You’ve booked fumigation. Good. Now there’s the part most people leave to the last hour: getting the house ready.
How you prepare your house for fumigation makes a real difference. If the technician can’t reach the skirting boards, the back of the kitchen cabinets or the seams of the mattress, the treatment can’t reach them either. And the things you forget to put away (an open bag of sugar, the dog’s water bowl, the baby’s toys) are the things you’ll worry about afterwards.
Most of this takes an evening. Here’s what to do, room by room.
A few days before
- Ask the fumigation company what they’ll be treating for, what products they’ll use, and how long everyone needs to stay out. The answer depends on the pest and the product, so get it from them rather than guessing.
- Plan where the family will go for those hours. Children, pregnant women, older relatives and anyone with asthma or breathing problems should be out of the house during treatment.
- Arrange for pets. Dogs, cats and birds need to be out of the house too. If you keep chickens or rabbits in the compound and the outside is being treated, move them or tell the technician so they can work around them.
- Tell your neighbours if you share walls, a corridor or a compound. In flats, pests often move between units, and some people like to know when spraying is happening next door.
Kitchen
The kitchen takes the longest, especially for cockroach treatment, because that’s where they hide.
- Pack away all open food, including bread, sugar, flour, unga and fruit. Put it in sealed containers or bags, or move it to another room that isn’t being treated.
- Put plates, cups, cutlery and cooking pots inside closed cupboards or cover them with a sheet. Anything left out should be washed before you use it again.
- Empty the cupboards under the sink and the ones where you’ve seen cockroaches, so the technician can treat the inside and the back.
- Wipe down counters and sweep the floor. Grease and crumbs can stop treatment from working as well as it should.
- Unplug the microwave, kettle and toaster, and move small appliances away from the wall if you can.
- Switch off the gas at the cylinder and make sure the jiko is out. You don’t want any open flame while spraying is going on.
Bedrooms
For bedbug treatment especially, the bedroom needs the most preparation.
- Strip all the beds. Wash the sheets, pillowcases and blankets, and keep clean ones in sealed bags until after the treatment.
- Clear the space under the beds.
- Empty bedside drawers if the technician asks you to, and bag the contents.
- Pick clothes up off the floor and chairs. If you’re treating for bedbugs, wash and dry them, then bag them.
- Pull the bed and wardrobe a little away from the wall so the technician can get behind them.
Living room
- Take the cushions off the sofa and stand them up, so the seams and the frame underneath can be treated.
- Clear the floor along the walls. Skirting boards are one of the main places pests hide.
- Cover or move electronics like the TV, decoder and router, and any musical instruments.
- Put away children’s toys, or bag them.
Bathroom
- Remove toothbrushes, towels, soap, cosmetics and medicines, or put them inside a closed cabinet.
- Clear the space under the sink.
Water, plants and fish
This is the part people most often forget.
- Close and cover water tanks, buckets, jerrycans and any containers of drinking water. Don’t leave water standing open.
- Cover fish tanks with a plastic sheet or cling film, and switch off the air pump while the treatment happens and for a while afterwards. Ask the technician how long.
- Move indoor plants outside, or to a room that isn’t being treated.
- If the compound is being sprayed, keep children’s play equipment and laundry lines in mind. Take washing in before the team arrives.
On the day
- Be home to let the team in, show them where you’ve seen the pests, and point out anything they should avoid.
- Leave internal doors, cupboards and wardrobes open, unless you’ve been told otherwise.
- Close the windows if the technician asks you to, so the treatment stays inside.
- Take what you’ll need for the next few hours: phone, charger, keys, any medicines, and food for children.
- Leave the house, with everyone and every pet, for as long as the technician tells you.
What to do after fumigation
The job isn’t finished when the team leaves. What you do in the next day or two matters as much as the preparation.
- Wait the full time you were given before going back in. Don’t cut it short.
- Open all the windows and doors when you return and let the house air out.
- Wipe kitchen counters, tables and any surface that touches food. Wash any dishes or utensils that were left out.
- Don’t mop or wash the treated areas along walls and skirting boards straight away. Many treatments are designed to keep working for days, and mopping washes them off. Ask the technician how long to wait.
- Expect to see some pests for a few days. Insects come out of hiding as the treatment reaches them, so seeing a few dying cockroaches is normal. If you’re still seeing live ones after a couple of weeks, call the company back.
- Keep children and pets away from treated areas until they’ve dried completely.
Checklist: prepare your house for fumigation
- ☐ Asked how long to stay out
- ☐ Plans made for children, pets and anyone vulnerable
- ☐ All food packed away and sealed
- ☐ Dishes and utensils put away or covered
- ☐ Cupboards under the sink and problem cupboards emptied
- ☐ Beds stripped, bedding washed and bagged
- ☐ Floors and skirting boards cleared
- ☐ Sofa cushions off
- ☐ Toothbrushes, towels and medicines put away
- ☐ Water tanks and containers covered
- ☐ Fish tank covered, pump off
- ☐ Plants moved out
- ☐ Gas switched off, no open flame
- ☐ Phone, keys and medicines packed for the day
Need fumigation in Nairobi or anywhere in Kenya?
AVA Fumigation & Pest Control treats homes, offices and businesses for bedbugs, cockroaches, termites, rodents and other pests. When you book, we tell you exactly how to prepare for your treatment and when it’s safe to go back in. The consultation is free, and our pest control treatments come with a 3-month warranty.
Call or WhatsApp us on +254 728 296239, or request a free quote.