In short
Wash bedding and clothes from affected rooms at 60 °C or tumble-dry them, then keep them in sealed bags; vacuum thoroughly and throw the bag away outdoors; clear the area around the bed and the skirting; and don't move anything into other rooms. Good preparation makes treatment more effective and keeps the number of visits down.
ANSES points out that before any treatment, the infested room must be cleaned, vacuumed and tidied. This preparation is often what separates a two-visit treatment from a battle that drags on.
Checklist for the days before
Start two or three days before the visit, room by room:
- Sheets, covers, curtains and clothes from affected rooms: 60 °C wash or hot tumble-dry, then stored in sealed bags.
- Thorough vacuuming of mattress, bed base, skirting and corners; bag or bin contents sealed and thrown into an outdoor bin.
- Clear the area around the bed and along the walls: nothing under the bed, free access to skirting and sockets.
- Fragile or electronic items gathered together for the technician to inspect.
Mistakes that spread the infestation
The urge to escape the infested bedroom is understandable, but it often leads the bugs to follow you to the sofa or to friends' homes. Likewise, furniture thrown out unwrapped can infest the stairwell or bulky-waste room.
- Don't move laundry, furniture or boxes to other rooms before treatment.
- If you can, keep sleeping in your bed: the bugs stay concentrated where the treatment will work.
- Don't use shop-bought insecticides or foggers: ANSES warns about poisoning and resistance.
- If you throw out furniture or a mattress, wrap it and make it unusable so nobody takes it home.
After the treatment
Follow the instructions in the report: when you can use the rooms again, which areas not to wash, fitting the bed-bug-proof covers. The next visit is timed around the egg-hatching cycle, to reach young bugs before they lay eggs.
Key points
- 60 °C wash or tumble-dry, then sealed bags.
- Thorough vacuuming, bag thrown away outdoors.
- Nothing moves between rooms before treatment.
- No shop-bought insecticides alongside.
General information, correct at the date of publication; it does not replace personal legal or medical advice.