The first step to getting rid of bed bugs is preparing your home for treatment. We’re here to help you get organized so that your treatment goes as smoothly as possible. This checklist will help you prepare the room or rooms to be treated and ensure that a heat treatment is the right option for you.

Please remove the following heat-sensitive items from the property before a bed bug heat treatment

1. Remove all pressurized cans or aerosol such as asthma inhalers, bug spray, cleaning products, and deodorants.
2. Oil paintings, crayons, candles, wax figurines.
3. Any animals or plants.
4. Medication/Medicine.
5. Food-Chocolate, vegetables, fruits, and bread. (Heat sensitive items can be put in the fridge)
6. Beverages such as carbonated drinks and full bottles of wine.
7. Vinyl records, fake vinyl plants, and vinyl window blinds.
8. Stringed musical instruments.
9. Flammable materials such as fuel for food warmers, solvents, butane lighters.
10. ‘Crocs’ shoes.

There’s no need to remove these items since they are not damaged by heat: Electronics, VHS tapes, CDs/DVDs, books, and furniture.

Wash all bedding and linens in hot water with detergent.

Next, you’ll need to get rid of the bed bugs by washing your sheets and linens. This is important because if you don’t, they will simply infest them again after being heated. When it comes time for this step, there are a few steps you should follow:

• Wash all bedding and linens in hot water with detergent. Bed bugs die when exposed to hot water! They also can’t survive in detergent or other cleaning products (e.g., bleach). So when you’re washing everything down with soap and water, make sure that it’s at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes.*
• Dry on high heat (again) for at least 30 minutes.* Use a portable heater to dry things further if needed—and then let them air-dry overnight or longer before putting them back on the bed.* If you have an iron at home already, feel free to use it as well!

Examine furniture for signs of bed bugs, such as black spots about the size of a pencil tip, red stains from crushed bed bugs or their molted exoskeletons.

Bed bugs leave small black spots and red stains on the surfaces they have been on. They also leave a molted exoskeleton when they molt, but these are harder to find than the blood spots and stains.

You should carefully examine your furniture for signs of bed bugs:

• Black spots about the size of a pencil tip (the empty husks left behind as bed bugs become adults). These are caused by dried blood from crushed insects or their molted exoskeletons after they’ve shed their skin. If you see this, it’s an indication that you have a serious infestation!
• Red stains from crushed bed bugs or their molted exoskeletons if you have a large infestation going on right now in your home or office space—and also unfortunately means there’s already been some damage done to items in your home.)

Vacuum floors, carpets, drapes and upholstery to remove bed bugs and their eggs before the treatment.

Vacuum all surfaces, including the floor and furniture. Use a HEPA vacuum if possible. This will help to remove any bed bugs that may be in the cracks or crevices of your home’s rugs, carpets, and upholstered furniture. Also, you want to make sure that all of your curtains are vacuumed as well because they can hide bed bugs from view while they’re feeding on humans at night or hiding during the day.

Use a crevice tool or upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to get into corners and in between cushions on sofas and chairs (this is where many mattress bugs hide). Don’t forget about vacuuming under beds! Bed frames are also great hiding places for these blood suckers so be sure to vacuum these thoroughly too!

Remove all toys from the room.

The next thing you should do is remove all toys from the room. This includes not just those that are infested, but also any other toys that are in the room. When we say “all toys”, we really mean all of them—the ones on shelves and in baskets, under beds or couches, or wherever else they may be hiding.

If you have young children who cannot yet help with this task (or if your child is too young), it’s okay to ask a friend or family member to help out so that you can supervise them while they do it instead of having to watch over both your child and the heat treatment process at the same time!

Put away all food and dishes.

• Put away all food and dishes. Don’t leave food out, even for a short time.
• Do not put any in the oven or microwave.
• Don’t leave dishes in the sink. If you can’t wash them right away, place them on your countertop with a towel over them (to keep bugs from getting in) until you have time to clean them later.
• Don’t let anything sit out on your countertops – even if it’s just for a few minutes! The tiny little buggers will find their way into any crevice they can squeeze through and hide there until they’re ready to come out again; then they’ll start feasting on everything that’s been sitting still long enough for them to get close enough for dinner!

Remove pets from the space to be treated.

Please remember to remove pets from the space to be treated. The heat treatment can be dangerous for them, and some animals do not react well to the chemicals used in the process. If you are unable to find someone willing to keep your pet during this time, consider hiring a kennel or taking your pet with you when you leave until the treatments are completed.

Remove any clothing or smaller items from dressers and closets.

• Remove any clothing or smaller items from dressers and closets.
• Remove any items from under furniture (such as pillows, blankets, and comforters) by placing them into sealed plastic bags until the heat treatment is complete.
• Remove any items from bedside tables (including lamps and other small furniture). If you have an air mattress or box spring—which may be infested with bed bugs—you will need to remove them completely and store them for several months before using again. This applies even if the mattress or box spring has never been used!

Bed Bug Heat Treatment Preparation Checklist

A checklist can help you prepare for a heat treatment of a room infested with bed bugs.

A checklist can help you prepare for your heat treatment of a room infested with bed bugs. A few things to keep in mind:

• Use the checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything.
• Use the checklist to stay organized, avoid mistakes, and avoid wasting time and money.

We hope you found this article useful. If you have any questions about bed bug heat treatments or would like to schedule a free consultation, please get in touch!