Bedbug Control Norbury, Croydon | Should the Children Go Away?

The Problem With Moving Them Out

Bedbugs follow people. A child who sleeps at their grandparents' house for a fortnight takes a school bag, a favourite blanket, pyjamas and a few toys. Any of those can carry a bug or two, and a relative's spare bed is exactly where they will settle. The result can be two homes with the problem instead of one.

There is a second cost. When the person being bitten leaves, the bedbugs in that bed go looking for the nearest other sleeper, which is often a brother, sister or parent in the next room. Keeping the household in its own beds holds them where the treatment can reach them.

When a Short Stay Does Make Sense

The treatment day itself is different. With heat treatment nobody can be in the rooms for most of the day, so children spending the day with a relative is sensible, as long as they come home once the rooms have cooled. With chemical treatment they can be back once the surfaces are dry, usually a few hours after we leave.

A longer stay can work if it is planned rather than rushed. Ask when you ring and we will say whether it fits your situation.

If They Are Going, Pack Like This

Freshly washed clothes only. Hot-wash and tumble-dry what they will wear, then pack it straight into a clean bag in a room with no signs.
Leave the bedroom things behind. Pillows, duvets and soft toys from the affected room stay at home unless they have been through a hot wash and dryer.
Check the school bag. Look along the seams and zips, empty it fully and give it a hot tumble if the fabric allows.
Change on arrival. What they travelled in goes into a sealed bag and into the relative's machine on a hot cycle.
Tell the relatives. It is awkward, but they need to know so they can keep an eye on the bed the child uses.

Sleeping bags and bean bags are two things children often take to someone else's house. See can bedbugs live in sleeping bags and bean bags and floor cushions before either leaves the house.

Getting the Children's Rooms Ready

Children's bedrooms tend to have more on the floor than any other room, and floor clutter is what slows a treatment down. Box up toys from the floor and under the bed, bag them, and let us look at them on the day rather than throwing them out. When you ring about a home in Norbury, tell us how many children there are, which rooms they sleep in, and whether anyone has already moved. Treatments are from £220, priced by the number of rooms, and the Croydon borough page has more on getting it right first time.

← Bedbug Control Croydon · Bedbug Control London

Questions

Bedbug Control Norbury — Questions

Can my children sleep in our bed until the treatment is done?

Only if your bed shows no signs, and even then it can carry them over. Where you can, keep everyone in their own bed.

My child has lots of bites and we are worried. What should we do?

Bites vary a lot between people. A pharmacist or GP can advise on the skin reaction, and call 999 if anyone shows signs of a severe allergic reaction.

Is it all right for the children to be home after a chemical visit?

We tell you when the treated rooms can be used again, usually once the surfaces are dry. Follow the instructions we give you on the day.

Their grandparents have offered to have them for two weeks. Should we accept?

Talk it through with us first. A planned stay with washed clothes and nothing from the affected room is very different from children leaving with their bedding in a rush.

Areas in Croydon