Watch out for these bugs! Prepare your home to have these bugs removed
Over the past couple of years, the number of bed bug calls received by our Sacramento pest control company have more than tripled, as the prevalence of this once-nearly eradicated pest has snowballed across the country. In order to provide the most effective bed bug treatment for our customers, our team of pest control professionals has been attending training seminars, reading and researching the latest and best bed bug extermination and prevention methods and prodUcts. Earth Guard Pest Services owner Dave Picton has even become something of a bed bug expert!
But our best bed bug treatment technology will take us only so far. We also must rely on our customers to do their part, by preparing their homes or commercial buildings in advance of our professional pest control treatment.
Don’t panic! Bed bugs are more resilient and resistant than any other pest! Preparation for bed bug treatment is labor-intensive, time-consuming hard work—and usually must be repeated more than once. But rigorous preparation is the best way to ensure the best chance for successful treatment.
Of course we hope you will choose Earth Guard Pest Services as your professional pest control provider. But if you have selected a different company, or if you live outside of our five-county Greater Sacramento service area, we’re still happy to pass along this checklist we use to help our customers prepare to help ensure you the most effective bed bug treatment results possible. Your pest control professional will probably have his or her own list for you, and it’s important to follow those instructions closely.
Most importantly—please obtain bed bug treatment services from a Certified Pest Control Professional—this is no job for do-it-yourselfers, and you’re likely to make the problem worse if you try!
Before your pest control professional arrives:
1) Remove all bed linens from the beds in each bedroom that will receive treatment. Place them in sealed plastic bags or sealed plastic bins until each piece can be laundered. Launder them as soon as possible in HOT water and dry on a HOT dryer setting, and store laundered linens in new sealed plastic bags or bins until they can be replaced on beds.
2) Remove the mattress and box springs from the bed frames in each of the bedrooms that will be treated and stand them up against a wall.
3) Carefully measure your mattress and box springs—length, width and height–and record the dimensions. Your pest control professional will provide you with sealed liners to encase your mattress and box springs following treatment.
4) Disassemble bed frames for inspection and treatment.
5) Remove the tacking (fabric cover) from the bases of box spring, sofas and chairs.
6) Remove all drapes and curtains and place them in sealed plastic bags until they can be laundered or dry cleaned. As soon as possible, launder them in HOT water and dry on a HOT dryer setting, and dry clean any that cannot be laundered. Store clean curtains and drapes in new, sealed plastic bags until they are ready to be reinstalled.
7) Empty dressers, closets and cupboards where clothing, shoes and other wearable items are stored. All fabric items must be laundered in HOT water, dried on a HOT dryer setting or dry-cleaned, then stored in sealed plastic bags or bins until treatment is completed. Vacuum all shoes thoroughly with a bristled attachment, then store in sealed plastic.
8 ) Remove and discard all unnecessary boxes, papers, magazines or other similar items by placing them in a sealed plastic bag for disposal.
9) Pick up all pet toys, children’s toys, stuffed animals and pet bedding. Store in sealed plastic bags or bins for laundering (HOT water, HOT dryer setting) or for inspection and potential treatment. Once items have been cleaned, return to new sealed plastic bags or bins until treatment is completed.
10) Remove all items from walls, including mirrors, pictures and shelving, and leave in the room for inspection and possible treatment.
11) Unhook all cables from electronic devices—computers, telephones, televisions, stereos, etc.
12) Move all furniture away from walls.
13) Remove all electrical plates on walls—electric outlets, phone jacks, light-switch covers, cable outlets, etc.
14) Remove front panel from all heating or air conditioning units and vents.
15) Thoroughly vacuum all carpet and upholstered furniture, using a vacuum in good working order. Vacuum your mattress, box springs and bed frame using bristled attachments, taking care to vacuum thoroughly around edges, seams, buttons and handles. Vacuum closet shelves and inside nightstand and dresser drawers.
16) Place any remaining non-washable items—clocks, radios, televisions, telephones—in sealed plastic bags for inspection and treatment. Your pest management professional will suggest treatment options for these items.
17) Open carbon monoxide and smoke detectors and remove batteries if possible. Please note: Don’t take this step until your pest control professional is scheduled to arrive—we don’t want you and your family to be unprotected in the meantime!
18) If you plan to stay in another location during treatment, be careful not to take untreated articles or luggage with you. You may end up transporting bed bugs or their eggs to another location, only to bring them back to reinfest your treated home or business.
We know—what a hassle! Bed bugs are so difficult to eradicate that it’s important that you follow these instructions, or those of your pest control professional, carefully. Working together, we’ll get through this. Although there are no guarantees when it comes to bed bugs, we can promise you that we’ll be there to answer your questions and do our best to return your home or business to a bug-free state!
For more information on bed bugs, what they look like, where you find them and how to help prevent them, there are lots more information and articles on our pest control blog at https://www.earthguardpest.com. Or give us a call at 916-457-7605 to talk with one of our certified pest control professionals today.