Frequently asked questions
How do I prepare my home for pest control?
Pesticides and their application are regulated by the Environment Protection Agency of the Federal Government. No pesticide may be applied in a food handling area unless all dishes, pots, and foods have first been removed and covered. There is no exception to this law. Due to the nature of the insecticides used and their effects upon different types of insects, complete control may not be achieved for two weeks following the initial service.
TO RECEIVE THE MAXIMUM BENEFITS FROM OUR SERVICE, PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:
1. KITCHEN: Take kitchen items out of the kitchen. Remove all dishes, pots, pans, and food from upper and lower cabinets including pantry. Stack on any table and cover with a sheet. Do not place anything on the sink, stove, counter top, and kitchen floor. Remove all loose paper. Adhesive paper okay to leave on. Vacuum and wash cabinets before we spray, not after! AFTER SPRAYING, you may wash counter tops, stovetops and breadboards only. Leave the cabinets alone: chemical will still work in cracks and will not harm dishes/food.
2. KITCHEN DRAWERS: Remove all drawers from cabinets & empty the drawers. Place drawers against kitchen wall. NOTE: insects like to hide in drawers so it is better to have drawers empty.
3. BEDROOMS/CLOSET: Remove all items from closet floors. Hanging clothes can be pulled to center of rack. However, if closet is infested all contents must be removed.
4. BATHROOMS: Remove everything from bathroom/medicine cabinets drawers and counters. Please do not forget to remove everything from under the sink.
5. FURNITURE: Move all furniture out from wall 2-3 feet. We must treat cracks and baseboards.
6. ANIMALS, BIRDS, FISH & REPTILES: Remove all animals, bird, fish, snakes, and reptiles. If the fish tank is too heavy to move, place wets towels over tank, disconnect the air pump and wrap the air pump in plastic. You are cautioned to check with your fish dealer, as some breeds may suffer from 4-6 hours without aeration. All birds, reptiles, and exotic animals may return after 24 hours.
7. KEYS: Make sure you have your keys! We lock all doors when we leave.
8. TIME TO STAY OUT: Healthy adults 3-4 hours, Elderly adults 4-6 hours and check with your doctor, children over two years old 6-8 hours, anyone with respiratory allergy/asthma 6-8 hours, and children and infants 6-8 hours. Labels & MSDS will be provided upon request.
When you come home & if odor is offensive, ventilate thoroughly, open windows, turn on fans, and leave the house for two more hours.
***NOTE: When you come home, make sure the chemical is COMPLETELY DRY
before you put items back in cabinets, closets and drawers. DO NOT WASH CABINETS. Washing cabinets destroys the effectiveness of the chemical. You may experience more roaches after treatment. Our products will flush out roaches from hiding. You must allow 21 days for complete control. These will decrease as the chemical takes effect.
***Being only partially ready will not solve your roach problem. So please be prepared!!!
How do I help All American rid my home of bed bugs?
Bed Bug Service Preparation Steps
You can help us rid your home of a bed bug problem with the following 12 steps:
1. Be prepared to leave the home during treatment and for the number of hours afterward as recommended by All American. In many cases, this will be at least four hours.
2. Remove all pets from the home during the time of treatment except for fish tanks. Fish tanks are to be covered with plastic wrap, and pumps turned off until you are allowed to reoccupy the home.
3. Remove all sheets, covers, dust ruffles, or any other bedding covers from the mattresses and box spring in all bedrooms. Wash all bed linens in the hottest water possible. Do not replace the bed linens until four hours after treatment.
4. If any mattresses, box springs, or other furniture are in poor or ripped condition and infested, they should be placed in large plastic storage bags (available from moving or storage stores), then removed from your home and discarded. It is important to realize, also, that All American may need to remove the backing from box springs to treat within it and eliminate all potential harborage areas.
5. Remove all personal items including clothes, toys, shoes, stored materials, etc., from the furniture and floor area throughout the home.
6. Remove everything from all closets. Completely empty all bedroom drawers and empty all books and items from bookcases prior to treatment.
7. Clean or launder all clothing in the hottest water possible and store in clean storage bags for up to two weeks after treatment. Any stuffed toys or other fabric-based personal items should be run through a pre-heated, hot dryer cycle for at least 15 minutes.
8. Vacuum all carpeting, bedding, bed frames, backs of pictures, and other areas where bedbugs have been seen. Immediately empty the vacuum cleaner bag and dispose of it in an exterior dumpster or trash.
9. To give the treatment time to work, do not shampoo or clean floors or carpet for at least three weeks after the treatment. The vacuum may be used as desired.
10. Move all items and furniture away from walls. Al American will need access to all baseboards and behind all furniture. (Everything may be returned to its original location after the treatment is completed.)
11. The bathtub, kitchen counters, dining room tables, and coffee tables can be used to place items during treatment.
12. Allow three weeks from time of treatment for it to be completely effective. If the problem persists after two weeks, it is advisable that homeowners contact All American, and that apartment residents contact their management office.
