Training › Step 4 of 6

STEP 4 OF 6 · PREPARATION

Heat treatment preparation

Heat has to reach every hiding place. Good preparation gives it open space and moving air, and keeps anything that heat could damage out of the room.

PREPARATIONAbout 6 min read
Exploded view of a bed, nightstand and wall showing the numbered places where bed bugs hide
YOUR PREPARATION TIMELINE

One week, four simple stages.

The preparation is the same whether you rent our equipment or choose Full Service.

A WEEK BEFORE

Declutter and plan

  • Throw out trash and anything you don’t want, in sealed bags.
  • Stop using bug sprays, foggers and dusts.
  • Fire sprinklers? Tell us when you book so we bring cooling covers.
2–3 DAYS BEFORE

Laundry and vacuuming

  • Wash bedding and clothes in hot water, then dry on the hottest setting.
  • Seal clean laundry in clear plastic bags.
  • Vacuum floors, furniture, mattress seams and baseboards.
THE DAY BEFORE

Remove and open up

  • Take out pets, plants and heat-sensitive items (see below).
  • Open drawers, closets and cabinets.
  • Pull furniture at least 6 inches from the walls.
TREATMENT DAY

Final checks

  • Prop each mattress up on empty boxes or a laundry basket.
  • Check which circuits you’ll use (Step 3).
  • Keep visits to the heated room short, and keep pets out the whole time.
TAKE IT OUT OR LEAVE IT IN?

Remove what heat can harm. Leave the rest.

The room reaches 60 °C (140 °F). Most of your belongings stay in the room so the heat can treat them too, but a few things must come out.

TAKE OUTRemove from the room

PetsIncluding fish in aquariums.
House plants
MedicationsPrescription and over-the-counter.
Wax itemsCandles, lipstick and other make-up, wax figurines.
Food that spoils or meltsFresh food, chocolate, candy.
Anything pressurizedSpray cans, fire extinguishers, oxygen bottles.
FlammablesLighters, lamp fuel, alcohol, solvents, propane, paint.
Wooden and stringed instrumentsLeave the empty cases in the room.

LEAVE INThese stay for treatment

FurniturePulled at least 6 inches from the walls.
Mattresses and box springsMattress propped up on boxes or a basket, leaving a gap for hot air.
Clothes and shoesHung up or spread out, not in piles.
Books and papersSpread out. Weigh down loose papers: the fans move a lot of air.
Most electronicsMost tolerate around 65 °C, above the 60 °C room air.

Why it matters for your heat treatment: anything you carry out of the room can carry bed bugs with it. Only take out what heat would damage, and check those items carefully before they go back.

6 in6 in123456
SIDE VIEWA gap under the mattress lets hot air throughbox springempty boxbasketmattresshot air
SET UP THE ROOM

Open everything up so heat can get in.

Air flow is the key. Heat moves with the air, so every surface needs space around it.

  1. 1Bed frame pulled at least 6 inches from the wall.
  2. 2Mattress propped up on an empty box and a laundry basket, so hot air flows between it and the box spring.
  3. 3Drawers pulled open, contents loosened.
  4. 4Closet doors open, clothes hung with space between them.
  5. 5Dresser pulled away from the wall, drawers open.
  6. 6Clean laundry sealed in clear plastic bags as soon as it comes out of the dryer.
LAUNDRY AND VACUUMING

Your dryer is a bed bug heater too.

HOTWash and dryWash bedding and clothes in hot water, then dry them on the hottest dryer setting.
30 minDryer-only itemsPut shoes, stuffed toys and dry-clean-only items in a hot dryer for 30 minutes or more.
SEALBag it and vacuumSeal clean items in clear plastic bags. Vacuum mattress seams, furniture and baseboards, then seal and throw out the vacuum bag.
AVOID THESE MISTAKES

Four things that make treatment harder.

No sprays, foggers or bug bombsThey drive bed bugs deeper into walls and next door, where heat has to work harder to reach them.
Don’t move things to other roomsItems carried out spread bed bugs. Only remove what heat would damage.
Don’t overpackStuffed closets and tight piles block the air. Hang clothes and spread things out.
Don’t use cardboard boxesCardboard gives bed bugs places to hide. Use plastic bins or bags instead.
Prefer a printable checklist?Our one-page Heat Treatment Health and Safety Precautions sheet lists everything to remove.
Get the checklist

Why it matters for your heat treatment: fire sprinklers must be covered with cold ice packs for the whole treatment. Our cooling covers are $100 per rental (not per day). Tell us when you book. See the rental package

WATCH

See the preparation in two minutes.

Our own short video walks through all four stages. It is also on our YouTube channel.

Bed bug heat treatment preparationHeatZone Pest Control · 1:55

Sources and further reading

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