Advice
Signs of Bed Bugs and What to Do Next
Bed bugs are small, flat insects that hide close to where people sleep, and knowing the early signs helps you act before they spread through a home.
Read the guide →This page walks you through the treatment itself: how to get the room ready, what we do when we arrive, and why a second visit is part of doing the job properly. Nothing here needs special skills, only a little patience.
Getting the room ready before we arrive
Preparation makes the treatment work better. Strip the bed and put bedding, curtains and soft clothing into sealed bags, then wash them hot and tumble dry. Clear the floor around the bed and empty the bedside drawers so we can reach the frame, the skirting and the gaps behind furniture without moving everything ourselves. A tidy room makes the work quicker.
In a busy city like Exeter, where terraced houses and flats often have shared walls and tightly packed bedrooms, tidy access matters a great deal. Please do not carry things into another room to get them out of the way, because that can spread bugs with it. Bag items where they are, and tell us if anything has already been moved. The more access we have, the fewer hiding places we miss.
What the treatment visit involves
We begin with a careful inspection of the mattress seams, the bed frame, the headboard, nearby furniture and the edges of the carpet. Bed bugs hide in tiny cracks, so we look for shed skins, dark spots and live bugs to learn how far the problem has spread before we treat anything at all. Good light and patience matter here.
Treatment is then applied to the places they shelter, including joints in the frame, behind the headboard, along the skirting and inside furniture close to the bed. Whether it is a flat in Exeter or a house with several bedrooms, we explain how long to stay out of the room and when you can use it again. A follow-up visit then checks that the bugs are gone. Clear instructions are always given before we leave.
Why Exeter homes and lets need a follow-up
Eggs can survive the first treatment, so a second visit a couple of weeks later is normal rather than a sign something went wrong. It lets us confirm the numbers are falling and treat any late hatchers. Exeter has many student lets and rooms that change hands often, so landlords and tenants should agree who prepares and who books. We also cover Topsham, Whimple and Crediton, and the EX1 to EX4 postcodes.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I stay out of my Exeter bedroom after a bed bug treatment?
We will tell you on the day, because it depends on the room and the method used. Usually you can return once the treated surfaces have dried, but we will give clear instructions. Keep bedding bagged until we say otherwise, and avoid vacuuming over treated edges.
Do I need to throw my mattress away?
Not usually. Most mattresses can be treated along the seams and tags, and a zipped protective cover helps afterwards. If a mattress is badly damaged or very heavily infested we will say so honestly, but replacing it too early can mean new bedding picks up the bugs again.
Can I treat bed bugs myself before you come?
Washing bedding hot and clearing clutter helps. Shop-bought sprays often scatter the bugs into neighbouring rooms, which makes removal harder. If you have already tried something, tell us what and where, so we can allow for it and avoid wasted effort.