How long should I stay out after my home is sprayed?

There is no single number. The time to stay out comes from the label of the product used, and it differs from one product to the next. Twenty-four hours could be longer than one product asks for and not long enough for another. So the question to ask is not “is 24 hours enough”, it is “what does the label of this product say”. Your technician should tell you before they start, and you can ask for it in writing.

Ask before the visit, and get it in writing

1. Which products will you use? Ask for the names and the labels or safety sheets.
2. How long before people can come back, and how long before we can use the treated rooms?
3. Is it different for a baby, a child, someone pregnant or someone with asthma?
4. Is it different for pets? Name them all: cats, dogs, fish, birds, small pets in cages.
5. What should we do before you arrive?
6. What should we not clean afterwards, and for how long?
7. Is there a follow-up visit? Bed bug treatments often include one.

A text or an email is enough. Keep it: if anyone needs to see a doctor, midwife or vet later, the product names are the first thing they will ask for. If your landlord booked the visit, ask the landlord for the same answers.

Getting children and pets ready

• Plan where everyone goes for the full time. Children and pets leave before the treatment starts, not halfway through.
• Put away what goes in mouths. Toys, bottles, dummies, cups, pet bowls and food go into closed cupboards or come with you.
• Ask about fish tanks and cages. Whether to cover, switch off or move them is for the technician and the label to say.
• Follow the company’s preparation list. For bed bugs this usually covers bedding, clothes and clutter. Skipping it is one of the common reasons a treatment does not work.
• Pregnant, or living with asthma? Tell the technician, and ask your midwife or doctor about the products. See bug spray while pregnant and cockroaches and asthma.

Kids and pets: come back only when the label or technician says. If they say to keep off treated surfaces until dry, check floors, rugs and sofas are dry before anyone crawls, sits or lies on them. Small pets in cages follow the same rule as children.

When you come back

1. Air the home. Open the windows and let air through, unless the technician told you otherwise.
2. Wipe what you eat from and what children touch. Worktops, tables, high chairs, and toys left out. Wash pet bowls and put down fresh water.
3. Leave the treated spots alone. Skirting boards, cracks, bed frames and mattress seams: wiping or mopping them removes the product. Ask when you can clean them.
4. Ask before you vacuum. Vacuuming is often part of a bed bug plan, but the technician may want a gap first.
5. Wash your hands after touching anything in a treated room.

If anyone feels unwell after coming back: leave the room, get fresh air, and call a doctor or pharmacist with the label to hand. For a pet, call the vet. In an emergency, call the emergency number or poison centre where you live.

Seeing bugs afterwards

It does not always mean the treatment failed. With bed bugs especially, some may turn up for a while, and many plans include a second visit. Bed bugs after treatment explains what is normal and what to ask the company.

Ask your technician before adding shop sprays or foggers on top. Mixing treatments makes it harder to tell whether theirs is working, and it means more product in the rooms you just aired. Monitor traps or bed bug interceptors give you dated counts to share instead. Our safety page explains why the label always comes first.