If pests have infested your home, the homeowner and the pest control experts need to work together. As a homeowner, you may not see the need to collaborate; however, you need to understand that it won’t end with just hiring a reliable pest extermination firm. You need to ensure that the interior part of your home is well-prepped.
Why Do You Need to Prep the House for Pest Treatment?
The pest extermination firm won’t be in charge of prepping your home. You need to prepare home against pests personally. For instance, you need to ensure the food is well stored, furniture, clothing, and obstructions in the affected area. Keep in mind the pest control company can issue valuable advice, such as ensuring you’re conversant with what you should do and shouldn’t do as you prepare your home against pests. But first, the company will carry out a risk assessment.
The main goal is to ensure the pest extermination treatment goes on accordingly with minimal hitches. Also, you need to ensure the entire spot that has been affected won’t be left untreated. Keep in mind poor preparation will lead to unsatisfactory results, and the re-infestation risk will be high.
What Should You Do Before the Pest Extermination Treatment?
Clean Up
The type of infestation doesn’t matter. The first step, in this case, is preparing your home before the pest extermination takes place. Some of the reasons why you need to clean your house beforehand include:
• To get rid of all the food sources that usually attract pests.
• Ensure all the areas in your home can be accessed easily by pest control professionals.
• Move all items that can get in the way during the treatment process, including dirty dishes, trash, and dirty laundry.
• Vacuum all the carpets and ensure the floor is well-scrubbed. By scrubbing the kitchen surfaces, you’ll also manage to get rid of the food crumbs.
Store the Food Items Elsewhere
The countertops should be cleared of the food that is present to ensure it won’t be contaminated. The plates, utensils, drinking glasses, cutlery, and different appliances are supposed to be stored away during the treatment process.
If you leave such items on the countertops, ensure they have been covered fully using plastic wrappings, and you can uncover them later after the treatment. Apart from the bedroom, the kitchen usually attracts a huge number of pests, and serious spraying should take place in such areas of the house. The bathroom also attracts a considerable number of pests.
Move Furniture
The furniture should be moved away from the walls to ensure the pest extermination professionals can easily access the areas that are harboring a considerable number of pests. Some of the areas where the pests hide include under the stove, below the furniture, and behind large appliances. If you move the furniture, the pest exterminators can apply the chemicals in the areas that are hard to reach. After the experts are done, the chances of re-infestation will be below.
Vacate Your Premises
You need to ensure that each member of your family is safe. Considering the chemicals used during pest extermination are harmful, you need to vacate your premises for some hours, especially if someone in the household is pregnant or has an allergy. The same applies to young children and toddlers who are still crawling.
Relocate the Pets
The pest control company will advise you to relocate your pets since they’re sensitive to the chemicals used during the extermination process. You’ll only relocate the pests temporarily.
The cages, beddings, and toys should also be stored elsewhere. If there is a fish tank, it should be covered using plastic or a towel. The fish are also supposed to have enough food and oxygen. You can also check whether your pets have fleas and ticks to ensure the risk of re-infestation is low.
How Should You Prepare Your Home for Pest Extermination?
Kitchen
• The refrigerator should be unplugged. If possible, consume all the perishable food. If there are leftovers, they should be discarded.
• The kitchen sinks shouldn’t be covered. They might be sprayed during the treatment phase.
Bedroom
• All the beddings should be removed. Ensure you have wrapped them well in plastics.
• All the clothes should be sealed in clear bags. They should also be kept away from treatment areas.
Living Room
• For those with indoor plants, they should be moved out to the open.
• Cover the paintings using plastic.
Bathroom
• Pay attention to the soaps, toothbrushes, shampoo, and different items that are exposed to you directly.
• Empty the bathroom entirely.
What Should You Do After the Pest Extermination Process?
The prepping process before pest extermination is to ensure that you’ll get the desired results. So, what’s next?
• The home should be well ventilated. All entries should be opened for at least one hour. After the treatment, ensure all entries are opened for at least four hours.
• The windows and doors should be opened for at least four hours after misting takes place.
• After the treatment, in the following days, keep a close eye on the spots where the pests had gathered. If there are dead pests, clean the place immediately.
Final Thoughts
After noticing that pests have infested your home, now you have a better understanding of what you should do before and after the pest extermination process. Ensure you’ll follow all the guidelines that have been listed above.
