Heat treatments can be one of the best ways to kill bedbugs quickly and with relative ease, but there is an element of preparation that must be taken seriously in order for it to work properly!

Preparing for a bed bug heat treatment is usually more work than one expects. Some people will pass on a fumigation due to the prep work and settle for a heat treatment, but truth be told, a heat treatment could be just as much work or even more work than preparing for a fume depending on a number of factors. Below include the instructions for Bed Bug heat treatments:

Prep Instructions

• Drain Waterbeds.
• Move beds and furniture at least 3 feet away from the wall.
• All items under bed must be removed.
• It is recommended that all irreplaceable items that have the potential to get damaged with heat should get removed from the structure.
• Please cleanup up any pesticide products according to their labels that were applied by the homeowner.
• Any luggage or storage in the attic or garage should be brought to the main floor to be treated.
• Remove all drawers from dressers. Keep clothes in drawers.
• Boxes and stored items must be removed from the closets and brought to the center of the room. Hanging clothes may remain in closet, but it is best to spread them out in the closet as much as possible to help with the air movement.
• Turn off air conditioning before treatment.
• Clothes that will be worn the day of the heat treatment must be washed and dried on high temperatures before leaving for the day.
• Open all windows after coming home to help with the cooling down phase.
• Deflate air mattresses.
• All pests including birds and fish must be out of the structure.
• At times, thermostats can malfunction when they reach extreme temperatures.
• Take off all electrical outlet plates throughout structure.
• Understand that the team will be moving things around to help with heat exposure.
• Keep dresser and cabinet doors opened to help with the heat treatment.
• Remove batteries from laptop computers.
• Electronics must be unplugged.
• Computers, laptops, TVs, and remote controls are high risk places of infestations. It is best to leave these inside for the treatment, but Bug Baron Exterminator will not be responsible if there is any damage that occurs.
• Decorative items or picture frames could be blown off the walls and potentially damaged by the heat blowers, so please place them all on the floor.
• Papers can be blown everywhere during the treatment, so they need to be in containers.
• Keep wheelchairs inside for the treatment as these are often infested.
• Close all windows before we arrive.
• Do not place clothes in plastic bags.
• Remove all bedding from mattresses
• Deactivate fire detectors.
• Remove all electrical outlet covers before our arrival.
• Hire a certified professional to detach and pull back carpet so a proper treatment can be performed. We recommend hiring a certified professional to reattach carpet.
• Unlock all closets, drawers, chests, cabinets, etc.
• Remove all life support apparatuses and oxygen tanks from treatment areas.
• Pianos must be removed as they have the possibility of getting de-tuned by the heat treatment.
• Do NOT turn on air conditioner or the washer or dryer until it has reached below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Do NOT use any type or pesticides or dusts before or after our treatment.
• Throw out all trash and unwanted items before the treatment.
• Clean up dust and pet hair prior to our treatment as these can be hazardous to our equipment.
• Overpacked closets and rooms cannot be treated properly as air-flow is crucial to our treatment.
• Cut back plants near to structure outside.
• Remove all valuables. Bug Baron exterminator does not provide on-site security and does not assume any responsibility in the event of vandalism or robberies.
• Determine how you were infested to begin with in order to avoid a re-infestation.

Remove the following items when heat treating for bed bugs:

1. Adhesives
2. Alcohol
3. Aquariums
4. Audio and video tapes
5. Artificial sweeteners
6. Batteries
7. Candles
8. Candy
9. Carbonated beverages
10. CD’s and DVD’s
11. Chocolate
12. Cigarette lighters
13. Creams and lotions
14. CO2 cartridges
15. Computer software
16. Cosmetics
17. Crayons
18. Firearms and ammunition
19. Fire extinguishers
20. Fireworks
21. Flammable chemicals
22. Furniture with glue points
23. Medical braces
24. Paintings
25. Potted plants
26. Pressurized cylinders
27. Rubberized prosthetic devices
28. Soaps
29. Soft vinyl items
30. Vitamins and other medications
31. Vinyl records
32. Wall hangings
33. Waxed based items
34. Window blinds
35. Wireless routers
36. Musical instruments (leave the cases)
37. Refrigerator magnets (could demagnetize)
38. Shoes with a glued on sole (especially high heels)
39. Fresh food, fruits, and vegetables, etc

Fire sprinkler instructions:

• The sprinklers must be turned off and drained before the heat treatment.
• Drain valve must be left opened during the treatment.
• Sprinkler heads must be removed and line must be capped.
• After treatment is completed, fire sprinkler company must perform an inspection on all sprinkler
• heads for damage and replace them as needed.
• System can be reactivated with the approval of the fire sprinkler company.

At times, even when the system has been shut off and drained, water could still be in the pipeline located above the sprinkler heads. If this causes any activation, dirty water could be discharged from the sprinkler head and cause staining. In other words, even if you did everything right, damage to sprinkler heads does still exist.

The risk of heat treatments is that if a single bed bug or egg gets removed with any item during the prep work, the treatment will not be effective since we must get rid of all of them. On top of this, if bed bugs are in the walls and you also have insulation in the walls, this increases the chances of heat treatments being ineffective. The entire point of insulation is to reduce heat, so bed bugs could remain if your walls and move to other rooms during the treatment if they are insulated.