Bedbug Control Sands End

Tell the Other Family Early

It is an awkward message to send, and it is tempting to wait until you are sure. Waiting is worse. Children nap in each other's cots, coats go on the same hooks, and the nanny carries a bag between the two homes every day. If the other family hears about it a fortnight late, they have lost a fortnight.

Keep the message plain: what you found, where, and that you are getting it looked at. Nobody needs to be blamed. It may have started in either home, or neither.

What Moves Between the Homes

• Nappy bags, changing mats and spare clothes
• Buggies and car seats, especially the padded seams
• Soft toys and comforters that travel with a child
• The nanny's own bag and coat
• Travel cots and sleeping bags used for naps in the other home

For now, keep what travels to a minimum. Wash the soft things that can be washed, check the seams of what cannot, and let each home keep its own nap kit for a few weeks.

Checking Both Homes

The home where signs were found needs checking room by room. The other home needs checking where the children sleep and where the shared things are kept. If the second family wants certainty, an inspection from £120 tells them whether they have a problem before anyone pays for treatment. If a photo is all you have, our guide on photographing a bedbug helps you send us one that can be identified.

The nanny's own home is worth a thought too. That is a conversation for the families and the nanny together, handled kindly; they may be as worried as you are.

If both homes turn out to need treatment, try to have them done in the same week, or at least before the share goes back to normal. Treating one home while the other still has them just sends the problem back across on the next buggy run. Tell us about both addresses when you ring and we can plan the two together.

Treatment With Small Children in the House

Heat treatment is usually one visit and kills eggs too, so the household is out for most of one day and back once the rooms have cooled. It costs more than chemical. Chemical treatment is two or three shorter visits; the children stay out of the treated rooms until they are dry, and you follow the instructions we give on the day. For the riverside flats around Imperial Wharf and the houses alike, we will say which one fits when you ring about Sands End. The Hammersmith and Fulham page covers planning treatment around busy households.

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