Termite Fumigation Prep Checklist: What to Bag, Move & Do Before Tent Day

Why preparation matters

A fumigation tent seals your entire home, and the fumigant inside penetrates air, voids and porous materials. Anything your family or pets will consume — food, medicine, supplements, even the contents of an open spice jar — must be protected from it or taken out. That is the whole logic of the prep list: it is not bureaucracy, it is how the treatment can be thorough inside the structure and safe for the people who live there.

Your provider will give you their own written, label-based checklist, and theirs is the controlling document for your job. Use this guide to start early and understand the reasoning — homeowners who begin a week out finish in a few relaxed evenings.

Bag it: food, medicine and anything consumed

Everything consumable that is not still in its original, unopened manufacturer seal goes into fumigation bags (commonly Nylofume bags) — double-bagged and sealed per the instructions. That means pantry staples, opened packages, produce, refrigerated and frozen food in non-original packaging, vitamins and supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medicine, pet food and treats, and ice.

Work room by room: kitchen first, then bathrooms (medicine cabinets are the classic miss), then the pet-feeding area. When in doubt about an item, bag it or take it out — there is no penalty for over-preparing, and a real cost to a crew finding unbagged food on tent day.

Remove it: pets, aquariums and sensitive items

All pets leave the home for the full fumigation — dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and especially aquariums. A fish tank cannot be sealed or aerated during the job, and the fumigant is lethal to aquatic life; a temporary tank at a friend’s house or a boarded stay is the standard solution. Houseplants inside the home should also go out or be accepted as a loss — most will not survive the exposure.

Also plan for anything you will need while you are out: documents, chargers, medications for the days away (kept with you, not bagged in the house), and a change of clothes. You will be out until the provider completes aeration and clearance testing and releases the home.

Move it: plants, and what the tent needs outside

Outside, the tent itself needs room. Plants growing against the structure must be moved back or trimmed so the tarps can seal at the ground line; vegetation trapped under the tent will be killed by the fumigant and can break the seal. Your provider may also ask you to wet the soil along the foundation the day before — it helps the seal sit tight.

Antenna work, roof items, and anything the crew flags on their prep walk should be handled before tent day. The crew’s walkthrough a day or two ahead exists precisely to catch these — be home for it if you can.

The final 24 hours

The night before: final bag check, fridge and freezer seals confirmed, gas and appliance instructions followed per your provider’s list, and a last walk for pets and plants. The morning of: the home is emptied of people and pets, and the crew takes over — tenting, sealing, posting the structure, and introducing the fumigant.

Then the preparation pays off: nothing to renegotiate, nothing forgotten, and a schedule that holds. When the home is cleared and released, your only job is moving back in.