Start now · 01 to 04

Do these first

Start with the things that must not be exposed to heat.

01

Pressurised itemsTake out of the property every aerosol, gas canister and cylinder, lighter and lighter fuel, oxygen cylinder and oxygen equipment, loose battery and power bank (including e-bike and scooter batteries).Heat makes these dangerous. Check the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, cupboards and any attached garage. This applies to every booking, Gold included, because these can explode or catch fire.

02

Candles and make upRemove all candles and make up.Make up brushes can stay.

03

Live plantsRemove all live plants.They cannot survive high temperatures.

04

WaterbedsDrain any waterbed or other water filled item before the treatment.

Room by room · 05 to 16

Room by room

Work through bedrooms and living spaces. Heat needs a clear route to every hiding place.

05

Furniture and belongingsMove furniture and belongings at least 30cm away from every wall, so the heat can circulate and reach behind them.

06

Books and bookshelvesBooks and bookshelves in living rooms and bedrooms can hide bed bugs.Spread the books out so the heat reaches them.

07

ElectronicsRemove electronic items where you can.Laptops, phones, tablets and chargers are best taken with you.

08

FoodPut all fruit and vegetables, and other fresh food, in the fridge.Cupboard food can stay where it is.

09

Wardrobes and drawersPoor preparation is the most common reason a heat treatment fails, and packed wardrobes and drawers are one of the biggest parts of that, because heat cannot get through tightly packed clothes.Take out about half of what is in each wardrobe and drawer, so what stays hangs loose with space between. The clothes you take out need somewhere to go that is not a bed or a pile: hang them on a clothes rail or clothes horse, over the tops of doors or on the backs of chairs in the rooms we are treating. Anything you wash at 60°C or above and dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes can go into a bed bug proof sealed bag instead (see Clothes and linen you wash), and then it is done. If you would rather not do this part yourself, it is included in Gold: we bring the rails and the bags and do it for you.

10

Divan and ottoman bedsEmpty everything out from under any divan bed.Open up any ottoman bed and empty the storage inside it, and leave the lid open. Mattresses stay on the beds.

11

Modular sofasIf you have a modular sofa, take it apart into its pieces so the heat can reach every side.

12

Things that cannot take the heat, or cannot be washedTake out of the property anything that cannot withstand high heat (see the list further down this page).Before it leaves, steam it, or look it over carefully and wipe it down thoroughly. We recommend steaming where you have a steamer, but a thorough wipe down is fine. Laptops and other electronics are inspected and wiped down. Toiletries are steamed, wiped or washed one by one. Nothing should carry bed bugs out with it.

13

DoorsEvery internal door of every room to be treated must be able to be wedged open, and every room reachable.Clear anything blocking a door or hallway.

14

Clothes and linen you washDo your laundry beforehand.Anything you wash leaves the property only once washed at 60°C or above and dried on high heat for at least 30 minutes. Put the clean items in bed bug proof sealed bags. An ordinary zip bag is not enough, because bed bugs can get through the zip. Where you can, keep washed and dried items outside the property until the treatment is finished. Laundry is not part of any of our packages.

15

Kitchen, toilet and bathroomWe do not heat or monitor these rooms.Heat can damage sealant, grout and plastic pipework, and bed bugs very rarely live in them. Their doors stay closed, so they warm up but lag behind the rest of the home. Pressurised items (step 1), fresh food (into the fridge) and anything that cannot take the heat still come out or go away as the other steps say.

16

Furniture or a mattress you plan to dispose ofLeave it exactly where it is for the treatment, so it is treated with everything else.Dispose of it afterwards, not before.

On treatment day · 17 to 20

The morning of your treatment

These steps happen on the morning, before we arrive or as you leave. Your pets, valuables and medication leave with you. Everything else, and your prep video, should already be done.

17

BedsWhen we arrive, every bed must be stripped of all its sheets and pulled away from the walls.Take the sheets away to be washed and dried, which is best, or hang them loose over door frames. This does not need to be in your video, because you may be sleeping there the night before and the night after. Duvets and pillows: hang them up somewhere, or leave them neatly and loosely on the bed, and they are treated by the heat too. Best of all, wash and dry them first on high heat for at least half an hour. Soft toys and stuffed animals: wash and dry them the same way if you can, then leave them loose in the room, not in a bag or box. Mattresses stay on the beds.

18

PetsEvery pet leaves the property with you on the morning, and stays out for the whole treatment, with no exceptions.If they cannot come with you, arrange a friend, family member or kennel in advance.

19

Valuables and medicationWhen you leave, take your cash, jewellery and documents with you, and your medication too.You are responsible for securing your own valuables, and we never pack, touch or move medication.

20

Clean clothes to leave inJust before you leave the house for the treatment, change into a set of clean clothes that have been washed at 60°C or above, dried on high heat, and kept in a bed bug proof sealed bag until you put them on.Do this for each person leaving. It stops anything on the clothes you have been wearing from being carried out of the house. Leave the clothes you take off loose in the room, or put them straight into a sealed bag to be washed at 60°C or above.

Safety reference

Things that are best kept out of the heat

Most of what is in your home is fine at treatment temperature. A few things are not, and a few are a fire risk. Take these out of the property, or tell your case manager if you cannot.

Anything that could explode or catch fire

Aerosols (deodorant, hairspray, spray paint, cleaning sprays), gas canisters and cylinders, lighters and lighter fuel, oxygen equipment, loose batteries, power banks, e-bike and scooter batteries, vapes and e-cigarettes, fire extinguishers, ammunition, paints, solvents, white spirit and other flammable liquids. These always leave, on every booking.

Always outside, on every booking, including Gold.

Medicines: All medication, including inhalers, insulin and vitamins. Keep them with you. We never pack, touch or move medication.
Things that melt or spoil: Candles, wax, crayons, lipstick and other make up, chocolate, sweets, bread, fruit and vegetables (fridge), wine, spirits and beer, fizzy drinks and other sealed bottles and cans.
Things that warp, stick or crack: Vinyl records, photographs and albums, oil paintings and artwork, plastic and vinyl blinds, soft vinyl items, foam shoes such as Crocs, cosmetics, antique furniture with fragile finishes or glued joints.
Musical instruments: Guitars, violins, pianos and other wooden or stringed instruments. Tell us about a piano, because it cannot leave.
Living things: Pets, fish and aquariums, reptiles, live plants.
Light or loose items: Loose papers, light ornaments and anything on a shelf or windowsill that the fans could blow over. Put them in a box or drawer.

Check what you leave behind

We take every care with your home and belongings. The vast majority of things are perfectly fine at 60°C or below, and problems tend to begin only above that. Heat can still affect some items, so we cannot promise that nothing will be damaged. The list above is a guide, not a complete list. You know your belongings best, so it is your responsibility to check them, including coats, boots, shoes and bags, and to take out of the property anything that might not withstand temperatures of up to 60°C. If you are not sure about something, ask your case manager and we will help. If in doubt, take it out. We are not responsible for heat damage to belongings left in the property.

If we find an item at risk that you did not tell us about, we will try to contact you. If we cannot reach you, we carry on with the treatment as planned and the item stays in the property at your own risk. Items at risk are usually fine, but they can be damaged by heat, which is why we call them at risk.

A few important details

Electronics such as televisions are usually fine at treatment temperature, but we ask you to remove what you can. Suitcases and bags stay in the property, empty and open, because bed bugs hide in them.

If you have booked Gold, you still take out anything that could explode or catch fire, your medication, candles and make up, before we arrive or as you leave the property, so that we can treat. For the rest of this list, we will remove the items for you where we can and ask you where to put them. If there is nowhere outside the property, we will put them in a bathroom or other room that is not being heated. Our technician will go through this with you on the Authority to Treat.

Do not use any shop bought bed bug sprays or powders before we come, because they scatter the bugs and make the treatment harder.

Send on WhatsApp by your deadline

Filming your prep video

We ask for a short video of each room so we can check the preparation with you before the day, and tell you at once if anything is missing.

Hold your phone sideways. Walk and turn slowly.

Hold your phone sideways. Walk slowly into each room and turn so the camera sees all of the walls and the floor.
Show the gaps behind the furniture, the cleared surfaces, the spread out books, the open wardrobes and the space under divan beds, and the doors open.
Show your beds as they are. They do not need to be stripped in the video, because you may be sleeping in them. They must be stripped when we arrive.
Please keep people out of the picture. If a person or child is filmed by accident, tell us and we will delete it.
Send it to your case manager on WhatsApp by your deadline.

If you are leaving some areas as they are, such as hallway cupboards, send your case manager a photograph of them before your deadline. They record which areas are left as they are. Kitchens, toilets and bathrooms are not heated or monitored, so we do not ask for pictures of them.

We keep your video with your record only to check the preparation, as set out in our privacy notice.

Before you finish

The practical things, and a little support

You do not have to work it all out alone. Ask your case manager if anything is unclear.

What you'll need

Heavy duty rubbish bags
Bed bug proof sealed bags for your clean washing
A 60°C hot wash, or access to a laundrette
Another pair of hands, if you have one

Cleaning

Cleaning is not part of your preparation and we do not ask you to clean. If you hoover before your treatment, take the bag out of the hoover (or empty the canister) straight away, seal it in a bag and put it in the outside bin immediately. It can contain bed bugs or eggs. Do not leave it inside the property or in a shared bin area unsealed.

What your neighbours will see

Often very little. Depending on your home, there may be a quiet heater unit outside your door or on the walkway for about six hours, and a technician coming and going. No vans marked with pest control. Nothing is sprayed outside your home.

Not sure? There's no bad question.

Preparation failures are the leading cause of treatment failure. This list is how we make sure yours isn’t one of them.

Talk to your case manager. We are happy to talk you through the checklist by phone or WhatsApp. If you are finding it hard, tell us. It is much better for us to know before the deadline than after it.

Containment reduces bites and slows the spread while you wait. It is not eradication, and it makes the wait for treatment far more comfortable.

Getting your home ready for treatment