, wash them in the hottest setting. All your clothing, linens, drapes, blankets, and other cloth items should be washed in the hottest water that won't damage them. Then, dry them in the hottest setting. After cleaning items, place them in sealable plastic containers to prevent re-infestation. You can keep them in the same room where they can undergo further bed bug treatment from professionals. Isolate Your Bed Getting your bed ready for extermination can greatly increase your chances of success. Position your bed with a minimum 6-inch gap from the wall and comb over it, picking off and killing all bed bugs, larvae, and eggs from the bed, frame, and headboard. Use bedbug-proof covers or liners for your mattress and box spring. Some tips to ensure these covers do their job are: Choose liners with fully closing zippers. They should be durably constructed to last at least a year. Bed bugs within the liner shouldn't be able to escape and will eventually starve. The liner should stop any bed bugs outside the cover from taking refuge within the bed or box spring. Make sure all bedding is neatly tucked beneath the mattress, avoiding contact with the floor. Install bed bug interceptors beneath each bed leg that ensnare any insects attempting to climb them. Initially, inspect them daily, then plan on utilizing the interceptors for at least a year—crucial for your post-control monitoring. Clear out the area beneath the bed completely. Store items in the same room to prevent the infestation from spreading. What Happens When An Exterminator Comes For Bed Bugs? Exterminators and pest control companies may employ several treatment methods to eliminate bed bugs from your residence or property. Their treatments almost always necessitate vacating the premises. The two most common bed bug extermination methods are heat treatment and chemical fumigation: What To Expect From Heat Treatment to Eliminate Bed Bugs One method for eradicating bed bugs involves heating items to 120°F - 150°F, killing the insects and their eggs. Some pest control experts will heat your entire residence, while others will set up portable heat chambers over the furniture or areas affected by bed bug infestations. These chambers are sizeable insulated boxes with zippered closures, effectively enclosing the space or furniture. The exterminator then pumps heated air into the chamber, effectively localizing the heat around the infested area. Preparing Your Home For Bed Bug Heat Treatment Generally, you want the heat to penetrate each item in your home. Therefore, try to space your things out and don't stack or pack things tightly. Unplug all your electronics; they have a high chance of harboring bed bugs and shouldn't be damaged by high temperatures if unplugged. Remove any items that could melt, catch fire or explode, including: Pressurized cylinders Firearms and Ammo Paints Vinyl records Adhesives Cigarette lighters Flammable Chemicals Soft Vinyl Items Rubberized Prosthetic Devices Audio and Videotapes Computer software Stick deodorants Soaps CDs and DVDs Vinyl Window Blinds Wine or Alcohol Medical Braces Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, etc. (Can be kept in refrigerator) Wax Items Crayons Chocolate Lipsticks Creams and Lotions Medications Carbonated beverages Artificial sweeteners Vitamins and other Olefin Carpet Pets and house plants should be removed before heat treatment. Everyone needs to stay out of the house for 12 hours or more. Preparing For Bed Bug Fumigation Treatment Exterminators will disperse pesticides that target bed bugs around your home during treatment. You can move furniture away from walls to help the chemicals reach all the bed bug-hiding spots. Take your pets somewhere safe during fumigation and cover aquariums with plastic. Also, sensitive plants may need to be protected, but many will be fine because the pesticides don't target plants. It's critical to have somewhere to stay during fumigation and to sleep somewhere else. Your home might require two or more fumigations to irradicate a bedbug infestation. What To Do With Books During Bed Bug Treatment First, carefully inspect your books for any signs of bed bugs or eggs, and isolate the infested books in sealed plastic bags. Next, remove all books from shelves and storage areas, placing them in a separate, well-sealed area away from the treatment zone. Consider treating the stored books with heat by placing them in an oven on low heat (around 120°F) for a few hours. Alternatively, freezing the books below 0°F for a few days eliminates bed bugs. After the treatment is complete and your living space is declared bed bug-free, carefully inspect the stored books before returning them to their original locations. Wipe down the shelves and storage areas to ensure they are clean and free from bed bug remnants. Do You Have To Leave The House During Bed Bug Treatment? No matter which bed bug treatment you choose, you must leave your house while the professionals are working. Either extreme heat or pesticides aren't safe to be around, and you normally have to stay away for 12 hours to one day. Where To Stay During Bed Bug Treatment Avoid staying with neighbors or relatives while undergoing bed bug treatment. This could infest their homes, and you risk taking the insects back to your house. Renting a hotel might be your best option, but you should ensure they don't have bed bugs that could hitchhike home with you. Bring heat-treated and sealed clothes, or buy a new pair of clothes to change into. Then, heat treats the clothing you came in or throw them away. These steps give you the best chance of eliminating bed bugs once and for all. How Do You Prepare Shoes For Bed Bug Treatment? Shoes are a perfect hiding place for bed bugs, and you might want to treat them individually before your main treatment to ensure your infestation subsides. To treat your shoes for bed bugs, take a few steps, including: Cleaning: Wipe them down with a damp cloth. Emptying Contents: Remove insoles or inserts and consider throwing them away if you can replace them. Isolation: Place your shoes in individual sealable plastic bags. This helps prevent bed bugs from entering or escaping your shoes during treatment. Heat Treatment: First, ensure your shoes are oven-safe and won't be damaged by the heat. Then, put them in an oven at a low temperature from 120 to 150°F for several hours. Freezing: If heat treatment isn't suitable, you can freeze your shoes. Seal them in plastic bags and place them in a freezer at temperatures below 0°F for a few days. Protective Storage: After treatment, store your shoes in sealed plastic bags or containers until the bed bug treatment is complete. Avoid placing them back in infested areas until you're sure the bed bug problem has been resolved.

Pure Pest Control

How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs – The Ultimate Guide!

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