Preparing For A Bed Bug Heat Treatment

Bed bug infestations in homes and businesses have progressively increased over the past decade. We frequently receive calls from people concerned about the possibility of bed bugs infesting their homes or apartments. Bedbugs can lay anywhere from 1-12 eggs per day, so it doesn’t take long for bed bug infestations to quickly progress. Wondering how we beat these tricky pests?

Terminix Wil-Kil’s eco-friendly bed bug heat treatment circulates hot air at temperatures over 120 degrees throughout infested areas to kill bed bugs and their eggs. Before our thermal radiation specialists can begin heat treatment, there are preparation measures that need to be taken.

Guide to Preparing your House for Heat Treatment:

If you are preparing for a bed bug heat treatment, be sure to follow the below steps ahead of time:

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Post Treatment

Please read through and comply with all instructions immediately after treatment.

• After treatment you will notice clothing, beds, blankets, sofa cushions, etc. are not the way you left them. We must move these items to get even heat distribution.
• The temperatures may be elevated upon your return and a cool-down period will be needed. Opening windows or running the air conditioning unit will aid in the cooling down process.
• In some situations, removal of baseboards, door & window trim, and/or fabric from the bottom of box springs & couches is needed for better heat penetration to access all bed bug harborage areas.
• You may see dead bed bugs. Please do a thorough vacuum of the entire premises.
• The only items that we did not heat were the items you took with you. Items such as clothes, coats, backpacks, etc. must be placed in the dryer on high heat for a minimum of 20 minutes.
• Wash and dry all bed sheets, blankets, liners, and pillow covers on high heat that were on the bed when treated.
• Any vehicle you have been inside is at risk of having bed bugs. Since we cannot treat the inside of vehicles, please do a thorough vacuuming of the inside seats and trunk.
• The purchase of mattress and box spring encasements is strongly recommended and, in some cases, can be an alternative to throwing away your mattress and box spring.
• Weekly, visual inspections of all items that were previously infested is strongly recommended. Please capture, document, and report any live bed bug sightings.
• Consider your daily habits and places you visit. As we may not ever know how bed bugs were originally introduced into your home, they could come from a place you frequently visit. This includes workplaces, babysitters, friends, or family homes. If the infestation of bed bugs originally came from one of these locations, your residence can easily be re-infested following the heat treatment.

Common Mistakes

We don’t expect you to know how to go about this process, especially if you have never had a problem with bed bugs. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when preparing your home for heat treatment.

• DON’T move any personal belongings to your car, a friend or family member’s house, the garage, a basement, storage lockers or other places. Until our professionals can inspect the situation, assume everything can be infested with bed bugs to prevent re-infestation.
• DO keep linens on beds and furniture. Moving them can pave the way for bed bugs to spread to other areas.
• DON’T move electronics. Our heat treatment will not damage electronics like laptops or televisions. Electronics are especially susceptible to infestation, so it is important these items stay in place. Our professionals will move them out of the direct heat treatment path. If there are any doubts about your electronics, we recommend checking manuals or contacting the manufacturer.
• 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.

If you have any questions about our pre-bed bug heat treatment requirements, please give us a call! One of our thermal remediation specialists can answer any questions you may have regarding what needs to be removed from the premises prior to your service.