Community Chat

[FlowerBear]

Monday morning first thing an exterminator is coming to spray inside and outside.

Someone told me you have to unplug your fridge. Is this True?????? What do you do with the contents. In this heat nothing will keep!

What should you do about your furniture? 

Food and dishes in cabinets? The clothes in your dresser drawers and closets?

Things on your counters in the kitchen?

Untenils in the kitchen drawer?

Do you keep your windows closed?

This is a chemical sensitive persons nightmare!

Please advise if you can. Thank you!!

[Goodie2shoes]

I've never heard of unplugging your fridge but have you addressed your concerns with the exterminator company?  You have valid concerns since you are chemical sensitive.

[RedTop]

@FlowerBear,

I have had monthly exterminator service for 4 years, on top of a yearly termite inspection.   

The first 2x, I allowed them to spray inside my TV / laundry room since it is between the main house and the garage - and my main bathroom.   They only sprayed around the baseboard perimeter of the room.  Nothing was moved; the employee just walked around with the long sprayer and sprayed a fine mist.  Now we only spray inside our garage and basement, not upstairs.   

You will not have to do any of the things you’ve mentioned, unless you have an infestation of something like bedbugs.   Relax.   There is no odor to the spray used here; my husband has COPD, and both daughters have asthma and allergies.

[shoekitty]

Red top is right.  If they are spraying that is different than tenting.  With tenting you have to store foods in special bags.  Cosmetics,... all items you would eat or use in or on body.  When you tent electicity and gas are turned off for 3 days while tenting is done and for a certain amt of hours after tent is removed.  My neighbor has the spraying done and it is okay.  Not any prep.  We are in california so you know it has to be safe, or they wouldnt allow it!  Lol

[GCR18]

For routine spraying, you move nothing.  For major bug issues, the company should tell you what to prep.  If you are unsure, call first thing Monday.  If no time, ask before they start.  If they say you should have moved something, you may want to skip the spraying and reschedule.

[NickNack]

You won't have to move anything or unplug your refrigerator.  I hope they are treating for mice, too, since you've seen them.  They treat for mice by putting blocks in containers and hiding them in cabinets and vents.  I will tell you, though, that unless they are treating all the apartments you will still have a problem.

[viva923]

3 years ago I had to have an exterminator come to spray inside and outside of my house for ants.

He moved the fridge (it was on wheels back then) no now. he sprayed under the stove. 

I DID NOT HAVE TO UNPLUG the fridge. he sprayed underneath, around everything. along the walls of my house, in the bathroom around toilets, shower stall. 

I  WAS NOT ALLOWED TO mop the floors for 2 FULL WEEKS. HE STRESSED THIS WITH A RAISED VOICE.

HE DID do inside of cupboards. I DID HAVE TO REMOVED ALL contents of the cupboards he wanted to spray. THAT WAS A PAIN, i put everything into dining room. 

I did NOT HAVE to remove anything of from closets, he got on his hands and knees and sprayed along walls.. SAME WITH DRESSERS, DID NOT HAVE TO REMOVE ANYTHING FROM THE drawers. he sprayed underneath the dressers.

the counter tops.

step 1, he made me wash down the conter tops like normal.

step 2. he sprayed along the walls of the kitchen counter tops. 

step 3.  i had to wait 24 hours before I could wash down the counter tops.

my husband and i went out to eat that night.

HE LEFT ME with 4 little disks that I still have to this day on my counter tops filled with ant solution that will kill if any ants are fool enough to come back. I move them daily to wash down the counter tops but don't put them anywhere else. they remain along that outside kitchen wall where the ants were originally coming into the house.

I have NOT HAD ANY problem since then, BUT I also have him come back 4x's a year to spray outside around my house.

good luck with everything.

[Scorpio1971]

I have interior & exterior pest control service every 2-3 months or as a call back as needed.  This company, well known begins with a "T", the technician puts a tank on his back and for the interior sprays at the bottom with a long spray wand of where walls/floors meet, baseboard heaters, doorway entrances & exits.  Can also spray under sinks where pipes come out of the walls, or sometimes uses some type of powder spray to get into walls where pipe cracks are.  Suggest you remove everything from under sinks ahead of time in case he needs to do that.  Spray takes about 30 minutes to fully dry. 

Outside spraying uses same spray and technician sprays entire surface of exterior house foundation/walls/doors up to a height of about 3-4 feet.  Kept my dog away or carried him over door thresholds & away from outside walls until I was sure it was fully dry, usually a few hours just to be safe for him because he would have to walk on & near those surfaces.

No unplugging of refrigerator is or was ever needed for my service.  I inform my tenants about 48 hours ahead of time so they have option to be there if they desire and to obtain permission to enter.   Don't need to move furniture unless you have a specific problem area where the furniture is.  This spraying is basically all done at the bottom of where floors & walls meet so no need to worry about clothes in bureaus.

If you have specific problems on countertops, in drawers, etc., then remove all items and place in plastic bags or containers to be ready just in case they need access, but never had a problem there.  Speak with technician to find out about windows, I never do anything differently with them.  If necessary after speaking to technician, since you are chemical sensitive be prepared to go somewhere for a few hours after the technician leaves to allow time to dry & any fumes to dissipate.  And ask if you should have open or closed windows or if air conditioning should be left on or not.  Hope this helps!  😊

[Fur Dude]

Are you having a bug bomb or tenting or just a regular spray? I have had an exterminator for 28 years and he use to spay inside and out. We found the inside spay a bit irritating, so now he just does the outside. No bugs, no problems!

[Nightowlz]

We have never used an exterminator. DH does use fertilizer in the summer that has insect control in it. He has also sprayed the fence/perimeter of our yard & around foundation outside around the house. We do this because we live in between 2 pigs. Rather be save than sorry.

We have never used any chemicals like that inside. I don't want that around my dishes, food etc. Never had an insect problem indoors. I did kill a spider last night. We see those here & there.

Your food in your refrigerator will be fine just don't open the door while it's unplugged. If you have to unplug it plug it back in when that area has been sprayed.

I would not want the spray by my food. I would have to wash all my dishes if they sprayed chemicals in the kitchen.

Looks like if they spray indoors it would leave a sticky or tacky residue on every place they spray??? Are you suppose to wash the residue off where it was sprayed after so many hours or days?