Bedbugs and Home Treatments
What You Can Do At Home
Home Treatment
To treat bedbugs one must remove all textile items (clothing, bedding, curtains, soft toys etc) and if manufacturers labels permit, was at 60 degrees then if able, tumble dry at 60 degrees. Once washed and dried seal the items in strong plastic bags and do not place back in the room to be treated.
Mattresses, bed frames/bases should be left to be treated professionally. If it is a serious or persistent infestation you may wish to consider disposing of the infected item(s). If you do feel this is your only option please contact your local council for disposal advice first.
When disposing of the item(s) wrap them in heavy cling film before removing them from the infested room before disposing of correctly and legally.
You can quarantine items that you don't want us to treat by sealing items in strong plastic bags that are sealed securely. These can then be stored in a loft, garage or shed. However, it is important to note that bedbugs can survive for up to 1 year without a blood meal and at temperatures as low as 10 degrees.
If washing and drying toys and soft furnishings is not possible an alternative (at your own risk) is to placce items in strong, heavy plastic bags and place them in a freezer at -15 degrees for at least 3 days.
Not all items can be treated in this way so please check the manufacturers instructions before attempting this course of action.
All electrical items (TV, laptops etc) should be unplugged and sealed in clear plastic bags for us to visually inspect, and left in the infected room. Please note we only carry out a visual inspection and do not test electricalequipment or plug them back into sockets. Electrical items can then be quarantined as above.
Vacuuming of the floors can then take place including the skirting boards, edges of carpets, shelving, wardrobes, mirrors etc, in fact anywhere where the bugs may be lurking.
Before we start treatment please remove and dispose of all cardboard boxes (as these can provide retreats for the bedbugs) and any paper items such as books/magazines. If any of these items cannot be disposed of please seal these into clear, strong plastic bags and leave in the room for a visual inspection by ourselves.
Once the above has been completed we can then begin treatment.
At no time should anyone be in the room or adjacent areas whilst treatment is taking place for their own safety.
Professional Treatment
What we do
If it is not possible or desirable to dispose of the infected items (these being the bed base/frame and mattress) we can professionally treat these for you but please note that we will be unable to dispose of any stains.
You can fit an approved casement cover for the bed base once the treatment has been completed.
The treatment shall consist of:
a thorough inspection including light fittings, sockets, skirting boards, door casings etc.
Bedbugs can hide in very small crevices.
Bedbugs feed on blood every few days and are nocturnal. During the day they can be found behind wallpaper, picture frames and anywhere else there may be a small gap such as skirting boards.
It is of the utmost importance that we find all of the bedbugs harbour areas for a successful treatment and to prevent reinfestation.
Smears of excrement and blood spots may be seen close to hiding spots. Eggs, egg cases and nymphs may also be visible
A flushing aerosol will be used to disturb the bedbugs from their hiding oplaces and if possible we will vacuum them up as soon as they appear.
Once this has been carried out a further flushing treatment will be carried out alongside a heat treatment.
The entire structure and fabric of the room must be inspected and treated alongside all furniture.
After the heat treatment a broad spectrum residual insecticide may be considered and applied as necessary (at the discretion of the operative).
Often heat treatment alone is a very effective treatment for bedbugs and is also non-toxic.
Heat applied to a living insect (above 45 degrees) causes a breakdown in the insect DNA and death will occur.
There may need to be 2 or 3 consecutive treatments to ensure the infestation is completely eradicated.
All crevices and cracks around skirting boards/light switches etc need to be filled with decorators caulk/filler at the discretion of the operative carrying out the treatment.
Treatment Costs
The cost for the treatment is £140 for a 2 bed house, £210 for a 3 bed house, £280 for a 4 bed house. Houses of multiple occupancy (HMO's) prices will be subject to a survey (the survey will cost £50 which will be deducted from any treatment costs agreed.)
Please note that persistent reinfestations are often due to people unwittingly bringing bedbugs into the property from other locations/sources. This is not uncommon and must be taken into account when a reinfestation occurs after treatment.
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