Preparation decides how well it works
Bed bug treatments fail far more often because of access than because of the product used. Beds pushed against walls, storage boxes packed under the frame and unwashed bedding all give the insects places the technician cannot reach. An hour of preparation before the visit is the single biggest thing you can do to get a one-and-done result.
The day before the visit
- Wash and hot-dry all bedding, pillow covers, mattress protectors and nearby curtains.
- Bag the cleaned laundry and keep it out of the room until treatment is done.
- Empty storage from under beds and divans; pull furniture 30–45 cm away from walls.
- Vacuum mattress seams, bed joints, skirting and carpet edges, then discard the bag outside.
- Do not spray supermarket insecticide — it scatters bugs into adjoining rooms.
What the technician treats
Treatment concentrates on harbourage rather than open surfaces: mattress and box-spring seams, bed frame joints and screw holes, headboards, bedside furniture, skirting boards, carpet edges and cracks in wooden fittings. In flats and hostels adjoining rooms are inspected too, because bed bugs travel along shared walls and service ducts.
After the treatment
- Keep out of treated rooms until surfaces are dry (two to four hours).
- Do not mop or wash treated skirting and frame areas for two weeks.
- Keep sleeping in the treated room — an empty room pushes bugs to find new hosts elsewhere.
- Book the 14-day follow-up before the technician leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Strip all bedding, mattress protectors and curtains and wash them at the hottest temperature the fabric allows, then dry on high heat. Clear clutter from under and beside beds so skirting boards, bed frames and joints are reachable, and bag laundered items so they are not re-exposed.
Usually not. Bed bugs shelter in seams, frames and nearby cracks, and a professional treatment covers those. Replace a mattress only if it is badly damaged — a new mattress in an untreated room simply gets re-infested.
No. You only need to stay out of treated rooms until surfaces are dry, typically two to four hours. Bedding can go back on once the room is ventilated.
Bed bug eggs are protected from most contact products and hatch over the following one to two weeks. A follow-up visit around 14 days later treats newly hatched insects and is what makes the result last.
Fresh bites, live insects and new dark spotting on sheets should stop after the follow-up. Keep a light-coloured sheet on the bed for a fortnight so any new activity is easy to spot, and report anything you see instead of self-treating.
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