What to do Before and After Pest Control Treatment

*This post may contain affiliate links* or products that have been sent to me for review. You can find out more in my Privacy and Cookie Policy*

This is a collaborative post

You are fed up with the common pest issues plaguing your home. So, to address it once and for all, you contact a pest control company for help, and you both agree on a date.

After that, what next? While you are waiting for pest professionals to arrive at your home to rid it of stubborn pests, there are certain things you’ll need to do to prepare your home for the pest control treatment process. And after these professionals are done with their job, you’ll also need to do certain things to perfect the process and ensure that your home is safe for you.

Below, we have highlighted some important things to do before and after pest control treatment.

Things to do Before Pest Control Treatment

Before the exterminators or pest control guys arrive at your home to eliminate your pest troubles, you’ll need to prep your home.

But before you do that, have you found a reliable pest control company for the job? If you haven’t, and you wish to get one close by, search for the keyword on Google “How to get in touch with pest control near me .”After that, you can select from the array of options provided.

That said, here are a few things to put in place before a pest control treatment.

1. Access:

Pest control companies will scan every nook and cranny of your home in search of pests. To make their job less hard, remove all large pieces of furniture or appliances that will hinder their job.

The furniture and appliances at the corner of your home will need to be relocated temporarily to ensure pest control professionals have easy access to those areas and flush out pests. Also, relocating these items will save them from chemical spills during treatment.

2. Clothes and Furniture:

Are your clothes, accessories, and kids’ toys still in the room that requires treatment? What are they still doing there? Get them out!

You can cover them in plastic wrapping and keep them safely in cabinets. And if you can, try sealing the gaps of the doors and drawers with cello tape. Don’t use masking tapes as they will absorb the sprayed chemicals.

You should also temporarily relocate all covers, bed sheets, cushions, pillows, mattresses, etc. If there isn’t enough storage space to keep these items, use plastic wrappings. Next, focus on your sofas, chairs, and tables. You don’t have to take them out due to their bulky nature and tendency to eat up new space. Instead, you can cover them with plastic wrappings. Don’t use cloth sheets as they can absorb the sprayed chemicals.

If your home is ravaged with termites, you’ll need to empty out all your wooden furniture and storage beds.

3. Kitchen and Dining Area

First, you’ll need to take out the dustbin. Afterward, remove all kitchen utensils from your countertop. You should also move all small kitchen appliances out of the kitchen. If you can’t disconnect them and cover them with plastic wrapping.

You should also cover the water outlet of your water filter and, if you can, wrap it with plastic. What about your food? Store all of them in plastic containers to avoid contamination. You can store spices in your fridge—which should be unplugged– away from pets.

4. Pets

Do you have dogs, cats, fishes, or other pets? If you do, you’ll need to keep them away from home during the treatment process as pests are often sensitive to pesticides.

You can decide to drop them at a neighbour’s place or a pet daycare till the treatment is over. In addition to keeping your pets safe, you should also store their toys in a safe place. And get your dogs a flea and tick treatment at the vet.

What to do after pest control treatment

Now that the pest control treatment is over, what do you do? First, you need to:

1. Be Patient:

If you left your home during the pest control treatment process, wait until the given time before you get back into your home.

2. Do away with any food left outside:

Did you mistakenly leave a pizza outside? Throw it away and any other food that might have been exposed to the chemicals.

3.     Wait for some time before cleaning:

After the pest control professionals are done with their job, wait for some time before cleaning your home. Sweeping or mopping the floor of your home immediately after a pest control treatment may clear any treated baseboards, making the treatment less effective. Wait till the recommended time before proceeding to clean your home.

4.     Fix any leaks:

After the treatment, inspect your home for leaking taps or drainage pipes. If you find any, fix them ASAP. Leakages may serve as an entry for pests. You certainly wouldn’t want a re-infestation after spending money on pest control treatment.

Conclusion

Prepping your home before the arrival of pest control professionals will make their job a lot easier. It’ll also reduce the chances of contamination. And after the professionals are done, it’s important you don’t rush things. Ask questions on when to get back into your home and try not to deep clean for at least a week so the chemicals can have maximum effect.