Once treatment is complete, a few sensible habits make it much less likely that you will face bedbugs again — and much more likely that, if they do arrive, you will catch them early when they are easy to deal with.
During the treatment programme
- Complete the programme. Our two-treatment programme includes a second treatment six days after the first. Skipping it gives surviving and newly hatched bedbugs the chance to re-establish.
- Follow re-entry and aftercare instructions, and avoid applying your own products between visits.
- Keep sleeping in your own bed once it is safe. Moving to another room can spread bedbugs.
In the weeks after treatment
- Monitor. Check mattress seams, the headboard and frame weekly for a few weeks. Interceptor monitors under bed legs make this easier.
- Fit encasements. A sealed mattress encasement removes hiding places and makes any new spots obvious.
- Keep clutter down around beds, especially under them.
- Report new signs promptly to the company that treated you, and check what the written guarantee terms say about reporting.
Everyday prevention habits
When travelling
Check rooms when you arrive, keep luggage on racks away from beds, and unpack into the laundry area at home. See bedbugs in clothing and luggage.
When buying furniture
Inspect second-hand beds, mattresses and sofas carefully before buying — our second-hand mattress checklist explains how. Never pick up discarded mattresses or furniture from the roadside or a building's common area.
When visitors stay
Offer a luggage rack or a hard surface for bags rather than the bed or bedroom floor.
In flats and shared buildings
Seal obvious gaps around pipes and wiring where possible, keep an eye on reports from neighbours, and tell your landlord early if you see signs. See how bedbugs spread between apartments.
Know what is normal after treatment
It is common to see a few bedbugs in the days after a treatment, as hidden bugs come out and contact treated surfaces. That is different from finding new evidence weeks after the programme has finished. If you are unsure, take a photo and contact us.
Why it is worth staying vigilant
Bedbugs are re-introduced from outside far more often than they "come back" by themselves. A few minutes of checking each week costs nothing and means any new problem is caught while it is small, simple and inexpensive to resolve.
