Fumigation Safety â What We Do on Every Job, and What to Do Before and After.
A treatment is only as safe as the way it is carried out. This page sets out what our technicians do on every job, how long to stay out afterwards, and the fumigation precautions that keep your family, pets and food protected.
Our Side
How We Keep a Fumigation Safe in Your Home
Safety starts before anything is mixed. The technician first confirms which pest it is, because the right product in the right place needs far less chemical than a blanket spray of the whole house.
Products are mixed at the rate on the label and placed where the pest lives: gel in cabinet hinges, dust inside sockets and wall gaps, spray along skirting and drains. Food surfaces, crockery and children's toys are never sprayed.
Before leaving, the technician walks you through which areas were treated and tells you the time after which each room can be used again.
On every job
- â ID-verified, background-checked technicians
- â WHO-approved products, all named on our chemicals page
- â Mixed at the rate on the product label
- â Gloves, mask and protective clothing during application
- â Low-odour (be-bu) product for sensitive households
- â Re-entry time given before the team leaves
Never
- â Agricultural pesticides used indoors
- â Spray on food, utensils or toys
Your Side
Fumigation Precautions Before the Team Arrives
Ten minutes of preparation makes the treatment safer and makes it work better, because the technician can reach the places pests hide.
In every home
- â Put away food, fruit, utensils and crockery, or cover them
- â Cover water coolers, drinking water and open containers
- â Pick up toys, feeders and children's bedding
- â Take pets out, with their bowls and bedding
- â Cover fish tanks and switch off the air pump
- â Tell the technician about infants, pregnancy, asthma or elderly family members
For specific treatments
- â Cockroaches: empty the kitchen cabinets and the space under the sink
- â Bed bugs: strip the beds, bag the linen for a hot wash and clear the space under beds
- â Termites: move furniture away from the walls that will be treated
- â Mosquito fogging: bring in laundry and cover outdoor water storage
- â Fleas: vacuum or sweep floors and wash pet bedding beforehand
Re-entry
How Long After Fumigation Is It Safe to Return?
These are the times we give for most properties. The technician confirms the exact time for your treatment before leaving, and that is the one to follow.
| Treatment | Stay out for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General fumigation, cockroach control, flea & tick treatment | 2 â 4 hours | Sprayed surfaces need to dry fully before rooms are used. |
| Termite treatment and heavy infestations | 4 â 6 hours | More product is applied, and termite work includes drilling and injection. |
| Homes with infants, pregnancy, elderly family members or asthma | The longer time | Take the upper end of the range, and air the rooms before they come back in. |
In humid monsoon weather spray dries more slowly, so use the upper end of the range. Our guide on how long to wait after fumigation goes through each treatment type.
Afterwards
After Fumigation: What to Do When You Return
- Air the rooms. Open the windows and doors and run the fans before you settle back in.
- Wipe food surfaces. Kitchen counters, the dining table and anything else that touches food, with a damp cloth.
- Leave the treated edges alone. Do not mop skirting, corners and door frames for as long as the technician advises. The middle of the floor can be cleaned as usual.
- Do not remove gel or dust. The small dots of gel in hinges and the dust in cracks are the treatment. They keep working for weeks.
- Expect to see a few insects. The treatment drives them out of hiding, so some activity in the first days is normal. Sweep up dead insects and wash your hands.
- Call us if it does not settle. If the pest is still active after the period the technician mentioned, that is what the warranty is for.
Extra Care
Children, Pregnancy, Elderly Parents and Pets
Tell us about your household when you book. It changes which product the technician brings and the advice you are given.
Babies & young children
Put away toys, feeders and cot bedding before the visit. Keep children off treated floors until they are completely dry, and wipe any toy that was left out.
Pregnancy
Stay out during the treatment and for the longer re-entry time, and let someone else do the airing and wiping. Our pregnancy guide â
Elderly family & asthma
Ask for the low-odour (be-bu) product. Anyone with asthma or a breathing condition should return last, after the rooms have been aired well.
Pets, birds & fish
Cats and dogs go out before the visit and come back when floors are dry. Cover fish tanks and switch off the pump. Move bird cages out of the house: birds are the most sensitive of all.
Workplaces
Safety at Restaurants, Schools, Hospitals & Factories
Commercial sites are treated when they are empty: after closing, overnight or at the weekend. Food, utensils and open stock are covered or moved before work starts, and food-contact surfaces are not sprayed.
Safety data sheets for the products used are supplied with the fumigation certificate, so they are on file for your auditor or the health authority. See commercial fumigation for each type of premises.
If Someone Feels Unwell
It is uncommon when the re-entry time is followed, but if anyone has a headache, irritated eyes or skin, or trouble breathing after a treatment:
- 1 Move them into fresh air straight away
- 2 Wash exposed skin with soap and water, and rinse eyes with clean water
- 3 If it does not ease quickly, see a doctor and take the product name with you
- 4 Call us on 03463303875, any hour. We will tell you exactly what was used
FAQ
Questions About
Fumigation Safety
Have a newborn, a patient at home or an unusual pet? Tell us before you book and we will plan the treatment around them.
đŦ Ask on WhatsApp