pest control bed bugs are tough little critters.  How do you get rid of them without spending a lot of money in the process? If you plan on calling up your local pest control company, don’t expect them to tell you. You won’t get an honest response from most specialists who charge by the hour to tell you what you’ll need to do to prepare for them. Instead, I’ll provide some helpful tips that will allow you an inexpensive approach in dealing with Bed Bugs, plus what to expect when an exterminator comes to your home. So, you’ve decided that you need an exterminator for bed bugs. You did the research and decided you need the help of a professional. As much as you want, DIY is not an option for this particular pest. It’s time to get serious about what can be a scary problem to deal with. One of the best things you can do before your exterminator comes for bed bugs is prepare for their visit. As you search for bed bug exterminators in town, you are going to be happy knowing that you have already taken care of most of the preparation. The fact of the matter is that it is not the size of your home or the long-term infestation that makes bed bugs so pervasive and difficult to deal with – it’s the fact that we have very few effective short-term control options available to us. Having said that, you can certainly make it easier to deal with this annoyance and improve your chances at finding a suitable solution.

How To Prepare For Bed Bug Exterminator

Introduction

There’s nothing worse than coming home to the news that you have a bed bug infestation. That’s why it’s important to know what exactly to do when you find out that your place has been invaded by these pests. We’ve put together a guide on how to prepare for bed bug exterminator and make sure there isn’t any lasting damage done to your property:

Ensure that furniture and items are free of clutter.

It is essential that you remove all clutter from the room.

• Remove all furniture from the room.
• Remove personal items from the room.
• Remove items from the room that will not be treated with pesticide spray, such as books and clothes, unless they can be placed in sealed plastic bags and then stored elsewhere in your home until treatment is complete.
• Remove items from the room that cannot be treated with pesticides due to their materials or size (for example, large pieces of art). These items should also be stored elsewhere in your home until treatment is complete.

Place clean, dry bedding in plastic bags.

• If you need to remove the sheets and pillowcases, do so by lifting them up and over the mattress. Wear gloves if possible, then place the sheets and pillowcases in plastic bags for disposal. Do not use plastic bags that have been previously used to store food items. The bed bugs may be able to survive even in cold temperatures; therefore, it is important that all materials are sealed inside of a separate bag that can be tightly closed before freezing them to -4 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Farenheit) for at least 72 hours.*

Vacuum and seal the vacuum bags in a plastic bag.

• Vacuum all surfaces with a vacuum cleaner.
• Vacuum under furniture including the back and sides of chairs, sofa, recliner, bed frame and headboard, foot board and any furniture touching the floor. Also vacuum around and along baseboards (if possible).
• Vacuum all carpets and rugs with an upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to remove as many adult bugs as possible from hidden locations in your carpeting or rugs. Also look for signs of bed bugs such as black dots that are fecal matter or skins (exoskeletons) left behind after molting that may be present throughout these areas where they hide during daylight hours. Inspect crevices between cushions on sofas/chairs where they can also congregate during the day time hours when their host is not active (sleeping), if possible open up seams & inspect all seams for signs of infestation before sealing them back up again using mattress tape listed below which has glue backing so you can seal seams without having to sew anything together; however if you do have sewing skills then by all means use them!

Dry-clean any and all clothing and linens.

• Dry-clean all clothing and linens. If you’re unsure whether your items can be machine washed, it’s best to take them to the dry cleaner for treatment.
• Dry-clean any items that are not machine washable. These include silk, wool, cashmere and other delicate materials
• Dry clean items that you have not washed in the past two weeks
• Dry clean items that you have not washed in the past two months

Clear the floor space for your exterminator

• Make sure the floor space is clear of obstructions. You want to make it as easy on your exterminator as possible, so removing shoes or other objects from the room will help them get in and out quickly.
• Clear your room of clutter if possible. Clutter can hide bed bugs that are hiding in dark places like under furniture or behind pictures frames, making detection more difficult for your exterminator.
• Don’t leave food or dishes anywhere out in the open that could be damaged by chemicals used during treatment. If you do have something like this lying around, move it into another room (or put it away).

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has helped you with your bed bug problem and preparation for your exterminator. If you’re still having issues, call us at (888) 337-7233 and we’ll be happy to help!