What do you have to remove before a house is fumigated?
Everything consumable that is not sealed in a factory-airtight container has to be removed or sealed in the special protective bags the fumigation crew provides — food, drinks, medicine, vitamins, supplements, pet food, and tobacco. The rule catches people out on cardboard: cereal and cracker boxes must be bagged even if never opened, because cardboard is not gas-tight. Unopened cans, glass bottles, cosmetics, and toiletries can stay. All people, pets, and houseplants must be out for the 24 to 48 hours the structure is under fumigation. The gas supply is shut off and later restored by the utility, every interior door and cabinet is left open so the fumigant circulates, and nobody re-enters until the licensed fumigator has aerated, tested, and posted clearance.
Key Takeaways
- Consumables must be removed or sealed in the protective bags the fumigation crew supplies — ordinary zip-top bags and household plastic wrap do not work.
- Cardboard and plastic-bag packaging must be bagged even when unopened. Only an intact factory seal on a can, jar, or bottle keeps gas out.
- Unopened cans, unopened bottles, cosmetics, shampoo, and soap do not need bagging — less goes in bags than people expect.
- Never tie the bags in a knot. Twist the top, or fold it down and secure it with tape, a twist tie, string, or a rubber band.
- Cold and frozen food gets double-bagged and left in the refrigerator and freezer. Pull the shelves out first to stack them.
- Every living thing leaves: people, pets, fish, reptiles, birds, and houseplants. Plan on 24 to 48 hours under fumigation.
- The day before: water the soil out to about 18 inches from the walls, and cut foliage back at least 18 inches so the tarps can seal.
- Nobody re-enters — not for a forgotten phone, not for five minutes — until the licensed fumigator has aerated, tested, and cleared the building.
- Afterwards you do not need to wash dishes, linens, or clothing. The fumigant is a gas and aerates out rather than settling on surfaces.
- Neighbor consent is required if the crew must step onto their property to raise the tent, or if their plants grow onto yours — arrange it early.
- High winds and rain can force a reschedule, so avoid non-refundable travel bookings around the date.
Re-entry is not your call to make
A fumigated structure is cleared for re-entry only by the licensed fumigator, after aeration and instrument testing, and only once the clearance notice is posted and the locks are released. Do not go back in for anything before that — not for a phone, a laptop, medication, or a pet toy, and not because the tarps look like they are coming off. This is the one instruction on this page with no flexibility in it at all. If you have forgotten something essential, call the crew; they will tell you what is possible.
Fumigation is the most disruptive thing we are ever likely to ask of you, and it exists because nothing else reaches termites living deep inside structural wood. The gas penetrates the entire building, which is exactly why it works and exactly why the preparation is this specific. Every item on this list has a reason behind it, so they are given here with the reasoning attached.
How the fumigation actually works
The crew tents the structure with tarps, prepares the interior, seals the tarps against the ground, and releases a warning agent called chloropicrin. The fumigant itself then goes in through a hose from a cylinder outside the building. It stays in for a set period, penetrating deep into the wood where drywood termites live — which is the whole reason fumigation exists, since no surface treatment reaches inside a beam. Afterwards the crew aerates the structure, tests the air with instruments, and only then certifies it clear.
Two things worth understanding about the gas
- The fumigant is colorless and odorlessYou will not be able to smell or detect it, which is exactly why the process is controlled the way it is. It is non-staining, non-corrosive, and non-flammable, it dissipates into the atmosphere during aeration rather than settling on surfaces, and it is a federally restricted-use product that only a licensed fumigator may apply.
- The smell you notice is the warning agent, not the fumigantChloropicrin is released first, deliberately. It is a strong-smelling tear agent that stings the eyes and throat at low concentrations, and it has two jobs: making sure nobody is still inside when fumigation begins, and making a sealed structure genuinely unpleasant to enter by accident. It is aerated out along with the fumigant at the end.
Food, medicine, and anything consumable
The crew supplies specialized protective bags for this. Household zip-top bags, cling film, and foil are not substitutes — they do not stop the gas.
- Bag or remove all opened food and drinkPantry, refrigerator, and freezer all count. Anything opened, or in packaging that is not factory-airtight, must be bagged in the supplied bags or taken out of the house entirely.
- Cardboard boxes count — even unopened onesThis is the one that catches people out. Cereal, crackers, pasta, rice, and anything else packaged in cardboard or a plastic bag must be bagged or removed even if the box has never been opened. Cardboard and thin plastic are not gas-tight. Only the original manufacturer's airtight seal on a can, glass jar, or metal or plastic bottle keeps gas out.
- Anything with a broken seal, or resealedSpices, salt and pepper shakers, butter, cream cheese, and anything moved into a Tupperware or similar container. Once the factory seal is gone, the container is not airtight regardless of how well the lid fits.
- Eggs, fruit, and vegetablesAll of it, including produce in the crisper drawer and eggs in the door.
- Cold and frozen food — double-bag and leave it in placeYou do not have to empty the refrigerator and freezer into a cooler. Double-bag the contents and leave the bags inside. Taking the shelves out first makes the bags far easier to stack.
- Medicine, vitamins, and supplementsPrescription and over-the-counter alike. Take anything you will need during the fumigation with you, and bag or remove the rest. Do not leave anything you depend on daily inside the structure.
- Pet food, birdseed, and treatsSame rule as human food. Opened bags of kibble and any opened cans are commonly forgotten.
- Tobacco productsCigarettes, cigars, and loose tobacco all need bagging or removal.
- Ice, the ice maker, and opened bottled waterEmpty the ice maker and the bin. It is the single most overlooked item on the whole list.
- Seal the bags properly — and never in a knotClose each bag one at a time, either by twisting the top or folding it down and securing it with tape, a twist tie, string, or a rubber band. Do not tie the bags in a knot. Your crew will show you the method they want used.
- Remove plastic mattress and furniture coversWaterproof or plastic covers trap gas and slow aeration. Baby and toddler mattresses with waterproof covers are the usual case — either remove the cover or take the mattress out. Ordinary fabric bedding is fine and can stay.
What you do not need to bag
Less goes into bags than people assume, and over-bagging costs you an afternoon for nothing. These can stay where they are.
- Unopened cansIncluding home-canned goods with an intact seal.
- Unopened soda cans and glass bottlesAs long as the original seal has not been broken.
- Unopened liquor and wineStore bottles horizontally. Once a bottle has been opened, it goes in a bag like anything else.
- CosmeticsLipstick, makeup, and similar. These are not ingested, so they stay.
- Shampoo, soap, and toiletriesNo bagging needed.
- When you genuinely cannot tell — take it outThat is the rule of thumb the industry uses, and it is the right one. Ask your crew about anything specific rather than guessing; they would much rather answer the question than have you find out afterwards.
People, pets, and plants
- Everyone out, for the full durationA structure is typically under fumigation for 24 to 48 hours, so arrange overnight accommodation for the household and any pets. Confirm the window with the crew and build in a buffer — aeration timing depends on conditions.
- Expect that weather can move the dateHigh winds and rain both interfere with getting a tent sealed and are genuinely dangerous for the crew working on the roof, so a fumigation may be rescheduled at short notice. Worth knowing before you book non-refundable accommodation.
- All pets out, including fish, reptiles, and birdsAquariums have to leave the structure entirely. Do not attempt to cover a tank and leave it. Arrange boarding or a friend well in advance rather than the night before.
- Houseplants outEvery one, including anything on a windowsill or in a garage that falls inside the tented area.
- Water the soil out to about 18 inches from the wallsDo this the day before. A thorough soaking of the perimeter soil and plantings protects the roots of outdoor plants and shrubs while the tarps are sealed against the ground.
- Cut foliage back at least 18 inches from the structureThe tarps need room to drape and seal. Shrubs, vines, and branches within roughly a foot and a half of the walls or eaves will need trimming back, and the crew will confirm how much for your property.
The building itself
- Gas shut off, then restored by the utilityThe gas supply is turned off before fumigation and must be turned back on by the gas company, not by you. Schedule that restoration in advance — it is a common cause of arriving home to no hot water.
- Open every interior door, cabinet, closet, and drawerThe gas has to circulate everywhere. Anything closed is a pocket the fumigant reaches poorly, which means termites there survive. Attic hatches and subarea access too.
- Turn off automatic timersSprinklers on a timer will water the tarps and can compromise the seal. Also handle any automated blinds, lights, or HVAC schedules.
- Arrange keys and accessThe crew needs to get in, and they will re-lock the structure and control access for the duration. Sort out keys, gate codes, and any alarm arrangements before the day, not on it.
- Get neighbor consent where it is neededWritten consent from a neighbor is required in two situations: if the fumigation company needs to step even a foot onto their property to get the tent up, which is common where houses sit close together; or if plants belonging to the neighbor grow onto your property and will be under the tarps. Sort this out early — a consent that has not been obtained will stop the job on the day.
- Notify anyone else who needs to knowAn HOA if you have one, and anyone with a habit of dropping by. A tented house attracts attention and occasionally attracts people who should not be near it.
- Take your valuables and essentials with youDocuments, medication, chargers, laptops, and anything you would hate to be without for three days. The structure will be sealed and inaccessible, and there is no popping back in.
Common questions
How long does fumigation take?
A structure is usually under fumigation for 24 to 48 hours, and clearance follows once it has been aerated and tested. Your crew will give you a specific window. Build a buffer into your plans rather than booking a return flight for the earliest possible hour, and bear in mind that high winds or rain can push the whole thing to another date.
Do I need to wash everything when I get home?
No. This surprises people, but it is unnecessary to wash dishes, linens, or clothing afterwards. The fumigant is a gas — it dissipates out of the structure during aeration rather than settling onto surfaces, which is why clearance is based on testing the air rather than wiping anything down.
Do I really have to bag food that is inside the refrigerator?
Yes, but you can leave the bags in there. A refrigerator is not gas-tight and its door seals are not designed for this. Double-bag the contents of the fridge and freezer and leave them in place — pulling the shelves out first makes stacking the bags much easier.
Will fumigation prevent future termites?
No, and this is worth being clear about. Fumigation eliminates what is in the structure at the time; it leaves nothing behind to stop a new colony arriving later. That is why ongoing inspection matters afterwards, and why fumigation is often paired with correcting the conditions that made the structure attractive in the first place.
Can I fumigate just part of the house?
Fumigation is a whole-structure treatment by nature — the gas fills the enclosed volume. Where an infestation is genuinely localised, targeted local treatment is often the better option and avoids all of this. That determination comes from the inspection, and we would rather scope a local treatment where the evidence supports one.
Why would my neighbor need to sign something?
Two reasons, both practical. If your houses sit close enough together that the crew has to step onto their property — even a foot of it — to get the tarps up and sealed, that requires their written consent. And if any of their plants grow across the property line onto yours, those plants will end up under the tent, which also requires consent. Neither is a formality that can be skipped on the day, so it is worth raising with your neighbor as soon as the fumigation is scheduled.
Do I need to remove things from the garage and attic?
If they fall inside the tented area, the same rules apply — consumables, pet food, and plants included. Garages and attics are where forgotten items most often turn up, so walk them deliberately rather than assuming they are empty.
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Xtermicon was founded in 2015 with one focus: protect Southern California homes and businesses from the pests that threaten them. The name says it all — eXterminate TERmites & pest CONtrol — and that's exactly what we do. We're a family-owned team specializing in termite control, pest control, and rodent exclusion. From West LA and East LA to the beach cities and Orange County, we're local neighbors who treat your property like our own.