Bedbug Control Edmonton

Tell the Housing Officer, in Writing

Ring if you need to, but follow it with an email or a letter so there is a record. Keep it short and factual. Say which room, what you found, when you found it, and whether anyone in the household has bites. Attach clear photographs of the mattress seam, the bed frame or the bug itself.

Ask two direct questions: who is arranging treatment, and when. If you have children or anyone with a health condition in the room, say so. Who is responsible for treatment depends on the arrangement you are in and on the provider, and we are pest controllers, not legal or housing advisers.

If you are not sure it is bedbugs, the London guide on what else it could be helps you describe it accurately. For bites that are sore or infected, a pharmacist or GP can help; call 999 for any sign of a severe allergic reaction.

If You Are Being Moved

A move is when bedbugs most often follow people. They hide in folded clothes, bag seams, pushchairs and the gaps in anything made of wood or cardboard. You can move without taking them, but it needs doing in order.

1. Wash and dry everything that can take it. Clothes, bedding, towels and soft toys on the hottest wash the label allows, then a hot tumble dry. Bag them straight from the dryer and seal the bag.
2. Keep clean and dirty apart. Sealed bags of washed items never go back on the floor or bed of the old room.
3. Swap cardboard for plastic. Cardboard boxes are hard to check and easy to hide in. Sealed plastic bags or tubs are better.
4. Look over what cannot be washed. Shoes, bags, a pushchair, a child’s car seat: check seams and joints with a torch before they leave.
5. Leave the furniture that came with the room. Beds and sofas supplied with the accommodation stay there.

Baby equipment is fiddly to check. Our guide to bedbugs in pushchairs, car seats and baby gear covers what can be washed and what needs a closer look.

When You Arrive Somewhere New

Before unpacking, look at the new bed: the mattress seams, the corners of the frame, the headboard. If you see spotting or live bugs, photograph them and tell the housing officer at once, before your things go in. That way it is clear the problem was there before you.

Unpack the sealed bags one at a time and keep an eye on the new bed for the first few weeks. If bites start again, report it straight away rather than waiting to be sure.

If You Are Staying Put

If the room is being treated where you are, the provider will usually book it. For chemical treatment you strip and hot-wash the bedding and clear the floor; for heat, items that heat damages, such as medication and aerosols, come out first. Keep sleeping in the same bed until then. If you are arranging it yourself, treatments start at £220 in Edmonton and the rest of Enfield, and the figure is given on the phone first.

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