Welcome to Dead Bug Walkin LLC, your trusted bed bug heat treatment specialists in Northeast Oklahoma! Our heat treatment uses hot air (140-150°F) to eliminate bed bugs and their eggs, followed by a preventative chemical treatment to keep your home pest-free. To ensure success, follow this simple, step-by-step prep guide. We've made it easy to understand so you can get it right!
Why Prep Matters
Proper preparation is critical for a successful treatment. Only prep the rooms we're treating (we'll confirm which rooms during your inspection). Follow these instructions exactly to avoid mistakes that could let bed bugs survive.
Supplies You'll Need
- Large Construction Trash Bags (55+ gallons, at least 1.5mm thick): These heavy-duty bags prevent tears and ensure airtight seals. Find them at Home Depot or Lowe's.
- Hot Shot No-Pest Strips: For hard items only. Available at Home Depot, Lowe's, or Ace Hardware (sometimes online too).
- Duct Tape, Zip Ties, or Rubber Bands: To seal bags airtight.
- Optional Plastic Totes: For sharp items to prevent bag tears (leave lids off).
Two Types of Prep Bags
You'll prep two types of items separately. Do NOT mix them in the same bag!
- Fabric Items: Clothes, bedding, towels, blankets (except window/shower curtains, rugs, and clothes that can't go in a dryer, like leather or suits).
- Hard Items: Non-fabric items that can't go in a dryer (e.g., loose paperwork, or items that could melt/explode).
Step-by-Step Prep Instructions
1. Bag, Seal Items, Store Outside
- Fabrics: Place all fabric items from drawers, closets, shelves, or floors into trash bags. Fill bags only 1/2-3/4 full to avoid tears. Seal airtight with duct tape, zip ties, or rubber bands by spinning up, then folding over the to open portion, then applying tape around the bend portion.
- Hard Items: Place non-fabric items in separate trash bags. Fill halfway, add half a Hot Shot No-Pest Strip (cut the strip in two, discard the white plastic cage), and seal airtight. Keep these bags sealed for at least 15+ days after treatment. 30 days would be ideal for hard items you know bed bugs or eggs are present on.
- If You Have any Sharp Hard Items: Place in plastic totes, slide a trash bag over the tote (leave lid off), add half a No-Pest Strip, and seal the bag airtight. 55-gallon trash bags will fit over most plastic totes.
- Important: Do NOT put pest strips in fabric bags. Do NOT use bags with holes or layer bags inside each other—instead replace it or just tape over any holes.
2. Store Bags Outside Home
- As you finish each sealed bag move it to an outdoor storage area (e.g., garage, shed, under a tarp, or on a balcony). Do NOT leave prep bags in the home once sealed. Do NOT store trash bags in vehicles or inside your home even after treatment, as this risks re-infestation.
- Tip: Place bags on wooden crates or a trailer to keep them off wet ground, and cover with a weighted tarp if you don't have a storage area for the bags.
3. Laundry Instructions (Do After Treatment)
- Fabrics: After treatment, take sealed fabric bags to a laundromat or dryer. Dry on high heat for at least 1 hour BEFORE washing. Wash if needed, then dry again on high heat. Discard used bags in an outdoor trash can. (As long as the fabrics have gone thru heat they can then be returned to the house after your treatment is finished.)
- Hard Items: Keep bags sealed with pest strips for 15+ days. 30+ days for heavy infestations.
4. Items to Remove from Home
- Pets (remove completely & keep out until 2-3 hours after treatment or until we state it's okay).
- Cassette tapes, vinyl records, candles, crayons, or wax items.
- Aerosols, pressurized cans, flammable/combustible chemicals, lighters.
- Indoor plants, seeds.
- Carbonated drinks, Liquor (remove from living spaces, no prep needed just remove).
- Food items that could melt (chocolate, candy, solid oils—store in fridge or kitchen cabinets, behind kitchen cabinet doors is safe for most foods).
- Make up, lotions, oils, deodorants, bathing products, toothpaste, tooth brushes (store outside living spaces for duration of treatment, no prep needed). Leave any make up bags behind.
- Throw away card board boxes.
- Vacuum up any pesticide dusts or diatomaceous earth used anywhere inside the home. Tip: Use a shop vac for dusts, your typical vacuum filter will clog.
5. Items You'll Leave in Home
- Furniture (dressers, drawers, nightstands, beds, couches, chairs, tables, etc.).
- Window/shower curtains, rugs, leather items or coats, or clothes that can't go in a dryer.
- Hangers in closets (do NOT leave on floors).
- Pictures, decorations, electronics, and wiring.
- Air mattresses (keep inflated if already up).
- Books on shelves (upright, not on their side).
- Shoes (throw away shoe boxes if possible).
6. Clear Clutter for Us
- Remove trash, pet hair, human hair, papers, pesticide dust/diatomaceous earth, and clutter from floors, baseboards, under or between beds parts, and around or in dressers.
- Empty all drawers, baskets, and trunks (bag contents, leave drawers, baskets and trunks in place).
- Clear closets of clothes, and clutter to avoid cold spots where bugs can hide. In other words we cannot have things piled on top of things in infested rooms.
- Throw away all card board boxes possible. If absolutely needed, then keep in place. The less card board the better. Use plastic totes in place of cardboard, when possible.
7. Safety Notices
- Notify us immediately if your home has indoor sprinklers or heat alarms (not talking about regular smoke detectors).
- Vacate the premises during treatment (4-9 hours) and wait 0-3 hours after completion to return, we'll tell you exactly when to return after we've finished and hour long your treatment will be. Sometimes it's immediately that you can re-enter once we're finished, but not always. It's against Oklahoma state regulation and unsafe to stay during treatment and until we've deemed it is safe to return. We will notify you the exact time that you will be able to re-enter your home.
- Secure loose papers to avoid blowing away or being eaten up by fans. Throw away all loose trash, loose pet hair. These things can also damage our high temp fans and heaters.
What to Expect During Your Treatment
- Treatment takes 4-9 hours. We use large heaters and fans to circulate hot air, followed by chemical application.
- We may unplug cameras and electronics to use outlets. Do not disturb us during the process.
- Stay out until we confirm it's safe to return (0-3 hours after treatment for cooling and drying, again we will tell you the exact time to re-enter).
Tips for Success
- Follow all steps exactly—skipping any can lead to treatment failure.
- Store bags outside immediately after sealing to prevent re-infestation, from bed bugs on the outside of bags. Keep all trash bags outside of living spaces from start to finish. Only bring your items back inside after they have either gone thru a dryer, for fabrics, or spent 15+ days sealed off inside a bag with a no pest strip, for hard items. Remove trash bags before bringing items back into home.
- Don't rush laundry—wait until after our treatment to process fabrics thru a dryer and return them into the home except for bedding or clothes you immediately need when returning. Extra tip: Utilize laundry mat dryers instead of yours.
- Leave all hard item bags with a 1/2 piece no pest strip inside sealed off for at least 15+ days outside of living spaces. (Fabric prep bags do not get no pest strips inside since they will be going through a dryer before returning to your home after your treatment).
- Contact us at (918) 710-7529 with any questions!
Rescheduling or Canceling
- Our heaters can't operate in heavy rain or lightning, so we may need to reschedule.
- Give 48 hours' notice for cancellations or rescheduling please.
By following this guide, you'll help us make your Northeast Oklahoma home bed bug-free! Call or text (918) 710-7529 with any questions. Let's get those bugs gone for good!
Related Info you may want to know:
What to Do After Treatment
Read: "What to Do After your Bed Bug Treatment"
How to Clean After Treatment
Read: "How to Clean After Your Bed Bug Treatment"
Watch Video: (click 2x)
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