You Have Bed Bugs. What should you do to prepare to have them treated?

In order to provide effective treatment, there is work you (the customer) must do in order to ensure this treatment works the first time.

Below is a list of steps you should have done prior to our arrival:

• Remove all clothing, bedding, pillows, mattress covers, stuffed animals, and anything cloth from the area to be treated. These items should be placed in trash bags and taken to a commercial laundry, washed in hot water, and dried on high heat. Throw these bags away! They can contain bed bugs. DO NOT put the items back in the same bags you brought them in. That will result in re-contamination of these items. Using CLEAN bags, spray the interior of the bag with spray disinfectant and put your items inside. Keep all of these away from the premises until after your treatment has been completed.
• All dressers and nightstands are to be empty, and drawers pulled out and ready for treatment. The closets should be void of all clutter.
• The floor should be void of all clutter and thoroughly vacuumed prior to our treatment.
• All open food items must be either removed or placed in air-tight containers to avoid contamination.
• Be prepared to vacate your home for a minimum of 2 hours after the treatment has been completed. The treatment normally lasts approximately 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size, so you are looking at 4-5 hours of not being able to enter your home. All pets must be removed. If you have a fish tank, the filter, and air pump must be unplugged and covered.
• Upon completion and after 2 hours has lapsed, enter the home and open the windows to let it air out for a half hour. Before bringing in any of the removed items, vacuum thoroughly in every room, wipe down countertops and any flat surface of residue, and mop hard floor surfaces.
• It is recommended that you vacuum at least once a day for the next two weeks and empty/remove the debris from the vacuum and dispose of it outside of your home.
• Spray disinfectant should be used on mattresses and bedding at least once a week thereafter. It is a viable deterrent to future bed bug infestations.