Have to have the house bombed. How do I protect dc's things?

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

Anyone else btdt with this? I'm so embarassed that this is happening,but grateful that we caught it early. The exterminator wants to bomb parts of the house but not others and I'm afraid that dc's bedroom might be bombed. What do I do? Do I take everything out of the bedroom or just cover things up?
If the bedrooms don't get bombed should I still worry about the fumes and chemicals getting into the rooms? What about the chemicals in the baseboards,around the tub,etc. They'll do one biggie visit and then small ones every other month. I grew up with the exterimator coming every month or so so it's not foriegn to me but I still have concerns,especially when it comes to releasing toxic gases into large portions of my home. We have to be out of the house for 4 hours at least and we have to go somewhere that we can take the cats to also.
How do I prepare the house for this generally- I was reading that you should take your dishes,food and anything else you want protected and put them on a table and cover them with sheets-I don't have that much table room! For all the toys,dishes,food,knicknacks. What's the best way to get ready for this? HELP!!

[kristenk]

You probably have more "table" room than you think. Use your beds!

When I lived in an apartment and had to get all of my dishes out of the cabinets for pest control, I'd put all of my plates, etc. on my bed and cover them up with towels or sheets. My bedroom was NOT treated in any way, though, so it might not work as well for you.

In your case, I hate to say this, but, if I were in your shoes, *I* would probably wash all dishes/pots/silverware/etc. after the house was treated before we used them again. I wouldn't feel comfortable eating or preparing food off of them - even if they were covered in an untreated part of the house.

On the small visits every other month, will they be treating the inside of your house or just the outside?

[gatorsmom]

Oh, gosh, I feel for you. When i lived in Houston, Texas, I had a love/hate relationship with the exterminators!!! Those chemicals scare me too!! I think if I were you, I'd get some enormous size trash bags and go into each kids' room, (and have the kids help if they are old enough) and pile all their toys and bedding into the bags. Then tie them up and leave them in the middle of the room (since they mainly spray around the baseboards, don't they)? Or you could leave the bags on the beds.

as for your dishes, I'd put them in the middle of the table with a sheet, BUT, I'd also rewash them. Just incase any of the chemicals do manage to get on the dishes.

HTH.

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005
and surprise! twins due 11/07!

[hardysmom]

I don't know why you are embarassed... having pests doesn't have much to do with your housekeeping.

What to do with your stuff, depends on what that are trying to get with the extermination. Usually, it is most effective if they can get to all the baseboards and "dark spaces" so I would just toss stuff in garbage bags and put them on beds. I toss a sheet over stuffed animals. We have recluse spiders (fiddlebacks) so they have to open everything...

The good news is that the toxins from the fog may not be as bad for you as the stuff from the pests... roaches are a serious trigger for asthma, etc... The bug guys always assure me that after the stuff is dry, the risidual spray is harmless. I wash counter tops, mop and change bedding, but that is it.

stephanie

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

I never would have thought of using the beds. Great idea! It turns out that they won't be bombing but they will be using a spray that sprays like arasol hairspray so that's a little relief. The exterminator said not to worry about about the toys or stuffed animals but I think I'll cover them anyway.
He also said I don't have to empty my closets or pull furniture away from the walls but that anything we do to help them will help the problem go away faster. So I guess since they're coming tomorrow that tonight will be spent emptying closets and pulling and pushing furniture.
Good thing is that mil said we can come to her house with the cats and kids and all... I really love that woman.
You know-at least it's not like what dh's old college roommate had to deal with in nyc. He was out of his apartment for several weeks hile they fumigated for bedbugs. YUCK! I just wish I'd started with the exterminator when we moved in as a preventative measure instead of waiting for something to happen. Well,if we ever move I'll have them from the beginning.