How to Get Ready for Your Bed Bug Service Visit
Bed bugs are tough to control. They hide in many places…in beds, closets, furniture, behind pictures, in tiny cracks in the wall… so inspections and treatments must be thorough. Pest control technicians need your cooperation in order to control bed bugs successfully.
Before technicians can treat your home, you must prepare your home for service. Here’s how:
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Strip your beds
- Remove all sheets, blankets, mattress covers, pillowcases, etc. from your beds and wash. Fold them and place them in plastic garbage bags. Do not put them back on the bed until the evening after pest control service.
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| Strip your beds of sheets, blankets, mattress covers, etc. | A cluttered closet makes it impossible to control bed bugs |
| Photos © Pinto & Associates |
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Remove everything from bedroom and hall closets
- Your closets must be empty. Empty all dresser drawers and night stand drawers. Take everything out of nightstands and other furniture near the beds. Dresser drawers and nightstands must be empty. Remove all clothing, toys, boxes, etc. from bedroom floors. Place items in the living room.
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Wash ALL clothing, towels, and other linens
- This means everything… and place the clean items inside plastic storage bins or plastic garbage bags. Store them in the living room until after treatment.
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Vacuum
- Vacuum floors, furniture, and inside closets, dresser drawers, and bedstands. Also vacuum mattresses and box springs. Dispose of vacuum bag.
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Provide access for pest control technician
- Make sure the technician can get into all closets. If possible, move bedroom furniture away from walls so there is a 3 foot space between the furniture and walls.
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Avoid contact with insecticide until dry
- Make sure there are no animals or people in the apartment during treatment and for at least 2 hours afterwards (check with the pest control technician for the exact time).
Be sure to check out the following pages that also provide bed bug information for apartment residents: