Moving from a Recently-Infested Home? Follow These Preventative Steps

If you’re moving from a recently-infested home, the last thing you want to happen is for those little critters to find their way into your new home. Whether it’s bed bugs, cockroaches or anything else, it’s imperative that you take the right precautionary steps to avoid transporting pests along with your belongings. Follow these preventative steps to avoid any infestation from following you along during your moving process.

Before Packing

Before you pack up, go through and launder all of your fabrics – sheets, blankets, towels, rugs, if possible – throughout your home. If you have been dealing with a bed-bug infestation, be sure to wash and dry your items on the hottest setting for your machines. Then, once they have been cleaned and dried, placed them into clear plastic bags that can be sealed up – vacuum bags can be a good option for this. Mark each bag as ‘clean.’

During Packing

As you begin packing up your items, keep all of your recently washed and cleaned items away from anything that hasn’t been or can’t really be washed. Place anything that you are unsure of into a separate bin, box or bag. Also, when dealing with an infestation, using plastic bins with lids that can be sealed, is also recommended.

Dealing with Items That Can’t be Disinfected
Items like your electronics, books, appliances, among others, can be more of a challenge to deal with since they can’t really be washed and sanitized. But you can treat these with heating units that are designed for treating bed bug-infested items. If bed bugs aren’t your issue and it’s more along the lines of roaches, just be sure to give your items a really good shake out – without damaging anything – and wipe with disinfectant if possible before placing them into another bin with a lid.

Throwing Items Away

When moving from a recently-infested home, sometimes, you just have to sacrifice some things that can’t be saved or simply aren’t worth the risk of taking. If your couch, mattress or anything else gets tossed to the curb, always wrap them in plastic and place a clearly written note secured to the items that stipulate they are “Infested with bed bugs.” Furniture on the curb is always attractive for neighbours to scoop up, so make it extra clear that these are not usable – you can even create a few slashes in them to avoid having others mistakenly take them home.

Shower & Change Clothing on Moving Day

On moving day, anyone involved in the move should shower and change clothing and then seal up the clothes until they can be washed. You don’t want to take any chances.

It is recommended not to move until the infestation has been dealt with. If there are any signs of bugs, most movers (including First Rate), will refuse to place any belongings on the moving truck. If a customer knowingly places bug-infested belongings on a moving truck, they could end up with a legal claim against them for damages. If moving is imperative, it is best to relocate the items into a mobile storage unit where it can be treated and quarantined until the problem is solved. In the case of bedbugs, this could be as long as 3-5 months but should be well worth it when considering the alternative.

Remember, it may be a pain to deal with now, but spending the extra time and effort to be diligent can end up saving you so much more aggravation if you have to endure yet another infestation in your new place. So if you’re making a move from a previously infested home, use these preventative steps to help you stay bug-free when you move.