The tarps go up, the gas goes in, the tent comes off — but there's a precise, monitored process in between. Here's exactly what happens to your house, step by step.
If your inspection points toward tent fumigation, it helps to know what's actually going to happen to your house while you're gone. The colorful tarps are the part everyone recognizes, but between the tent going up and you moving back in there's a precise, monitored process — and understanding it makes the whole thing far less mysterious (and makes it easier to spot a company cutting corners).
Here's the step-by-step. (For the timing of it all, see how long tent fumigation takes; for what you personally need to do beforehand, see the preparation checklist.)
Step 1 — Final Prep and Sealing
Before anything else, the structure has to be ready: food and medication bagged or removed, plants and pets gone, gas line typically shut off at the meter, and interior doors and cabinets opened so the gas can circulate freely. The crew then seals the structure — tarps go over the entire building and are clamped and weighted at ground level to make it airtight. A tight seal is what makes the treatment both effective and safe.
Step 2 — Introducing the Gas
With the structure sealed, the crew introduces sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane) along with a small amount of a warning agent (chloropicrin) applied earlier as an irritant to keep anyone from entering. Fans inside circulate the gas so it reaches uniform concentration throughout the entire volume — every wall cavity, every piece of framing, the attic, the subfloor. This is the whole advantage of fumigation: the gas goes where no injection or surface treatment can reach.
Step 3 — The Exposure Period (Monitored)
The structure now stays sealed for a calculated exposure period. This isn't a fixed number — it's determined for each job by the target pests, the building's volume, and the temperature (the gas behaves differently in cool vs. warm conditions). During this window the concentration is monitored to confirm it stays at the level needed to penetrate the wood and reach the colonies inside. The termites die during this phase; there's nothing visible happening from the outside.
Step 4 — Aeration
When the exposure period is complete, the tarps come off and the structure is opened up and aerated. Fans move fresh air through the building to clear the gas out of the wood and interior spaces. Sulfuryl fluoride dissipates and does not leave a residue on surfaces, dishes, or fabrics — which is why, once it's cleared, there's no lingering film to clean up.
Step 5 — Clearance Testing and Re-entry
This is the step that matters most for your safety, and it's non-negotiable. A certified technician uses a device to measure the concentration of gas remaining in the interior air. You are not cleared to re-enter until that reading falls to a safe level. Only then does the technician release the structure for occupancy. If a company ever seems willing to shortcut this measured clearance, that's a serious red flag — the clearance test is exactly what makes it safe to walk back in.
After You're Back In
Once cleared, you can move back in the same day — unbag food, turn the gas back on (the utility or crew handles relighting pilots per local practice), and resume normal life. Fumigation kills what's currently in the wood, but it leaves no lasting barrier, so it doesn't prevent a future colony from starting — which is why annual inspections still matter afterward. If you're weighing whether fumigation is even the right method for your situation, our fumigation vs. no-tent breakdown covers when it's the clear choice and when a localized option fits better.