How Do I Prepare for a Bed Bug Treatment?

A: The following Bed Bug Treatment document and checklist are designed to ensure you receive the most out of your Bed bug treatment. Contact us if you have further questions regarding Bed bugs or treatment preparedness.

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PREPARING FOR YOUR BED BUG TREATMENT | BED BUG EXTERMINATION SERVICE

Proper preparation is essential for ensuring the most effective results from your upcoming Bed Bug Exterminating service. Imperial Pest Prevention will provide detailed instructions on what to do before your scheduled Bed Bug treatment in the following document. Preparation involves providing adequate access to your unit or property for cleaning and post-treatment recommendations. We understand that appropriate preparation can be challenging to achieve quickly and that senior citizens or disabled individuals may need additional assistance and time considerations For the Bed Bug Pest Control service. 

Please note: Imperial Pest Prevention will not guarantee any Bed Bug Pest Control treatment to any structure that has not met the preparations in this instructional document.

 

PACKING AND FURNITURE PREPARATION

All furniture should be removed from the walls and baseboards at least 2 feet. It is common for items that could provide hiding places for bed bugs, such as bookcases and desks, to empty their contents and remain empty for treatment. Items previously stored in sealed containers may remain unopened.

• 1. Lift mattresses and box springs from the bed frame and stand them against a wall.

• 2. Empty closets of remaining (un-laundered) items and stored items, place them in plastic bags and move them to the living room center.

• 3. Remove contents from dressers and nightstands so that the interiors may be treated. Items should be placed in plastic bags and moved to the center of the living room.

• 4. Remove books from the shelving and place them in boxes in the living room center.

• 5. Remove all pictures, mirrors, and hanging items from the walls so we may inspect them before treatment.

• 6. Open any sleeper sofas, futons, or convertible beds for treatment.

Please note: All homes or apartment/condo units with excess clutter will NOT be treated. A thorough and successful Bed Bug treatment cannot be achieved while excess clutter and an untidy home. Once the clutter has been removed, your Bed Bug treatment can be rendered.

 

LAUNDERING

Everything that can be laundered should be laundered and placed in clean/new plastic bags or plastic containers and sealed before the Bed Bug treatment. The list of items that should be laundered is at the end of this document and includes drapes, stuffed animals, bed skirts, etc.

1. Launder all items (including linens and bedding) according to the manufacturer's label; however, use the highest allowable heat settings in the washer and drier. Temperatures reaching 140 degrees (or above) have been proven to kill all stages of bed bug development.

2. Bags used to transport laundry before the washing/drying cycles should never be reused and discarded outside the property after transportation. All clean items should be placed in new bags and sealed tightly during treatment.

3. items that cannot be washed but dried in the dryer at a high heat temperature should be for a minimum of 30 minutes. Discard debris collected in the lint trap after each cycle.

4. Items that cannot be laundered should be taken to the dry cleaner.

 

Vacuuming

The mechanical removal of bed bugs by vacuuming is essential to preparing for treatment. A crevice attachment is imperative to access bed bugs hiding inside mattress seams, furniture interiors, baseboards, and any place that could accommodate them.

1. Vacuum floors, carpets, and area rugs

2. Vacuum mattresses, including all crevices, handles, or buttons 

3. Vacuum the baseboards, bed frame, sofas, futons, recliners, and other over-stuffed and upholstered furniture

4. Discard all vacuum bags immediately after each use

 

Disposal of Furniture

There are differing opinions about whether it is necessary to dispose of mattresses, box springs, futons, sofas, and other furniture. The cost of replacing beds and other furniture is to consider when deciding what works for you. Replacing these items alone will not solve a bed bug problem. The decision to replace the bed unit and other furniture often depends on the condition and the level of infestation within the items, the owner's comfort, and whether the owner can afford a replacement. Imperial Pest Prevention recommends the installation of a Bed Bug mattress encasement. Any need to discard the mattress and box spring is often eliminated once treated and covered by a high-quality Bed Bug mattress encasement. An Imperial Pest Prevention representative takes accurate measurements, and the encasement covers are typically installed during the initial treatment. The mattress and box spring encasement will further reduce the likelihood that Bed Bugs will continue to live upon the mattress and box spring.

 

If You Decide to Throw Out Your Furniture

Deface or otherwise damage any furniture items so others will not use them. Mattresses should be slashed or otherwise damaged to make them unusable and wrapped in plastic before being removed from the bedroom. *Note: moving beds without completely enclosing the mattress and box spring in plastic may spread the infestation by allowing eggs, bed bug nymphs, and adult bed bugs to drop from the item as it is moved, resulting in the need for additional Bed Bug Treatments. 

 

Post Treatment

Once the initial Bed Bug Exterminator treatment service has been completed, we recommend staying out of the treated home or unit for at least four hours. This allows for an appropriate time for the materials to dry completely. Only after four hours should you, your children, and your pets resume residence in the home or apartment. From this point forward, you may carry on with your normal household activities; however, to prevent the need to repeat many of the steps necessary to prepare for your follow-up Bed Bug treatment, we do recommend that you not move your furniture and items back into place if at all possible. In most cases, a follow-up Bed Bug treatment has already been scheduled for you and generally will fall within 2-3 weeks from the initial treatment. We do understand that thorough preparation may present a considerable hardship for some. Still, we cannot stress its importance on the overall effectiveness of Bed Bug treatment. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding the content included in this preparation guideline or the following checklist. We are here for you!

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All content related to the Imperial Pest Prevention Bed Bug web page and PDF Bed Bug Preparation Sheets has been handwritten in natural form by Entomologist Jonathan Stoddard with references from the US National Library of Medicine.
National Institutes of Health and is copyrighted.