If you reside in an apartment, you must know how difficult and stressful it can be to deal with pests. Be it ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, or mice, dealing with them every day is truly a struggle. That’s why you should get pest control treatment done in your apartment once in a while. Now, if you are new to this and wondering what to do, read this blog to understand how to prepare an apartment for pest control. After all, for a successful pest control treatment, preparation is half the battle. It can help improve the effectiveness of pest control treatment while ensuring the long-term elimination of pests.
Detailed Steps to Prepare Your Home for Pest Control
Get in Touch with A Pest Control Company to Ask What To Do
When you plan to get pest control done at your home, contact the pest control company and ask if they need anything in particular to provide the service. Try to find which pest the company is going to treat your apartment for so that you can prepare accordingly. Or, you can just do some basic things to make your home ready for the treatment.
Pick Up Any Clutter Present at Home
See clutters at home? Remove them. Be it a pile of clothes or old newspapers, pests can easily hide there. Clean your home a bit so that the pest control people can easily reach out to every nook and corner of your house. Also, make sure to take your trash outside to not let the pests crawl back into your house.
Empty Your Wardrobe
Pests love to hide in corners and dark spaces. So, consider emptying your wardrobe so that the pest control people can spray or clean the inner portion of the wardrobe. You can keep all the stuff from your wardrobe in a central location and cover them with a clean sheet. You can do the same for your kitchen cabinets. Moreover, if your apartment has pests like silverfish and ants, you must empty all your cabinets, including your medicine cabinet.
Pull Furniture Away From The Walls
Usually, pest control people spray along the floor and ceiling. That’s why it is better to pull furniture away from the walls if you are placed adjacent to them. This provides full access to the space where your large furniture is placed. Also, wipe down the baseboards and check for pests behind the electrical outlets.
Use Storage Boxes to Keep Kids’ Toys and Clothes
If you have kids at home, you must take extra care as they are more sensitive to pesticides. So, make sure to safely store all of their clothes and toys lying around in the apartment. Use a plastic storage bin or double bag them to store them safely. Likewise, don’t forget to store your fur babies’ toys and clothes safely.
Wash Your Washables in Hot Water
If you are getting the pest control service to eliminate bed bugs, you can do this. Throw your bedding in the washing machine on the hottest cycle you have. Then, dry them in the hottest setting. After that, you can double bag your clean bedding using a trash bag to protect it from pesticides and pests. You can do the same for your clothes, stuffed animals, pillows, and curtains.
Safely Store Your Unsealed Food and Medicines
You must not want your food items to get exposed to any pesticides. Just use open bags of food or medicine to store your food items and cover them with a sheet. Also, you can use airtight containers with proper lids to keep your food and medicine safe. Besides that, don’t forget your pets’ food and medicines.
Vacuum All The Carpets
If there are fleas in your apartment, make sure to do this before the pest control service. Vacuuming your carpets can eliminate adult fleas and their eggs, making it easier for pest control people to do their job. After vacuuming, empty the content into a sealed bag and dump it outside immediately. Otherwise, the fleas can escape from the bags and crawl back into your apartment.
Dump Infested Items
While preparing the apartment for the pest control service, you might come across items that have pests and fleas in them. If you find such items, put them into plastic bags instantly and dump them into the outdoor garbage right away. The more pests and infested items you can get rid of, the better it is for the pest control people to clean your space.
Take Your Pets to a Safe Location
Most pest control techniques are hazardous for pets. Even though some pest control companies claim to use natural pesticides, you should not take risks and let your pets get exposed to pesticides. If you need to leave the apartment during the process, take your pets along. This will make sure that they do not inhale any harmful fumes. Also, make sure to keep them away for at least two hours before bringing them back to their home.
Cover Tanks and Aquarium
If you have an aquarium or tank, use a sheet to protect the animals. For fish, you can cover the filtration system with a plastic wrap to prevent harmful chemicals from entering. Keeping the filtration system switched off for at least four to six hours is recommended to avoid contaminating the water.
Make Your Neighbors Aware of The Pest Control Happening at Your Home
During pest control treatments, pests move from one apartment to another. So, you must let your surrounding neighbors know about the service if your apartment is the only unit getting the service. It might help in getting a pest control service along with you or take necessary measures to prevent the entry of unwanted insects into their apartments.
The Final Takeaway
Preparing your apartment for pest control elevates the treatment’s success rate. So, if you are confused about how to prepare an apartment for pest control, follow this guide and get everything ready for the pest control service.
Hi, I’m Lillian Blanchard, a home solutions expert and writer with a passion for transforming everyday spaces into functional, beautiful havens. With years of experience in interior design, DIY projects, and sustainable living, I specialize in crafting practical advice that makes home improvement accessible to everyone.
