Treatment FAQ

what items need.removed.before bed bug heat treatment

by Zaria Block Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

BEFORE HEAT TREATMENT IS DONE:

  • Linens, Bedding need to be removed from the bed, cleaned and dried. Then continue heating the dried clothes for a...
  • Remove any Bed Bug Mattress Encasements from the beds to allow complete heat penetration.
  • Clothes that are stuffed tightly into a dresser or closet should be thinned out by removing some and following the exact...

Heat sensitive items should be clearly labeled and left inside the treatment area. Remove all pets and house plants (including fish aquariums). Remove all pressurized items – lighters, hairspray, fire extinguishers etc. Remove all flammables – fuel, alcohols, solvents, etc.Nov 22, 2015

Full Answer

Are you properly prepared for bed bug heat treatment?

Proper preparation is essential to a successful Bed Bug heat treatment. If you are not properly prepared your infestation will likely not be solved. 1. Clean up your property Clean up clutter. Vacuum rooms and beds thoroughly; empty and replace vacuum bags. If it's a bag less vacuum make sure you empty it outside and rinse the container throughly.

What should I do if I have bed bugs in my home?

Family heirlooms and irreplaceable items should be inspected and a determination made as to whether they should remain in the treatment area Bed bugs will often seek shelter within or under piles of clothing. Piles of clothing should be either hung up on hangers or spread out before the heat treatment commences.

Can you leave clothes in drawers after heat treatment for bed bugs?

To avoid re-introducing bed bugs, any clothing removed during heat treatment must be treated before being returned to the treated area. Loosely packed clothing may remain in dresser drawers and laundry baskets to avoid clutter on floor in small rooms. Clothing in drawers can be left in place.

What should I do with items taken out for heat treatment?

Any items (clothing, shoes, bags, valuables) taken out with occupant on day off heat treatment must be thoroughly inspected and/or sanitized before being reintroduced to treated area. Permanently dispose of all trash and unwanted items before treatment. Vacuum or sweep up dust/pet hair as they are hazardous to our equipment and personnel.

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What should you do before bed bug heat treatment?

DO turn off air conditioners, fans, and close windows. Before our professionals arrive at your house for your bed bug heat treatment, double-check that these items are turned off and closed.

Do I have to take all clothes out of house for heat treatment for bedbugs?

All boxes and other stored items must be removed from closet and placed in center of room. Excessive clutter and stored/boxed items restricts equipment placement, air movement and heat penetration and many times causes treatment failure.

Does bed bug heat treatment ruin electronics?

Talk with your technician They will be able to point out items of concern before they begin. Pro Tip: Heat treatment will not damage electronics. Bed bugs hide in electronics, so bringing them with you means you risk re-infecting your home.

Does bed bug heat treatment damage furniture?

The good news for you as a homeowner is that heat treatment for bed bugs when prepared for properly, will not cause any damage to your belongings, and unlike chemical removal, it doesn't leave any residue.

How long after bed bug treatment can I put my stuff back?

Keep all mattresses and pillows sealed for a full year after treatment, so any lingering bed bugs die of starvation. Don't enter your home or treated rooms for at least 4-5 hours after treatment.

What do you do with books after bed bug treatment?

Since bed bugs can be hard to see, lay the book against a white sheet or bathtub. It is possible that bed bugs may try to escape upon detection. To avoid migration, keep a vacuum and plastic bags close by. Seal infested books within a plastic bag immediately.

Will bed bug heat treatment damage DVDs?

Make sure these items are removed from any insect heat treatment prior to turning on the heaters. Moderately sensitive items can be damaged between 120°F and 140°F. Vinyl wallpaper, mini blinds, audio and video tapes and CDs/DVDs. Slightly sensitive items can be damaged between 140°F and 160°F.

Does heat treatment damage books?

The most effective way to remove bed bugs from books is to use heat. Temperatures higher than 118 degrees will kill bed bugs, while paper famously combusts at 451 degrees. Alternatives include using pesticide sprays, although these may damage the book, so heat is preferred.

How long does it take to heat treat a house for bed bugs?

Bed bugs ex- posed to 113°F will die if they receive constant exposure to that temperature for 90 minutes or more. However, they will die within 20 minutes if exposed to 118°F. Interestingly, bed bug eggs must be exposed to 118°F for 90 minutes to reach 100% mortality.

Does bed bug heat treatment shrink clothes?

Again, heat is a good thing, so you want to tumble-dry your clothes on whatever the highest heat level they can withstand is. Don't feel too bad if you have clothes that you can't dry on super high heat without worrying about them shrinking. It's likely that the high heat from the washing setting will have been enough.

What does bed bug heat treatment damage?

Heat treatment for bed bugs is very effective, however, it can potentially damage your home. Some examples of heat stress damage can include melting, breakage, cracking, drying, shrinking, as well as chemical alterations.

How do you cool a house after heat treatment?

We recommend opening up the room to cool it down once the treatment is complete, which should be 6-10 hours after starting. Open windows, doors, and any closed vents to lower the temperature of the room until it is tolerable and safe for people to be in.

What to do if you have bed bugs?

Ensure all bed bugs, larvae, and eggs are removed from the bed, frame and headboard. Place bed-bug-proof covers (often called encasements) or liners on your mattress and boxspring (available in home stores or online).

How to get rid of bed bugs on furniture?

Look for bed bugs, eggs, and other bed bug evidence (e.g., shed skins, hatched eggs) on furniture and remove--this will also help in evaluating treatment success. Seal the vacuum bag in a plastic bag. Place in trash outside.

How to prevent bed bugs from getting behind the plates?

Check electrical outlets and wall switches for evidence of bed bugs. Clean if needed. Tape or caulk the rims to prevent bed bugs from getting behind the plates.

How to kill bed bugs in a house?

Clean All Items Within a Bed-Bug-Infested Living Area. Heat treat clothing, bedding, and other items that can withstand a hot dryer (household dryer at high heat for 30 minutes), which will kill bed bugs and eggs. Washing alone might not do the job.

How to get rid of a bug in a plastic bag?

Place trash or other infested items directly into plastic trash bags. When full, immediately carry the bags to an outside bin. Get rid of excess magazines and newspapers. Keep clothing off the floor. Eliminate all cardboard boxes (the bugs can hide in the cardboard).

Can bed bugs be in the box spring?

Any bed bugs trapped inside will eventually starve to death, and other bed bugs won't be able to hide in the bed or box spring. Make sure all bedding is tucked under mattress and does not touch the floor. Place bed bug interceptors under each leg of the bed (available in home stores or online).

What to do with clothes taken out of day off heat?

Any items (clothing, shoes, bags, valuables) taken out with occupant on day off heat treatment must be thoroughly inspected and/or sanitized before being reintroduced to treated area. Permanently dispose of all trash and unwanted items before treatment. Completely remove litter boxes from the treatment area if present.

Where do bed bugs seek shelter?

Bed bugs will often seek shelter within or under piles of clothing. Piles of clothing should be either hung up on hangers or spread out before the heat treatment commences.

Do repellents kill bed bugs?

Repellent insecticides severely diminish the effectiveness of the treatment effort by driving bed bugs in to hard to treat areas such as under carpet pads and wall voids. Do not remove any thing from treatment area except for items in sealed garbage to be permanently removed.

How effective is heat treatment for bed bugs?

While heat treatments can be relatively effective in eliminating bed bugs from your home, we believe the drawbacks in many circumstances outweigh the benefits. Heat treatments can be construed as no-prep with the promise of leaving your belongings in place and positioned as a “safe” method. In reality, heat treatments are more of a “low-prep” option. A lot of these companies tell you that you don’t need to do anything before treatment, but then require you to “remove firearms, ammunition, medication, deodorant, hairspray, spray paint, paint thinners, candles, lip balm, make-up or thing things prone to melting,” as specifically indicated by a local pest control company referring to heat treatment prep. Some heating can break the sealing around windows can be destroyed which don’t show up until several years later. Companies specializing in heat treatments for bed bugs also typically say that your electronics will be safe from damage even though most everything else will not. This is because a room has to be 117-122 degrees Fahrenheit to kill off bed bugs. These companies claim the benefit of heat treatments with what they call “no-prep,” are a one and done solution and many not offer a guarantee after the service is provided. So it is very important to ask the company that is providing a bed bug heat treatment what their guarantee covers and how long the service is guaranteed.

How to get rid of bed bugs in my house?

Step 1: Don’t panic and start throwing away your furniture or spraying chemicals everywhere. Step 2: Call Cooper Pest Solutions. Step 3: Our customer service team will schedule one of our bed bug inspectors to visit your home for an inspection.

Why do bed bugs bounce back?

In cases like this, companies put their clients through bounce back due to spreading the bugs from do to excessive prep work (or lack of training), not because they are willingly trying to deceive the client.

What happens when a pest control company leaves bed bug service preparation in the hands of the client?

When a pest control company leaves bed bug service preparation in the hands of the client, a multitude of things can go wrong. Even when you diligently follow every step of the checklist that the pest control company provides, it’s incredibly easy for you to unknowingly make the situation much worse. It’s only natural that you will make some mistakes. Is it realistic that you are expected to thoroughly inspect the crevices in your couch, your kids’ toys, and electronics for bed bugs without being a bed bug specialist yourself? Something that’s simple for a pest control technician to do such as encase your mattress can be challenging for someone who is attempting to follow instructions and seeing a mattress encasement for the first time. This step is incredibly important to successful bed bug elimination because encasements create a barrier against new bed bugs. If this step goes even a little bit wrong, it may significantly impact the efficiency of the service.

Why do companies require you to prep a room before bed bug treatment?

If a company requires you to prep a room before bed bug treatments, it could be because they simply don’t know how to provide service the most efficient way. Increased profits. The less work that the technicians have to do, the less time they need to spend at your home. Getting you to prepare the room for treatment is one less thing they don’t have ...

What happens if you don't prepare your home for bed bug treatments?

If you do not prepare your home for bed bug treatments when required, the technicians that come to service your home will likely not do these things for you. This can result in mishandling of materials which could spread bed bugs throughout your home or destroy your bedding and belongings. Something as simple as flinging comforters ...

Why is encasement important for bed bugs?

This step is incredibly important to successful bed bug elimination because encasements create a barrier against new bed bugs. If this step goes even a little bit wrong, it may significantly impact the efficiency of the service. Most importantly by moving around items in the room you can disturb the bed bugs making the bed bug removal more ...

Bed Bug Heat Treatment Guide

Proper preparation is essential to a successful Bed Bug heat treatment. If you are not properly prepared your infestation will likely not be solved.

Things to do before your bed bug heat treatment

Clean up clutter. Vacuum rooms and beds thoroughly; empty and replace vacuum bags. If it's a bag less vacuum make sure you empty it outside and rinse the container throughly. Empty and remove all garbage from wastebaskets. Please seal up all trash and take out to the curb.

What to expect during your bed bug heat treatment

You will be given an appointment window on the day you schedule the service.

What to expect after a bed bug heat treatment

Do not re-enter property for a minim of 6 hours after service is complete. Your technician will have a specific re-entry time on the day of service.

Follow Up Treatment

We will schedule a spray treatment for your property to ensure all bed bugs, larvae and eggs are fully treated that could of possibly made it through the first service. This follow up treatment is what gets us such great results with our services.

What to expect after a bed bug follow up service

Avoid entering the treated areas for a minimum of 6 hours after treatment. Allow mattresses, box springs and other treated areas to dry before reassembling the room.

How to get rid of bedbugs in your house?

Store cleaned and dried items in plastic bags until your home has been treated and the bedbugs eliminated. Vacuum and wash all floors. To prevent bedbugs from escaping, be sure to place the vacuum bag into a plastic bag before disposing of it. Vacuum the mattress and box spring to remove live/dead bedbugs.

What items can't be washed?

Carefully inspect all Items that cannot be washed: books, electronics, picture frames, plastic toys , etc. If insecticides are going to be used, place children’s toys into plastic bags or storage bins (only if they are bedbug free).

How to wash clothes that can't be laundered?

Wash all clothing in hot water and then dry on the highest setting allowed for the clothing. Clothing that can’t be laundered and dried (including coats and jackets) can be dry‐cleaned or need to be inspected carefully.

Can bed bugs bite through a mattress?

If the mattress and box spring will be encased, be sure to use one that is bedbug proof. These encasements are thick enough so that bed bugs cannot bite through it and have tight zippers that the bugs cannot escape through. Vacuum couches, chairs and recliners thoroughly before treatment.

Can you move your bedbugs to another house?

Don’t move any of your belongings to another home during or before the treatment unless you know they are not infested. You might spread bedbugs to another home or to your car or workplace in a backpack or box and then re‐infest your home after it has been treated.

Can bed bugs be eliminated?

Bedbugs can be difficult to eliminate when they infest your home unless you do your part by cooperating with the pest control company . The following tips will help YOU and your pest management company get rid of bedbugs quickly:

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