Eliminate Bed Bugs with Cleveland’s Top Exterminators

• Discontinue applying pest control products. Remove any dust formulations of pesticides from surfaces.

We cannot treat personal items or clothing. As a result, please follow the guidelines below.

• If you want to get rid of bed bugs, you need to clean and get rid of clutter.
• Dispose of any unnecessary belongings in infested rooms. Concentrate on areas within 6 feet of your resting areas (where you sit or sleep).
• Bag up or place other loose items that you are keeping in plastic storage totes. Do not relocate items from infested rooms into other areas of the home. In most cases, we will instruct you to put the items back in their place as soon as possible after the treatment. If the items have bed bugs, they can contact the control products while fresh. If we feel that we will have to retreat during the second visit, we will ask you to remain “packed up” until after the follow-up treatments are performed.
• If you dispose of beds or living room furniture, we recommend that you do so before the initial service and have the new furniture in place for us to treat.
• We can treat most furniture without you having to dispose of it. We sometimes recommend that highly infested furniture be disposed of. Follow your city’s refuse laws for disposing of infested furniture.

Preparation is generally not required in unoccupied rooms/ rooms where bed bugs have not been found. This generally includes spare bedrooms, dining rooms, offices, and the kitchen.

We will provide personalized preparation recommendations during the inspection. If you have questions about the preparation guidelines, please contact us.

• Wash all loose clothing, bedding, and curtains in infested rooms.
• Take clothing and other belongings out of all drawers, nightstands, tables, closets, wardrobes, and similar storage areas within 6 feet of the bed or any other resting area. We cannot treat this type of furniture unless it is cleared. Use the instructions above for non-clothing items cleared from this type of furniture. Depending on the level of infestation, it might not be necessary to clear out certain dressers or closets. We will instruct you on what furniture must be cleared during inspection. Although, if you take the time to clear it, we will take the time to treat it.
• For potentially infested clothing, bag it up and place it directly in the washing machine. Dispose of the garbage bags you use to move the clothing to the washing machine. If you move multiple bags of clothing and the bags are going to sit before being washed, tape the tops of the bags shut.

• Launder clothing/ bedding/ curtains in hot water and place into a dryer on the highest heat setting for a minimum of 30 minutes. The dryer must be capable of reaching temperatures greater than 104° F to kill all stages and must not be loaded to more than 50% capacity.
• Place all laundered items from the dryer directly into plastic bags and seal tightly.
• Any loose clothing (garments found outside a dresser or under the bed) must be bagged and laundered per the laundry directions above.
• Remove drapery in rooms, bag, and immediately launder. Alternatively, drapery may be vacuumed and treated with steam while hanging in the infested room. Hang the drapery back in its original position before the initial service.
• Items that cannot be washed but can be dried in the dryer should be placed in the dryer on the highest temperature setting for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Any items that cannot be laundered in a home washing machine or dryer should be professionally laundered (dry cleaned).
• Articles under the beds provide an ideal place for bedbugs to hide. All clothing or garments must be laundered and bagged. Larger items that were previously stored under the bed should not be moved as bedbugs may be relocated into other areas of the structure.
• Ensure that all bags of freshly laundered items are tightly sealed. We recommend keeping them out of the treatment rooms until after the treatment(s) have been performed. In most cases, you can place laundered clothing back in its original place once the treatment has dried. We will instruct you if this is not the case.

Do a general cleaning of the rooms that are to be treated. The room should be empty of all clothing and plush items.

• Vacuum the floor extensively. Remove the vacuum bag immediately and discard it in an exterior garbage receptacle.
• You and your pets must vacate the premises during the service and not re-enter until at least 4 hours after treatment.
• Fish aquariums may be left on site. However, they should be covered, and air filters must be disconnected. Persons with underlying health conditions should consult their family physician if they have concerns regarding re-entry time.

Post Treatment Instructions

• When you return home, ensure all treated surfaces are COMPLETELY DRY before re-entry. If surfaces are not completely dry, leave for an extra 2 hours.
• If an offensive odor remains, ventilate thoroughly and leave for an additional 2 hours before attempting re-entry.
• Sleep in the treated beds as soon as possible and reoccupy other infested rooms, such as the living room. Bed bugs need their host (people to feed on) to be present. Otherwise, they will remain dormant and not move through the freshly applied, active pest control products.
• It is normal to find a few straggler bed bugs within a week after the initial treatment. If you find any live bed bugs after one week, take a picture or save them in a Ziploc bag.
• Wash your bedding within five days of the initial treatment. This is important. Sometimes, bed bugs will move to untreated areas post-treatment. This includes blankets, sheets, and pillowcases.
• We recommend regular bedding changes no more than once every two weeks.
• If you use dust covers or mattress pads, please do not reinstall them until after the follow-up inspection(s). Adding additional layers to the bedding can provide untreated areas for bed bugs to hide.
• Do not introduce any new or used furniture or other potentially infested items not previously in the unit.
• Do not apply your own pest control products during the service agreement.

Schedule a follow-up inspection approximately two weeks after the initial treatment. Then, we will reinspect. If live bed bugs are found, we will spot-treat those areas and repeat the inspection process in another two weeks. We will not return to the site if no live bed bugs are found during any inspection. You have the remainder of the service agreement to call us if you find a live bed bug. If you find one, please save it in a Ziploc bag or take a picture/ video.

In most cases, we do NOT recommend throwing away mattresses, box springs, or furniture, as these items can be inspected and treated successfully. When deciding what works for you, the cost of replacing beds and other furniture is something to consider. Replacing these items alone will not solve a bed bug problem. The decision to replace beds or furniture often depends on their condition and level of infestation within these items, your comfort, and whether you can afford a replacement.

The installation of high-quality bed bug mattress encasements is recommended. Any need to discard the mattress or boxspring is often eliminated once treated and covered by a high-quality bed bug mattress encasement. The encasements further reduce the likelihood that bed bugs will continue to live upon the mattress and box spring. Bed bug proof mattress encasements are widely available in stores and for purchase from your pest professional.

Do NOT cover your mattress or box spring with homemade or non-bed bug proof encasements. Such encasements will be removed by the pest professional during treatment.

If you throw out your furniture, deface or otherwise damage furniture items so others will not use them. Mattresses should be slashed or otherwise damaged to make them unusable by others. Do not discard infested mattresses, furniture, clothing, or other items without properly wrapping them. Do not leave these items in common areas of the building (hallway, lobby, etc.). Follow building or municipal rules regarding disposing of infested items.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Lakewood Exterminating LLC makes no guarantees, expressed or implied. Pesticides are designed to kill or control pests. Pesticides, to be effective, are toxic to plants and animals and vary in the range of toxicity to humans. Your risk of harm depends upon your degree of exposure and your susceptibility. Take precautions when a pesticide treatment has been performed to avoid exposure to vulnerable individuals. Pesticides may be harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. Avoid breathing dust, spray mist, and any unnecessary contact with treated surfaces. Specific health and safety information varies between pesticides and is available on the product label or MSDS, which will be supplied to you upon request from the licensed applicator. We also include the pesticide record on all invoices. In case of a health emergency, seek immediate medical attention.

Questions? Email support@lakewoodexterminating.com or Call (216) 466-2486.