Termite Fumigation (Tenting) Preparation Checklist

The termite tenting prep checklist at a glance

Everything on this page in one list — screenshot it. The detail behind each step follows below.

1. Book the gas shutoff with your utility the day the tent date is set.
2. Plan two to three nights out for people, pets, houseplants and aquarium fish.
3. Double-bag or remove anything you would put in your mouth — opened food, fridge and freezer contents, pet food, medications, toothpaste and mouthwash — in the Nylofume bags your fumigator provides.
4. Leave only factory-sealed items in glass, metal or rigid plastic cans, bottles or jars with the manufacturer's airtight seal intact.
5. Open interior doors, cabinets, closets and the attic hatch so the fumigant can reach everywhere and air back out.
6. Move plants out and water the soil in a band around the foundation.
7. Trim shrubs and branches back from the walls so the tent can seal to the ground.
8. Remove or open plastic-covered mattresses and pillows per your fumigator's instructions.
9. Turn off or unplug electric heating elements — space heaters and aquarium or reptile-tank heaters — and shut off automatic timers, as the fumigant label requires.
10. Hand over keys and confirm contact numbers with the crew.
11. Come home only after clearance — the fumigator measures the air and posts the re-entry notice.

Fumigation prep timeline

Whole-structure fumigation is the right call when drywood termites have spread beyond what spot treatment can reach — and it goes smoothly when the prep is done right. Here's the complete checklist, in the order most people need it.

Before you tent: three questions worth asking first

Fumigation is a real answer to a real problem, and this checklist assumes you have already decided on it. It is still worth spending five minutes on these three questions before the tarps show up, because a tent is expensive, disruptive, and — in two of the three situations below — the wrong tool entirely.

1. Which termite do you actually have? Pellet piles and kickout holes mean drywood termites, which live inside the wood; fumigation reaches them. (If you are not certain which you found, the termite evidence guide shows every sign side by side.) Mud tubes climbing the foundation mean subterranean termites, which live in the soil outside the structure — a tent does nothing to that colony, and it will rebuild tubes within weeks. If anyone has quoted you a fumigation off a mud tube, stop and get a second opinion.
2. How widespread is the drywood activity? Fumigation earns its cost when colonies are scattered through the structure or hidden in framing nothing can reach. When the activity is limited to areas an inspection can find and a drill can access — a rafter tail, a fascia board, a window frame — localized treatment injects the galleries directly instead, in one visit, with you still at home. The full comparison is here.
3. Did you get the findings in writing? A fumigation recommendation should come from a written inspection report that lists where the activity was found, not from a walk-around and a number. A real termite inspection sounds and probes the wood, enters the attic and subarea where there is access, and separates active infestations from conditions to watch. If your report does not do that, you do not yet know what you are buying.

If the answers still point to a tent, good — the rest of this page is the prep that makes it go smoothly.

The week before

• Schedule your gas shutoff. The gas utility must turn service off before tenting and restore it after — book the appointment as soon as your fumigation date is set.
• Plan 2–3 nights out for everyone: people, pets, and houseplants — including aquarium fish. Nothing living stays inside the tent.
• Coordinate anything attached to the house — fences, trellises or shared structures the crew will need to work around; your fumigator will walk you through specifics.

Food and medicine: the bagging rule

Anything you'd put in your mouth either leaves the house or gets double-bagged in the special Nylofume bags your fumigator provides. The exception: items in glass, metal or rigid plastic cans, bottles or jars with the manufacturer's airtight seal still intact can stay as-is. Everything else — opened packages, refrigerator and freezer contents, pet food, medications, even toothpaste and mouthwash — gets bagged or goes with you. California's Department of Pesticide Regulation treats toothpaste and mouthwash as medicine that must be bagged or removed unless the fumigant's label says otherwise. Some labels do let opened toothpaste, mouthwash, water and ice stay, so if your fumigator's prep list says they can stay, follow it.

The day before

• Double-bag or remove all food, medications and pet food per the rule above
• Unlock and open interior doors, cabinets, closets, and the attic hatch so the fumigant can reach everywhere and air back out
• Remove plants from the house and water the soil in a band around the foundation — moisture protects your landscaping's roots
• Trim shrubs and branches back from the walls so the tent can seal to the ground
• Remove or open any plastic-covered mattresses and pillows per your fumigator's instructions
• Hand over keys and confirm contact numbers with the crew

What happens while you're out

The crew tents the structure, introduces the fumigant, holds it for the prescribed exposure period, then aerates the building thoroughly. You come home only after the fumigator measures the air and posts the re-entry clearance — that certification step is required of every licensed fumigation crew in California, and it's not optional or rushable. For the whole process day by day, the 1 ppm clearance and what the gas leaves behind, see how termite fumigation works and when you can come home.

After the tent comes off

Two honest things to know. First, the fumigant is a true gas — it disperses during aeration and leaves no surface residue, which is why there's nothing to wipe down when you return. Second, that also means it leaves no ongoing protection: fumigation eliminates the drywood termites present that week, not the swarmers that may arrive next season. A written warranty and periodic inspections are what keep you covered going forward.

And if your infestation is still localized, remember there's often a smaller answer: we recommend targeted spot treatment over tenting whenever the evidence supports it. Ask for an honest assessment before committing either way.

Sources

• UC IPM: Drywood Termites — University of California guidance on drywood termite evidence and the range of local and whole-structure treatments.
• California Structural Pest Control Board — the state body that licenses fumigators and structural pest control companies in California and sets the rules the clearance step follows.
• California Business and Professions Code § 8538 (written notice of pesticide use by the registered company)
• Structural Pest Control Board: Fumigation FAQ (consumer fact sheet)
• National Pesticide Information Center: Sulfuryl Fluoride General Fact Sheet
• SoCalGas: How to Prepare for Fumigation
• California Department of Pesticide Regulation: Sulfuryl Fluoride Label Interpretation (ENF 10-21)