Bed bug treatment

Bed bugs are not a sign of a dirty home. They travel in luggage, bags and second-hand furniture, which is why they turn up in hotels, short lets and the homes of people who travel — and Malta has a lot of all three. They hide in mattress seams, bed frames, headboards, bedside furniture and skirting, and come out at night.

Treatment has to be thorough because missing a few means starting again. The technician inspects every bed and the furniture around it, treats the hiding places, and usually comes back for a follow-up visit to catch any that hatched since. Heat or steam may be used alongside an insecticide. You prepare the room to the technician's instructions and wash bedding and clothes hot.

For a short let or a hotel room, the order matters: block the calendar, treat, follow up, then a mattress clean and a deep clean before the room goes back into service. Treatment is by certified technicians from a vetted pest-control company we choose for the job; Cleaner.mt, our sister site, does the cleaning.

What this covers

• Inspection of beds, frames, headboards, furniture and skirting
• Treatment of every hiding place, with heat or steam where it helps
• Follow-up visit to deal with any that hatched since
• Room preparation and laundering instructions, in writing
• Neighbouring rooms checked in hotels and blocks
• A written record of the treatment for hosts and hotels
• Mattress and deep cleaning afterwards through Cleaner.mt

A guest has reported bed bugs: what to do now

• Block the room on your booking calendar until it has been treated and followed up.
• Do not move the mattress, bedding or furniture to another room — that spreads them.
• Bag the bedding in sealed bags and wash it hot.
• Take photos of anything you see, and book the inspection.
• Check the rooms either side and above and below in a block or hotel.

Short lets in Malta are licensed by the Malta Tourism Authority, which can inspect (MTA). A written treatment record shows the problem was dealt with properly. After treatment, the room's mattress clean and changeover cleaning can be booked through Cleaner.mt.

What it costs

Bed bug treatment is priced per room after an inspection, including the follow-up visit where one is needed.

The pest, the size of the property, how far it has spread and the number of visits decide the price. You get it in writing, VAT included, before treatment starts.

How it works

You deal with us. We arrange the inspection, choose a vetted professional pest-control company for the job — a CheckYourTraders member where there is one — and stay your point of contact through the treatment and the follow-up.

Questions people ask

Do I have to throw the mattress away?

Usually not. Most mattresses can be treated. The technician tells you if one is too badly affected to keep.

How many visits does it take?

Usually two: the treatment, and a follow-up visit to deal with any bugs that hatched after it. Heavy infestations may need more.

Can I stay in the room?

The technician tells you when it is safe to go back in, and what to do with bedding and clothes. Follow those instructions; they are part of the treatment working.

Related

• Cockroach controlDrain cockroaches that come up in the summer heat and the small kitchen cockroaches that live indoors — two different problems, two different treatments.
• FumigationWhole-space treatment of a room, building, container or stored goods, for infestations that targeted treatment cannot reach — specialist work, after an inspection.
• Commercial pest controlContracts for restaurants and food premises, hotels and short-let portfolios, offices, schools and blocks — scheduled visits, monitoring and service records.

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