Health authorities are clear: before any bed bug treatment, the infested room should be cleaned, vacuumed and tidied. This groundwork matters as much as the technician's work, because it opens up hiding places and stops the insects spreading.
Here is a simple plan to follow, whether you are preparing your flat, your house or a room you let to travellers.
Three to two days before: linen and textiles
Gather sheets, covers, blankets, curtains and clothes from the affected rooms, carrying them to the machine in closed bags.
- Wash at 60 °C whatever can take it, or tumble-dry on a high heat.
- Delicate textiles: hot tumble-dry if the label allows, otherwise set them aside for the technician.
- Once clean and dry, keep the linen in new, sealed bags until the treatment is over.
The day before: vacuuming and clearing
Vacuuming removes some insects and eggs and clears the surfaces the treatment has to reach.
- Vacuum slowly along mattress seams, the bed base, bed frame, skirting boards and the bottom of curtains.
- Seal the vacuum bag straight away, or empty the bin into a bag, and take it to an outside bin.
- Empty the space under the bed and pull furniture away from walls to free access to skirting boards and sockets.
- Group electronic devices and fragile items together for the technician to examine.
Reflexes that make things worse
Faced with bites, it is tempting to switch bedrooms or throw everything out. These reactions scatter bed bugs through the rest of the home, or even to friends and family.
- If you can, stay in your own bed: the bugs will not scatter, and the treatment reaches them where they are.
- Do not move linen, furniture or boxes to other rooms before the visit.
- Do not use shop-bought insecticide sprays or foggers: they risk poisoning and encourage resistance.
- A mattress or piece of furniture you throw away must be wrapped and made unusable, so nobody takes it home.
After the technician's visit
The photo report states how long to wait before using the rooms again, which surfaces not to clean and, where advised, whether to fit bed bug-proof mattress covers. The next visit is timed to the egg-hatching cycle, to reach young bed bugs before they become adults and lay eggs in turn.
Key points
- 01Linen at 60 °C or a hot tumble-dry, then into sealed bags.
- 02Thorough vacuuming, bag straight into an outside bin.
- 03Nothing changes rooms before the treatment.
- 04No shop-bought insecticide or fogger alongside.
This article gives general information, up to date on its publication date. It does not replace legal or medical advice tailored to your situation.