Does Too Much Clutter Interfere With The Heat Treatment Process?

The heat treatment process has many advantages. One is that there is far less preparation required when compared to something like fumigation. That being said, how much preparation is actually needed? Can you leave piles of clutter lying around or do you have to clean up? Not only that, will this interfere with the heat treatment process?

How clutter affects the heat treatment process

The answer unfortunately, is yes. Piles of clutter will lessen the effectiveness of the heat treatment process. What you have to understand is that this technique works by warming up the room.

Specifically, it’s the air that is warmed up. This heated air then circulates around the room. When it comes into contact with pests, they die. What this means that that large piles of clutter can have a negative affect. This clutter prevents the air from circulating properly. It may also block certain areas of the room and lead to uneven heating, as well as causing damage to property.

What you also have to understand is that pests love hiding in clutter. Things like boxes, magazines, newspapers, and so on, all provide pests with shelter. Another problem with clutter is that it could shield pests from the heat. This could even mean that they survive the heat treatment process. While this doesn’t always happen, you don’t want to take any chances. The bottom line is that the less clutter you have in the room the better.

How to deal with clutter before the pest control process

So, what is required for a successful treatment after a bed bug inspection? You must remove anything which could be affected by heat. This includes everything from houseplants, to fruit/vegetables, wine, medicine, cosmetics and candles, along with things like deodorants, lighters, solvents etc. At the same time, remove any sensitive and fragile items.

It’s also important to open all cupboards and drawers when you prepare infected rooms. Hanging clothes should be slightly separated from each other. Clothes in drawers and other items should also be slightly separated from each other too, so that air can get in between. Every room has a certain amount of stuff in it, and this is fine for heat treatment. However, larger amounts of clutter need to be dealt with in a different way.

Containorise this clutter and ask your pest controller about treating these separately. These items could still be harbouring be bed bugs, so don’t simply move them to another place. One option is to place these containers in the garage.

This is a fairly basic overview of what’s needed when getting ready for this procedure. Your pest controller will give you full instructions. Make sure to follow them closely. This will prevent upsets and also maximize the effectiveness of the treatment.