Termites are destructive pests that can cause significant damage to your home. Fumigation treatment is the best way to kill termites, but what about after? Do you need to wash dishes or clothes after termite fumigation?
The answer depends on whether the pests were in the form of winged insects or subterranean termites. If it’s winged, then yes–you should wash any dishes and clothing that have been touched by them. This will help prevent the infestation from spreading into other areas of your home.
However, if it was subterranean, then no–there is no need for extensive washing because they reside underground and do not come in contact with anything inside your home.
1. What is termite fumigation or treatment?
Subterranean termites are considered “true social insects” because they live in large colonies underground. A colony can have as many as several thousand members, with an even greater number of eggs and other immature forms.
They feed on wood cellulose that decays rapidly once the plant has died. Subterranean termites travel through their tunnels to obtain food sources by foraging workers that search out new food sources when the current source becomes depleted or infested with another pest such as ants, beetles and cockroaches. Fumigation treatments work best against subterranean termites than winged ones because most homeowners don’t know there’s an issue until structural damage happens–meaning.
The infestation is much larger than it would have been if caught early. The chemical used during fumigation works best when the colony has no idea that their home is being introduced with this poison because they won’t be able to escape from it or protect themselves by hiding underground where the gas can not reach them–meaning your house gets hit hard along with all of those little critters inside. If there’s any chance for re-infestation, make sure you call an exterminator as soon as possible! Or use our guide here.
3. How long does the smell last after termite fumigation?
Different formulations and forms can be used as specks of dust, liquids, baits or encapsulations. Which type you choose depends on where the infestation is located–such as whether it’s indoors or outdoors. For example: – Insecticides come in liquid form and are best used for indoor applications such as cabinets, wall voids and crawl spaces. They require a professional exterminator to apply them with a sprayer because they need higher concentrations than what would otherwise be allowed if applied by homeowners themselves without proper training/certification (and sometimes licensing) required of an extermination company.
4. What should I do if my house has been pre-treated for termites but still smells like chemicals after the treatment?
Baits are an alternative for outdoor applications such as around foundations, doors and windows. They work well against termite colonies by luring them to the poison within a time frame of several days or weeks depending on how much is consumed–meaning it takes patience, but you’ll know when they’ve been eliminated because there will be no more activity near those bait stations!
What should I do if my house has been pre-treated for termites but still smells like chemicals after the treatment? These baits can also cause secondary poisoning in pets that ingest poisoned insects. Pets don’t always have to eat the soil where these baits were placed either; just walking over areas treated with termiticide could potentially result in accidental ingestion, so keep pets away from those areas until the chemical has been given enough time to dissipate.
Some helpful tips for using bait termite control:
Bait stations should be placed every 20 feet around a structure’s foundation, as well as at any doors and windows that provide access to your home or other structures. Most pest management professionals can have these pre-assembled before their arrival–meaning less work for you! Just make sure they’re firmly pressed into the soil, so no one accidentally stumbles over them! And don’t forget to space them out a little bit more if there are trees nearby; otherwise, tree roots could potentially cause damage by chewing up the plastic coating on each station.
What about chemicals used in fumigation?
Methyl bromide is a deadly chemical that has been phased out as of 2005 due to its negative impact on the ozone layer (it’s still allowed for use by licensed professionals until 2010). That means it will be harder and more expensive to find someone willing to conduct such treatments now, but if you do locate one–be very cautious!
This type of fumigation can only be done outdoors because the poisonous gas produced from methyl bromide would not dissipate quickly enough indoors. It would kill anything inside your house, too; therefore, treatment with any form of methyl bromide requires that all residents must evacuate their homes during
5. Why can’t I use bleach on my clothes or dishes that were in the dishwasher before the treatment?
What about chemicals used in fumigation? These are very strong chemical formulations that can be used to treat areas inside the home as well, but only if they’re applied by a professional who is licensed/trained properly.
The most common type of treatment uses Vikane gas which comes in forms such as sulphur pellets or powder mixed with talcum powder (sounds like something you’d do for Halloween and scare trick-or-treaters away from your house!).
This process requires evacuating everyone from both pets and humans for at least 24 hours after application because it’s also deadly. But don’t worry; this dissipates quickly enough even indoors–but not before killing all insects within its radius! It should still smell like rotten eggs for a couple of weeks, though.
If you know someone who has recently had termite treatment done on their house and they still smell like chemicals after the fact, chances are it’s because there was not enough time between treatments to allow the chemical odours to dissipate completely.
It could also be that some areas received too much termiticide than others–causing stronger smells in certain sections of the home/foundation even if applied correctly by professionals. The best thing would be just to ask them what type of fumigation they used so you can get an idea about how long it will take before all traces disappear…and don’t forget to tell them to thank you! They’ve potentially your life (or at least your house!) by using such a dangerous chemical to resolve your termite problem.
In Conclusion
While you don’t always have to wash dishes or clothes after termite fumigation, it is definitely safer if you do–just in case! Otherwise, be patient and wait until the treatment has been given enough time before washing anything that may have come into contact with termiticide during or shortly after their application. It will dissipate quickly enough, even indoors, so there is no immediate danger of inhaling deadly chemicals from residual gases lingering within the home, but best practices still dictate cleaning all surfaces thoroughly just as a precautionary measure because we don’t want any accidents occurring later on down the road when people least expect it!
