Bed bugs punish poor preparation. I have walked into tidy condos and chaotic basements and seen the same pattern: when clients prepare thoroughly, we need fewer visits, less chemical load, and the infestation ends faster. When preparation is sloppy, bed bugs find refuge in a missed box of sweaters or the hollow legs of a bed frame, and the cycle drags on. Success is less about the brand on the sprayer and more about the discipline of prep.
This guide distills the practical steps I give to clients before a bed bug extermination. It is written for households, property managers, and anyone working with a pest control service, whether you hire a full-service exterminator company or coordinate a pest control contractor for a multi-unit building. The goal is simple: deprive bed bugs of hiding spots, seal off ways to spread, and stage your home so treatments reach the insects where they live.
Why preparation determines outcomes
Bed bugs prefer tight, dark seams. Mattresses, box spring joints, screw holes, stapled fabric underside of chairs, the narrow gap behind baseboards. They do not smell like roaches, they do not buzz like flies, and they can flatten themselves to a credit card’s thickness. They only feed for minutes, often between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., then retreat. In real jobs, the visible bugs you spot represent a small fraction of the population. Adults, nymphs, and eggs hide within reach of a sleeping host, usually within six to eight feet of a bed or couch. If your preparation peels back those layers and puts fabric, wood, and carpet seams within reach of the treatment, control happens.
I have seen heat treatments fail because a closet full of dense boxes insulated a cluster of eggs, and I have seen a modest chemical program succeed because the client bagged, laundered, and encased every fiber within a day. For apartment buildings, preparation also prevents migration. When a technician disturbs a harborage, bugs may attempt to spread through hallways, laundry rooms, or shared walls. Good prep keeps them contained.
How to stage the home for inspection and treatment
The work begins before the pest control company arrives. Think like a bed bug. If you were the size of an apple seed and light shy, where would you wedge yourself to avoid a vacuum, a steamer, or an insecticide?
Open access matters. Pull beds away from walls by at least eight inches. Clear floors so the exterminator can work around furniture legs and baseboards. Empty nightstands and drawers near sleeping areas so nothing blocks treatment of seams and joints. Lift bed skirts so they do not drape to the floor. If you have pets, arrange safe boarding for the day of treatment, and remove their bedding alongside yours for laundering. For fish tanks, cover and seal the top with plastic and turn off aeration during chemical treatments, then follow the exterminator’s guidance on when to resume.
Do not move infested items through common areas without containment. Those four steps from bedroom to hallway can seed a new problem. Bag first, then move.
Linens, clothing, and soft goods
In practice, textiles are where clients gain the fastest control. Bed bugs hide in comforters, sheets, pillowcases, throws, curtains, and the seams of clothes. Heat kills all life stages, but you need temperature and dwell time. Aim for a dryer cycle at high heat, not a quick fluff.
Start at the bed and fan outward. Strip the bed completely. Bag each layer at the bed, not across the room. Tie bags tightly. Move bags directly to the laundry area. If you use shared laundry rooms, carry bags straight to machines and avoid staging on folding tables or chairs. Keep loaded bags sealed until you feed the machine. A typical dryer reaches lethal temperatures faster than most home washers, so prioritize the dryer: a hot dryer cycle of 30 to 60 minutes is generally effective for dry items. If washing first, use the hottest wash the fabric allows, then a full hot dry. Delicate items can be dried on high heat inside a pillowcase or mesh bag to prevent damage, but check care labels and use judgment.
Once clean and hot-dried, bag textiles in fresh, clean bags or bins with tight lids. Mark them “treated.” Do not return them to closets until the exterminator clears the room. I have seen people fold clean sheets onto an untreated mattress and reintroduce bugs within hours. Hold your nerve. Live out of sealed bins for a few days if needed. For hanging clothes, a garment steamer with a high-output tip can help, but work slowly enough that the fabric reaches temperature, and keep the steamer plate close to seams and hems. Ethically speaking, I do not rely on steam alone for heavy fabrics, but it can reduce live bugs before laundering.
Curtains deserve attention. If they can be laundered, take them down and treat as you would sheets. If not, steam along seams and pleats, and plan for the technician to treat the hardware and mounting points.
Stuffed animals and soft decor often harbor nymphs. Dry them on high heat if the material allows. When in doubt, isolate them for two weeks in sealed bags with a desiccant packet or a strip labeled for bed bug control per product instructions, but coordinate with your pest control service to avoid incompatible chemicals. For items that cannot be heated, cold can work, but only if sustained: a deep freezer at 0 F needs at least 4 days for thin fabric items, longer for dense materials. Do not assume a frost overnight in the garage will help. Most garages do not maintain consistent cold, and bed bugs tolerate short cold snaps.
Managing furniture, especially beds and sofas
Beds are both lure and refuge. To prepare, remove the mattress and box spring from the bed frame and expose all joints and attachment points. Examine screw holes, slats, support beams, headboard brackets, and the back side of headboards. pest control contractor If the bed has a fabric-covered base, remove the dust cover or ask the pest control contractor to do so on arrival; that thin black fabric is a frequent hiding layer. Vacuum visible bugs and cast skins with a crevice tool, then dispose of the vacuum bag in a sealed bag outside. If you have a bagless vacuum, empty the canister into a sealed bag and wash the canister. Vacuuming is not the cure, but it reduces burden and reveals cracks the exterminator must treat.
I often recommend encasements for mattresses and box springs. Choose zippered encasements designed and tested for bed bugs, with reinforced seams and a zipper cover. Encasements do two things: they trap bugs inside, where they die over time, and they prevent new bugs from nesting in seams. Install them after the first treatment or after heat work, depending on your exterminator’s sequence. Do not puncture them. If kids or pets may tear them, add a fitted sheet over the encasement for protection.
Sofas and recliners are second only to beds. People nap, and bugs adapt. Flip couches onto their backs so the technician can access undercarriage fabric and frame. Remove cushions, vacuum seams, and inspect folds. Recliners hide bugs in the hollow metal arms and pivot points; allow the exterminator to cycle the mechanism during treatment. If the couch is old and torn with multiple cavities and you have a heavy infestation, replacement may be cheaper than repeated service, but ask your exterminator company first. Some frames respond well to targeted treatment and encasement-like covers designed for furniture.
Wood furniture demands patience. Nightstands, dressers, and cribs have screw holes and panel seams where eggs sit like grains of rice glued in lines. Empty drawers, remove drawers entirely, and stage them upright so the exterminator can treat drawer boxes and slides. Avoid oil-based furniture polishes for a week before treatment; they can repel water-based materials.
Clutter: what to box, what to purge, what to stage
Clutter does not cause bed bugs, but it gives them cover. A calm, deliberate approach works better than a panic purge. Paper stacks, cords, and bags around the bed create a perimeter of shade that bed bugs love. Clear under the bed. Move shoes, books, and storage bins into sealable containers. I tell clients to imagine a three-foot ring around the bed that stays clean and sparse so the bed becomes an isolated island.
Do not overpack boxes. Dense boxes of mixed fabric and paper act like insulation during heat treatments and make chemical applications patchy. Use smaller totes for books and papers, leave a bit of headspace, and cut a few small holes under the lid lip if your exterminator plans heat treatment in place. Label boxes by room. If you want to purge, do it responsibly: bag items as though infested and mark them clearly. For donations, most charities ask that you do not donate during an active bed bug event. Hold items or discard.
Electronics are sensitive. Laptops, game consoles, alarm clocks, and power strips can be harborage, especially if they sit next to a bed. Unplug them, wipe dust, and stage them in the room for inspection. For chemical programs, we do not spray electronics. For heat jobs, we monitor temperatures closely. If removal is necessary, place items in clear bins and keep them isolated until the exterminator advises.
Shoes, belts, and bags accumulate bites indirectly, because they sit on closet floors near beds. For shoes, a hot dryer works if the shoes tolerate it; stuff with towels to maintain shape. For leather goods, use a directed steamer carefully or isolate for a longer period in sealed containers with labeled interceptive products that your pest control service approves.
The treatment day: what to expect and how to help
On the day of treatment, the home should feel open. Beds pulled from walls, nightstands empty, drawer contents bagged, floors clear, linens laundered and sealed aside. Your technician will confirm the plan: chemical, heat, steam, or a combination. Each method has prep nuances, but the underlying idea is consistent: maximize exposure of hiding spots.
Chemical programs rely on a mix of residual insecticides, dusts, and sometimes growth regulators. Residuals work best when they reach cracks where bugs travel. Dusts go into voids and wall penetrations. Keep fans off and windows closed unless the exterminator company directs otherwise, because drafts can move products. After application, avoid mopping baseboards or vacuuming treated edges for the interval the technician specifies, commonly 10 to 14 days.
Heat treatments demand airflow. The crew will stage heaters and fans, remove or protect heat-sensitive items, and create a convection pattern. Clutter impedes heat, which is why your prep matters. Expect the team to open drawers, flip furniture, and elevate mattresses to increase air circulation. You may need to be out for 6 to 10 hours depending on the size of the unit. When you return, surfaces will be warm, and there may be a faint heated dust odor. Avoid opening sealed cleaned textiles until the follow-up inspection.
Integrated approaches use steam with residuals. Steam excels at killing eggs on contact in seams, but it has no residual. A common pattern is steam on seams and tufts, residual on travel routes, and dust in voids. Your job is to keep those routes accessible: no piles of laundry against baseboards, no cardboard pressed tight to bed legs.
Isolating the bed and sleeping bite-free during the process
People ask how to sleep during treatment. You can sleep in your bed if you isolate it properly. After the first service, fit encasements, position the bed away from walls, and remove any bed skirt or blankets that hang to the floor. Install interceptors under each leg, the cup-like traps that catch bugs traveling to and from the bed. Lightly dust the inside of interceptors with talc if recommended. Do not let sheets drape into the cups, and do not put storage under the bed. If you follow these steps, you create a climb-only route into the bed that exposes bugs to treated areas and the traps, and you deprive them of alternate bridges like a draping throw.
I have seen clients tape double-sided tape on bed frames. It catches lint fast and becomes useless. Interceptors work better and provide monitoring data. If you wake with bites, check cups in the morning. Keep a small notebook to log dates and counts. That record helps your exterminator adjust.
Special considerations for multi-unit buildings
When one unit has bed bugs in a multi-family building, expect neighbors within the same stack or with shared walls to be inspected. Bed bugs move through wall voids along plumbing and conduit runs, especially when the first unit is treated aggressively without adjacent follow-up. This is where a coordinated pest control service earns its fee. Property managers should schedule inspections for the units above and below and for units sharing major walls. Building staff can help by sealing visible gaps around pipes and baseboards with caulk or escutcheon plates after treatment dusts are placed.
Tenants should not swap vacuum cleaners, laundry baskets, or futons during an active event. Store hallway mats and shared furniture out of service temporarily. For shared laundry rooms, management can set a two-week policy of bag-in, bag-out with signage. Small changes in behavior prevent building-wide spread.
What not to do
Panic leads to mistakes that keep bed bugs around. Do not douse mattresses with alcohol. It evaporates fast, presents a fire risk, and rarely penetrates seams. Do not buy a random fogger. Total-release foggers push bugs deeper into cracks and rarely deliver a lethal dose where eggs sit. Do not pile everything into one room thinking you will “treat that one room later.” You create a density that resists heat and leaves too many voids untreated.
Avoid giving furniture to friends or family. Bed bugs hitchhike, and the good deed can extend your headache to someone else. If you discard heavily infested items, destroy them enough that scavengers will not take them. Slash mattresses and mark them clearly.
Working with a professional pest control company
The best exterminator service will provide a preparation sheet tailored to your layout and treatment method. Follow it, and ask questions. If the instructions conflict with your home’s constraints, say so. For example, if you cannot launder everything in 24 hours, ask which textiles to prioritize. I usually say bed linens first, then couch throws and pillow covers, then clothing stored closest to the bed. If mobility or health issues make prep difficult, some pest control companies offer prep crews. It is money well spent when the alternative is a lingering infestation.
Be wary of anyone who offers a single-spray miracle. Bed bug extermination often requires at least two visits, spaced about two weeks apart, to catch newly hatched nymphs. Heat can be a one-day solution if done correctly and followed by residuals in high-risk areas, but follow-up inspections still matter. Ask your pest control contractor about product classes they plan to use, especially in buildings where resistance has been noted. Rotating actives and combining modes of action improves outcomes. If you have kids, elderly residents, or respiratory conditions, disclose that so product selection and placement can be adjusted.
Documentation helps. Keep a calendar of service dates, bite reports, and sightings. Take clear photos of any live bugs you capture in interceptors. That information makes your exterminator company more efficient and can support landlord-tenant communication when responsibilities are shared.
The role of vacuuming, steaming, and DIY tools
Clients often ask what they can do between visits. Proper vacuuming of cracks and edging helps, but technique matters. Use a crevice tool and draw slowly along baseboard edges and mattress seams. Empty the bag or canister immediately into a sealed bag outdoors. Do not vacuum over treated edges within the no-disturb window your technician sets.
A quality steamer with a low-flow, high-heat tip kills on contact. Work at a pace where the surface becomes damp but not soaked, and test with a contact thermometer if you have one. Focus on seams, tufts, and the underside of furniture. Avoid blasting electrical items unless designed for it. Steam pairs well with residuals because it reduces immediate pressure without undermining longer-term control.
Over-the-counter mattress encasements, interceptors, and clutter-containment supplies are worth buying. Pesticide sprays marketed to consumers vary widely. Some are alcohol-based, some pyrethrins, some essential oil blends. In my field experience, few deliver consistent knockdown in a resistant population. Coordinate with your pest control service so you do not interfere with their materials or create repellency that drives bugs deeper.
Aftercare: monitoring and living normally again
A good sign of progress is the change from multiple nightly bites to none for a week, accompanied by empty interceptor cups. Another is the absence of new fecal spotting, those pepper-like dots, on sheets or baseboards. Set a mental checkpoint at 6 to 8 weeks after the first professional treatment. If you have seen no live bugs, no bites, and minimal to no new spotting, you are likely clear. Your exterminator company may schedule a final inspection, sometimes with a canine team in larger buildings, to verify.
Even when cleared, keep encasements on for at least a year. They protect your investment and make future inspections easier. Maintain light clutter discipline around beds and sofas. In travel season, inspect luggage, and isolate suitcases in a garage or bathtub on return. Do not unpack directly on the bed. A simple routine of drying travel clothes on high heat the day you return will prevent most introductions.
When to consider replacement versus treatment
I try to save furniture when practical. A solid wood bed with simple joints, a modern mattress with an encasement, and a sofa with accessible undercarriage are all candidates for successful treatment. If a piece is structurally failing, full of voids, or water-damaged, replacement can reduce cost and stress. If you choose to replace, time delivery for after the second service, and set up the new bed with interceptors from day one. Do not drag the old bed’s hardware into the new frame. Bag and discard.
For tenants, coordinate with landlords. Many jurisdictions require landlords to address bed bug infestations promptly. A reputable pest control company can provide documentation of treatments, which helps with reimbursement decisions for encasements or disposal fees. If your building has termite control services on contract, that vendor may not handle bed bugs; the skill sets overlap only partially. Ask specifically for bed bug extermination experience and references.
A practical mini-checklist to keep you on track
- Strip, bag, and hot-dry all bed and couch textiles, then store clean items sealed and labeled. Clear a three-foot zone around beds and sofas, pull beds eight inches from walls, and remove bed skirts. Empty and stage drawers and nightstands for access; flip sofas and expose undercarriages. Install mattress and box spring encasements after the first service; add interceptors under bed legs. Coordinate with your exterminator service on special items, treatment sequence, and follow-up timing.
What success looks like, and patience in the middle
Most households see a sharp drop in activity within a week of a well-executed first treatment. A few late hatchers may appear around day 10 to 14, which is why the second visit matters. Do not relax preparation habits between visits. Keep living out of sealed bins, keep interceptors clean, and keep the bed isolated. If you see new bugs in unusual places, like the kitchen, notify your pest control contractor promptly; that can signal dispersal that needs a tactical adjustment.
I remember a family with three bedrooms and a sectional sofa. They prepped as if moving out: streamlined closets, lifted beds, and labeled every bin. We performed a combined heat and residual program in one day, followed by a light residual touch-up two weeks later. Interceptor counts went from dozens the first week to zero by week three, and they kept encasements on for a year. Contrast that with a studio where the client laundered half the bed linens and left the other half piled on a chair. We chased that infestation for six weeks until a full prep day reset the stage. The difference was not chemistry. It was preparation.
If you remember nothing else, remember this: bed bugs cannot outthink heat, residual, and time when you remove their hiding spots. Preparation is not busywork. It is the lever you control that makes the rest of the plan work. Whether you hire a full-service exterminator company, a solo pest control contractor, or a larger pest control service with building-wide capacity, they can only treat what they can reach. Do your part by opening the path.
Howie the Bugman Pest Control
Address: 3281 SW 3rd St, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
Phone: (954) 427-1784