Good preparation helps a bed bug treatment work, and bad preparation can spread the bugs. Get your provider’s written list first. Then bag laundry where it is, clear access to beds and furniture, and leave everything else alone. Do not carry infested items through the house or throw out your bed before an inspection.
This guide covers the common core of preparation for UK homes. Your provider’s list always wins where the two differ.
Ask for the written list first
Preparation depends on the method, because each one reaches bugs differently. A council that sprays insecticide asks for different things from a company that uses heat. For example, one London council tells residents to empty bedrooms, strip beds and move furniture off the walls. It says treatment cannot go ahead without that work.
Heat adds extra steps. Aerosols, batteries, candles, medicines and some electronics may need special handling. Our heat treatment guide explains why. Chemical work has its own rules on re-entry and cleaning, which our insecticides guide covers. So ask what your method needs before you touch anything.
Do not spread the bugs
Moving things around is the biggest preparation mistake. Purdue University’s extension service advises against removing items from infested rooms before treatment. Doing so increases the chance of spreading bed bugs to other rooms and homes. Work inside the room instead, and keep everything you bag in that room until it has been processed.
This is also why you should not buy a new bed yet. Purdue advises keeping mattresses and furniture until a pest controller has inspected them, because they often do not need replacing. A new mattress bought too soon can be infested again.
Wash, dry and bag textiles
Laundry is the part you can control best, since it happens in your own home. The NHS advises washing affected bedding and clothing at 60°C and tumble drying on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes. Items that cannot be washed can go into a plastic bag and then the freezer for two to three weeks. Our post on whether freezing kills bed bugs looks at that advice in more detail.
Once an item is clean, seal it in a bag straight away. Purdue’s guidance is to store dried items in sealable or tightly secured bags. Label them “done” so nobody mixes them with untreated laundry. Keep the bags closed until your provider says they can come out.
Clear access, not the whole room
Treatment only works where it can reach. Prepare the room so the provider can get to the places bugs hide:
- Pick up everything from the floor.
- Empty drawers, bedside tables and wardrobes, and bag the contents.
- Move furniture away from the walls. Purdue says at least two feet.
- Strip the beds and stand the mattress and base on their sides if the provider asks.
- Roll up rugs and leave them where they can be treated.
- Clear skirting boards so they can be cleaned or treated.
Good access also helps heat. In room tests, researchers found that containing and circulating the heat were crucial to an efficient treatment. Moving furniture off the walls helps air reach more surfaces. If you plan to use steam on a mattress, ask the provider first, because wet cleaning can strip residual products from surfaces.
Vacuum with care
Purdue recommends vacuuming floors, mattresses, upholstery and curtains, with extra attention to creases, buttons and folds. Afterwards, seal the vacuum bag or canister contents in a plastic bag and put it in an outside bin. Wash a bagless canister in hot soapy water.
However, timing matters. The same London council tells residents not to vacuum between its two visits, or for up to four weeks after the last one. The likely reason is that residual spray needs to stay in place. So vacuum only when your provider’s list says so. Our after-treatment guide explains what to clean and what to leave.
Protect people and pets
Specifically, tell the provider about allergies, chemical sensitivities, breathing problems, pregnancy and anyone who is frail or very young. Purdue strongly recommends that small children, elderly people, people with breathing problems and pets leave during treatment. It suggests staying away for at least four hours or until the product has dried. The London council asks you to stay out of the room for two hours after the insecticide has dried. Different products have different rules, so follow the label and the provider. Our safety and labels guide explains how to read them.
Avoid applying your own products beforehand unless your provider agrees. HSE says members of the public should never use biocidal products meant only for professionals, and should keep every product out of reach of children and pets.
What happens next
Preparation does not end when the provider leaves. Keep bagged items sealed until you are told otherwise. A mattress encasement may help you contain bugs in the bed, and interceptor traps can show whether activity is falling. Also read how long after treatment bed bugs die, because, as the London council stresses, bed bugs do not go away immediately after treatment.
If the job feels too big, say so. Our DIY guide lists signs that you should ask for professional help, and the treatment comparison shows which methods need the least preparation.
Sources
- Purdue University Extension Entomology. Preparing for conventional bed bug treatment.
- Haringey Council. Bed bugs pest control.
- NHS. Bedbugs: how to get rid of them.
- Pereira RM, Koehler PG, Pfiester M, Walker W (2009). Lethal effects of heat and use of localized heat treatment for control of bed bug infestations. Journal of Economic Entomology.
- HSE. Using biocides: overview.