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Brantford Pest Control
Bed Bug Prep Sheet: Getting Ready for Treatment
Booked for bed bug treatment with Brantford Pest Control? This checklist walks you through what to do before your technician arrives and what to expect after. We treat bed bugs with Aprehend, a fungal-spore biopesticide, so prep is lighter than many people expect. You won’t need to empty every drawer or bag everything you own.
- Licensed, insured and bonded
- 10+ years in business
- Free estimates over the phone
- Family owned and operated
- Health Canada-registered products
This page is our own plain-language checklist. It follows the manufacturer’s official Aprehend homeowner prep sheet, which you can download and print. If anything on this page is unclear, or your home has special needs, call us during office hours and ask before treatment day.
Why prep matters with Aprehend
Aprehend is sprayed in narrow bands where bed bugs travel, such as bed frames, baseboards and the edges of furniture. Bed bugs walk across the bands, pick up the spores and carry them back to where they hide. The bands keep working for weeks, so the most important part of prep is giving your technician clear access to those spots and then leaving the bands alone. You can read more about how Aprehend works.
Step 1: Laundry and bedding
- ☐ Strip the beds in every room being treated, including sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers and mattress pads
- ☐ Wash bedding and clothes that were on the floor, the bed or nearby chairs, then dry them on the hottest dryer setting for at least 40 minutes
- ☐ Put clean, dry items straight into new sealed plastic bags and keep them out of the treated rooms until your technician says it’s fine
- ☐ Items that can’t be washed, such as shoes, stuffed toys or backpacks, can go in the dryer for 40 minutes if the label allows
- ☐ Leave the mattress and box spring on the bed frame so they can be treated
Step 2: Clear the clutter
- ☐ Pick up clothes, shoes, toys, books and bags from the floor, especially under and around beds and couches
- ☐ Empty the space under each bed completely
- ☐ Don’t move items from an infested room into other rooms, since that can spread bed bugs
- ☐ Throw out clutter you don’t need in sealed bags, and put them straight in the outside garbage
- ☐ You don’t need to empty dressers or closets unless your technician tells you the infestation is heavy
Step 3: Furniture, floors and walls
- ☐ Pull beds, couches and headboards about 30 cm (one foot) away from the walls
- ☐ Clear the baseboards so the technician can reach every edge of the room
- ☐ Vacuum floors, baseboards, bed frames and the seams of couches, then empty the vacuum or seal the bag and take it outside right away
- ☐ Remove items from the tops of night tables and dressers in the bedroom
- ☐ Tell your technician about any recliners, sofa beds or other furniture with hollow spaces
Step 4: Pets, children and people
- ☐ Plan for pets to stay out of the home or out of treated rooms for at least 4 hours after treatment
- ☐ Cover fish tanks and turn off their air pumps, and cover or move bird and small-animal cages
- ☐ Put away children’s toys and pacifiers from treated rooms
- ☐ Tell us when you book if anyone in the home is pregnant, has breathing problems or has other health concerns
- ☐ Your technician will tell you when it’s safe for people and pets to go back into treated rooms
Step 5: On treatment day
- ☐ Make sure every room on the plan can be reached, including closets
- ☐ Don’t use any other bug sprays, foggers or cleaners in the rooms being treated, before or after the visit
- ☐ Leave a light on in rooms with poor lighting
- ☐ Have a list of rooms and furniture where you’ve seen bites, bugs or spotting
After treatment
The steps after treatment matter as much as the prep.
- Keep sleeping in your bed. Bed bugs are drawn to people. When they come out to feed, they cross the spray bands and pick up the spores. Sleeping on the couch or in another room can spread them.
- Don’t clean the spray bands. The bands are about 5 cm (2 inches) wide and can stay active for up to 3 months. Don’t wash, mop, steam or vacuum along baseboards, bed frames or furniture edges where they were sprayed.
- Expect to see a few bed bugs. It’s normal to see live bed bugs for about 2 to 3 weeks while the spores work.
- Call us if they don’t stop. If you’re still seeing live bed bugs 30 days after treatment, call us during office hours.
- Be careful with new items. Inspect second-hand furniture, luggage and clothing before bringing them in.
Get a free phone estimate
Call Brantford Pest Control to describe your pest problem and book a visit.
Our services
Why Brantford Pest Control
- Licensed, insured and bonded
- 10+ years in business
- Free estimates over the phone
- Family owned and operated
- Health Canada-registered products
FAQ
Bed bug prep sheet: FAQ
Do I need to empty my dressers and closets before bed bug treatment?
Usually not. With Aprehend, the technician treats the places bed bugs travel, so most dressers and closets can stay as they are. Wash and dry what’s on the floor or near the bed. If your technician sees a heavy infestation, they may ask you to empty specific drawers, and they’ll tell you which ones.
Can I sleep in my bed after bed bug treatment?
Yes, and you should. Bed bugs come out to feed on the people sleeping in the bed, and that’s when they cross the treated bands and pick up the spores. If you move to the couch or another room, bed bugs can follow you there. Keep your normal routine unless your technician tells you otherwise.
How long do pets need to stay out after treatment?
Plan for pets to stay out of treated rooms for at least 4 hours. Cover fish tanks and turn off their pumps, and cover or move cages for birds and small animals. Your technician will confirm when it’s safe for pets and people to go back in, based on the rooms treated.
Can I clean or vacuum after treatment?
You can clean as usual in the middle of rooms, but don’t wash, mop, steam or vacuum along baseboards, bed frames or furniture edges where the bands were sprayed. The bands can keep working for up to 3 months, and cleaning them removes the spores that kill the bed bugs.
Why am I still seeing bed bugs after treatment?
It’s normal to see live bed bugs for about 2 to 3 weeks after treatment. The spores take time to work after a bed bug crosses a treated band, and it then spreads them to others in the hiding spot. If you’re still seeing live bed bugs after 30 days, call us during office hours.
What if I can't finish all the prep?
Do what you can, and call us before treatment day to talk it through. The most important steps are clearing the floors and the space under beds, pulling furniture away from walls, washing bedding and clothes near the bed, and keeping pets away. We can help you decide what matters most for your home.
Where we work
Bed bug treatment in Brantford & area
Brantford Pest Control serves homes and businesses in Brantford, Paris, St. George, Scotland, Mount Pleasant and Caledonia, including Brantford-area communities such as Cainsville. In the city we work in every neighbourhood, from Holmedale, Eagle Place and Terrace Hill to Echo Place, North Ward, Shellard Lane and West Brant. Not sure we cover your address? Call 519-900-5452 and we’ll tell you.
- Brantford
- Paris
- St. George
- Scotland
- Mount Pleasant
- Caledonia
- Cainsville
Other pest control services in Brantford
Bed Bug Exterminator
Inspection, targeted treatment and follow-up to eliminate bed bugs and their eggs.
Mice & Rat Removal
Remove mice and rats, find their entry points and keep them out.
Rat Exterminator
Rat control with locked bait stations, traps and sealing of burrows and entry points.
Ant & Carpenter Ant Control
Identify the species, find the colony and treat the source.
Cockroach Removal
Gel baits and growth regulators that reach roaches where they hide.
Spider Control
Interior and exterior treatment, web removal and prevention.
Flea Extermination
Break the flea life cycle with home treatment and a pet-owner prep plan.
Wasp & Hornet Nest Removal
Treatment and removal of wasp and hornet nests in eaves, walls, sheds and the ground.
Commercial Pest Control
Pest management for businesses, rental properties, schools, healthcare and warehouses.
Wildlife Removal
Humane removal of raccoons, squirrels, skunks and bats, following Ontario's wildlife rules.
Not sure what you're dealing with?
Describe what you’re seeing and we’ll point you in the right direction. Estimates over the phone are free.
Questions about your bed bug prep? Call Brantford Pest Control.
Call 519-900-5452 to describe what you’re seeing and get a free estimate over the phone. Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Leave a message outside those hours and we’ll call you back during office hours.