Bed bugs are not the kind of pests you can easily eliminate on your own. You may want to get the pest control experts in — for professional and thorough bed bug treatment. Even though the pest control professionals will do everything for you, it is still good practice to make their jobs easier by preparing for the bed bug treatment. So, how do you prepare for bed bug treatment?
Why you should prepare for bed bug treatment
- You can unknowingly spread bed bugs. It’s not uncommon to get bed bugs from college dorms, hotels, and even workplaces. Bed bugs just spread easily. If your mattress is infested with bed bugs, you can easily spread the infestation to different parts of your home. You want to make preparations for the bed bug treatment to somehow control the infestation to a specific part of your property.
- Bed bug treatments can be health risks. It’s not surprising to know that chemicals meant to kill pests can be harmful to humans too. Bed bug pesticides have ingredients that can be considered toxic to humans. There are hundreds of approved bed bug pesticides out there, and their ingredients can have low, moderate, or high toxicity to humans and pets. Without preparation, you may be putting yourself at more risk.
- You want the bed bug treatment to be effective. Bed bugs are not known to spread diseases. But their presence can still lead to itching, scratching, and eventually, infections. They are also outright disgusting because they leave blood, carcasses, and fecal matter wherever they are. You want to prepare for bed bug treatment to ensure its effectiveness. You don’t want these pests in your home very long.
How to prepare for bed bug treatment
1. Inform the property owner
The very first thing you should do is to inform the property owner regarding the bed bug infestation. They deserve to know the condition of their property. They may also be able to help you. In fact, they may even be obligated to do so.
Landlords are required to make their rental properties to be livable. They may even be required to pay for the pest control professionals that will handle the infestation on the property. If you are renting, you may even be able to renegotiate payments.
2. It’s best to call the pest control professionals for bed bug treatment
You can’t just DIY your way out of some pest infestations, like those from bed bugs and termites. These pests are just too resilient to eliminate without the proper experience, knowledge, and tools. It’s best to let pest control professionals handle them.
Some bed bug pesticides are highly toxic, so they are only approved for use by real and licensed pest control professionals. If you are looking for people that can eliminate the bed bugs on your property, make sure they are legitimate.
3. Vacuum all surfaces
Bed bug infestations involve live bed bugs, carcasses, eggs, and fecal matter. You can manually get rid of some of these with a vacuum cleaner. And no, bed bugs are not just found in mattresses. They can be found in a variety of places around your home, including upholstered chairs and sofas, cabinets, carpets, and even walls.
After vacuuming all surfaces, make sure to throw away the contents of the vacuum cleaner in a garbage can outside your home. This is to prevent any live bed bugs and eggs from getting back into your property.
4. Avoid moving items to different rooms
Bed bugs can thrive not just in big items like mattresses and other furniture. They can thrive just as well in smaller items like bags and stuffed toys. It’s actually common to get bed bugs in your luggage when you are traveling and unknowingly bring these bed bugs to your home.
When your property is about to undergo bed bug treatment, make sure to avoid moving items from room to room. You may end up spreading bed bugs all over your home instead of containing the infestation in a smaller area.
5. Put small items in containers
Avoid leaving small items out in the open if you don’t want to expose them to bed bug pesticides. In the kitchen, the items on top of your countertops and refrigerators come to mind. In the bedroom, the items on top of bedside tables and cabinets are things you should consider putting away. And there are the hygiene items like shampoos and soaps in the bathroom. Don’t forget the living room too – the items on top of cabinets, chairs, and sofas.
Put them in containers where you can isolate them and protect them from bed bug pesticides.
6. Leave items that seem to have bed bugs
Only store the items that seem clear of bed bugs. If you suspect that they have bed bugs in them, leave them so they get exposure to the bed bug pesticides. But how do you know if the items have bed bugs in them? Look for the signs of bed bug infestations – live bed bugs, carcasses, eggs, and fecal matter.
7. Wash all fabrics
Vacuuming is not the only way you can help get rid of bed bugs. Washing all fabrics can go a long way too. Bed bugs easily die in water because they are not good swimmers. And in the unlikely chance that they survive the tumbling water in your washing machine, they will still likely die from the heat.
Wash everything you can wash in a hot setting in your washing machine, including bed sheets, blankets, pillowcases, clothes, and curtains. After laundering these items, isolate them by putting them in a plastic bag or container.
8. Don’t forget about plants and pets
You should not be at home when your property is undergoing bed bug treatment. But don’t forget about your plants and pets. Animals are just as vulnerable to the toxicity of bed bug pesticides, so you should surely bring them with you. On the other hand, your plants can stay. But this doesn’t mean you can just leave them behind without any kind of preparation. You can put them away from walls and windows where they can get too much exposure from the pesticides.
9. Coordinate with your pest control professionals
Bed bug treatments can take weeks. They involve multiple sessions to maximize their effectiveness. The biggest factors to consider here are the severity of the infestation, the reach of the pesticides, and the resistance of the bed bugs.
During sessions, you want to be out of your home for a few hours. And if you have vulnerable people in your household, like babies, elders, and pregnant women, you may want to extend those hours more. It’s important to coordinate with your pest control professionals to work out these details.
Preparing for bed bug treatment shouldn’t be complicated
You should prepare for bed bug treatment to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the whole process. It’s particularly important to make preparations if there are vulnerable people in your home, such as babies, elders, and pregnant women.
If you don’t prepare, you may be putting everyone in your home at risk of bed bug pesticide toxicity. But the good news is that preparing for bed bug treatment isn’t complicated at all.