Photo by Paulo Ziemer

Originally Posted On: https://www.myzeo.com/house/what-to-expect-during-a-house-fumigation/

 

Do you have a termite, flea, or bed bug problem in your home that you just can’t seem to shake?

If so, regular pest control services probably aren’t going to do the trick. Instead, you’re going to need to consider having house fumigation done.

During home fumigation, a pest control company will place a large tent over the top of your home and seal it shut. They’ll then release a gas like sulfuryl fluoride inside your home that’s capable of getting into every crack and crevice and killing the pests that we just mentioned.

Fumigation is incredibly effective when it comes to eliminating pests from a home. But it can be a daunting experience if you’ve never gone through it before and don’t know what to expect.

Here is what you can expect to take place during house fumigation.

Finding a Great Pest Control Company to Evaluate the Pest Problem in Your Home

Before you even think about scheduling house fumigation to get rid of a pest problem, you should bring a pest control company into your home to inspect it. This will let you know how big of a problem you actually have on your hands.

You shouldn’t have too much trouble tracking down a reliable pest control company in your area. The pest control industry generates more than $8 billion every year, which has led to a surge in the total number of pest control companies all across the country.

But you shouldn’t hire just any pest control company to do work in your home. The company that you trust to help you with your pest problem should be:

• Experienced when it comes to eradicating a wide variety of pests
• Equipped with the tools that it takes to wipe out a large pest population without a problem
• Ready to help with your pest issue in a hurry

They should also offer excellent customer service from the second that they pick up the phone and field your call. The last thing you want to do is trust a pest control company to perform house fumigation when you can’t even trust them to treat you with kindness and respect.

Figuring out Whether or Not House Fumigation Is Your Best Option

Once you find a pest control company that you feel comfortable working with, invite them out to your home and let them walk around in it to evaluate your pest problem. They’ll inspect your home from top to bottom for signs of termites, fleas, or bed bugs to see how extensive the problem is.

In a best-case scenario, they’ll tell you that they can eradicate the problem without having to use house fumigation. But if the problem has spiraled out of control and made an impact on almost every part of your home, they’ll suggest that you fumigate your house right away.

Great pest control companies know how inconvenient house fumigation is and will strive to avoid it at all costs. But in some situations, it’s unavoidable and is the only solution for a bad pest problem.

Preparing Your Home for the Fumigation Process

If a pest control company tells you that you do, in fact, have to go through house fumigation, it’s not something that they’re going to be able to do immediately. You’re going to have to help them prepare your home for the fumigation process ahead of time.

Preparing your home is a tall task that’s going to take you at least a few hours to do. You might even want to set aside an entire day to ensure you’re able to get your home ready so that the fumigation process can play out.

You can prepare your home for fumigation by doing things like:

• Unlocking doors, cabinets, desks, and more and opening them all up
• Removing food from refrigerators, freezers, cabinets, and more and moving it to a location outside of your home
• Taking linens off beds and out of closets and removing them from your home
• Shutting off the pilot lights for your water heater, oven, fireplace, and more
• Taking houseplants out of your home
• Moving mulch, rocks, plants, and more at least 12 inches away from the exterior of your home

Talk to your pest control company about all the different things they’ll need you to do to prepare your home for fumigation. It’s important for you to do each and everything on their list so that your home is 100% ready for fumigation when you’re finished.

Looking for a Place to Stay While Your Home Is Being Fumigated

After you’ve taken all the necessary steps to prepare your home for fumigation, your pest control company will start the process of “tenting” it. This literally involves taking a gigantic tent and placing it on top of your house so that it forms a tight seal over it.

Once this tent is in place, you’re not going to be able to live in your home anymore. You’re going to need to find somewhere else to stay while your house is being fumigated.

And you’re likely going to need to stay somewhere else for more than just a day. In most cases, pest control companies will tell you that you’re going to have to stay out of your house for two or even three days so that it can be fumigated.

Moving Back Into Your Home Following Fumigation

After your pest control company is finished fumigating your home, they will remove the tent that they put up from it, air it out, and clean up after themselves. This will usually only take a few hours.

From there, you’ll be welcome to move back into your home as long as they’ve deemed it to be safe. But before you do, you’ll need to turn the pilot lights for your various appliances back on, get your appliances up and running again, and start moving everything that you moved out of your home back into it.

Some people will also choose to clean all of the things that were left behind in their homes during fumigation. This includes everything from countertops and floors to clothing and electronics.

Technically, you don’t have to do this since the gas used during house fumigation won’t leave any nasty residue behind. But some people appreciate the peace of mind that comes along with cleaning their house following the fumigation process.

Paying Your Pest Control Company for Their Fumigation Services

As long as everything goes according to plan, the fumigation process should be complete at this point. Your house should be pest-free, and you should be able to move on with your life without having to worry about termites, fleas, or bed bugs taking over your home.

The only thing left to do will be to pay your pest control company what you owe them for house fumigation. This begs the question, “How much does it cost to fumigate a house?”

It’s impossible to say exactly how much you’re going to need to pay a pest control company to fumigate your home. The price that you pay will depend on everything from the size of your home to the extent of your pest problem.

But generally speaking, house tent fumigation will usually start at somewhere around $1,000 and go up to around $4,000 in some instances. It could potentially cost more than that if you have a very large home. But a pest control company should be able to let you know if that will be the case at the start of the fumigation process.

Keeping a Close Eye out for Any Signs of Pest Problems in the Future

At the end of the fumigation process, you shouldn’t be left with a single termite, flea, or bed bug in your home. But you should continue to keep a close eye out for any signs of pest problems in the future.

You might want to have your pest control company come out to your home every few months to inspect it for any potential signs of pests. If necessary, they can perform bed bug spraying or other procedures as needed for you before it gets worse.

This will stop a small pest problem from growing out of control again and forcing you to fumigate your home for a second time.

Schedule an Appointment With a Pest Control Company Today

The house fumigation process often sounds a lot worse than it really is. By working with the right pest control company and taking the steps listed here, you can make it a more pleasant experience overall.

You can also stop yourself from having to constantly worry about termites, fleas, bed bugs, and other pests in your house. Home fumigation is one of the safest and most reliable ways to eliminate pests once and for all.

Read our blog to find more informative pest control articles that will help you keep your home safe from pests.