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For a typical tented home fumigation, shut down your computer and unplug it before you leave. Keep it off until the applicator tells you the home has been cleared. The current Vikane manual reviewed does not specifically require computers to be switched off; this is a sensible precaution, not evidence that a computer left running will cause a chemical hazard.

What to do before fumigation

  1. Shut down the computer normally before leaving the property. Save your work and close any running processes first.
  2. Unplug it if practical. Do not enter the structure again during treatment or aeration to reach a computer, charger, or other device.
  3. Follow the applicator’s written preparation checklist. Ask the applicator responsible for your treatment if it gives device-specific directions or if your fumigant is not Vikane.

Do not cover the computer, move it, or open its case as a fumigation measure unless the applicator instructs you to. The Vikane manual reviewed does not specify whether to open a computer case or laptop lid.

What the Vikane instructions say about electronics

The current Vikane manual and label, marked November 26, 2024, direct users to extinguish flames, turn off or unplug electrical heating elements and heaters, and shut off automatic switch controls for appliances and lighting in the fumigated space. The manual explains that very high heat from gas flames or glowing electric elements can decompose Vikane into sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, and other products; hydrogen fluoride can form a highly reactive acid that may damage materials. The instructions do not name ordinary computers or cooling fans as sources of that high heat, and they do not state that a computer must be turned off.

The manual also calls for interior doors, closets, drawers, and appliances to be opened to help fumigant distribution and aeration. An appliance left closed during fumigation must be opened during clearance until its Vikane concentration is at or below 1 ppm. The manual does not give a computer-specific opening instruction. Ask the applicator about your device rather than improvising.

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These directions are specific to the Vikane product instructions reviewed. Sulfuryl fluoride is a restricted-use pesticide, and product labels, local requirements, building circumstances, and preparation instructions can differ. The National Pesticide Information Center recommends following the pest-control company’s detailed home-preparation instructions; its general guidance includes removing people, pets, fish, reptiles, and houseplants, opening indoor drawers and doors, and turning off electrical heating elements and automatic appliance controls, but it does not establish a separate computer rule. Read NPIC’s structural fumigation guidance and consult your applicator for the actual treatment.

Do not re-enter to turn off or retrieve a computer

Stay out during fumigation and aeration, even if you forgot to shut down or unplug a device. For sulfuryl fluoride, EPA guidance says the breathing-zone concentration must be measured at 1 part per million (ppm) or less before the structure is considered cleared. The Vikane manual likewise requires aeration and clearance testing before reoccupancy. Wait for the applicator’s clearance notice; do not decide the home is safe based on smell or elapsed time. Sulfuryl fluoride is colorless and odorless. See EPA’s sulfuryl fluoride clearance-device guidance.

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Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services also says applicators must verify that people and pets have left and that the treated structure is properly aerated and cleared. Read Florida’s structural fumigation safety information.

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Who to contact if you are unsure

  • Before treatment: Ask the fumigation company whether its checklist has any instruction for computers, laptops, networking equipment, or other electronics.
  • If the computer is still on inside: Tell the applicator. Do not go inside to switch it off.
  • If this is not a Vikane/sulfuryl fluoride treatment: Follow the specific product label and applicator’s instructions; the Vikane directions described here may not apply.

Official references: Vikane Structural Fumigation Manual and Label; EPA’s sulfuryl fluoride overview.

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