Take these out of the room
- Aerosol cans, lighters, and anything pressurized
- Candles, crayons, wax, and lipstick or other cosmetics
- Medications, vitamins, and anything refrigerated
- Vinyl records, cassettes, and photographs not in frames
- Musical instruments, especially wood and strings
- Laptops, TVs, and game consoles are usually fine, but unplug them and remove anything with a lithium battery you care about
- Wine, liquor, and carbonated drinks
- Houseplants, pets, fish tanks, and reptile enclosures
- Firearms and ammunition
Anything you remove must be treated separately or sealed in a bag until the room is done. A 30 minute high heat dryer cycle handles fabric items.
Leave these in the room
- Clothes in dressers and closets, with drawers pulled open
- Bedding, stripped and left loose on the bed
- Mattress and box spring, tilted or lifted so air reaches both sides
- Books, shoes, bags, and stuffed animals, spread out rather than stacked
- Upholstered furniture, cushions pulled off and stood up
Stage the room
- Pull every piece of furniture 4 to 6 inches away from the walls
- Open closet doors, cabinet doors, and every drawer
- Remove outlet and switch covers, since bugs hide behind them
- Take pictures off the walls and lean them against furniture
- Close windows and blinds, and block the gap under the door with a towel
- Turn off the HVAC to that room and close the vent
Safety steps
- Fire sprinklers. Sprinkler heads trigger between 135°F and 165°F. If the room has them, tell us in the form before booking.
- Power. Each heater and air mover needs its own outlet on its own breaker where possible. We map this out with you at delivery.
- Sensors. Put one under the mattress, one inside the closet, one behind the largest piece of furniture, and one at floor level in the far corner.
- Stay out. Nobody in the room while it is above 120°F. Check the sensors from the base unit or your phone.
After the treatment
Let the room cool, vacuum thoroughly, and put a mattress encasement on before you make the bed. Heat leaves no residue, so interceptor cups under the bed legs are the cheapest way to catch any bug that hitchhikes in later. Here is why the temperature matters, and here is where to get a quote.