Bed bugs and bed bug bites are the worst. The good news is that preventing bed bugs in your home is not too difficult! Cultivating a healthy bed bug awareness is helpful in stopping them from finding a home in your mattress.
Identification: What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown insects. They range from 1 to 7mm in size and have oval-shaped bodies that can either be flat or slightly plump, depending on when they last fed.
How Do You Get Bed Bugs? Where Do They Come From?
Bed bugs are savvy hitchhikers. They can get into homes through used furniture, hitching a ride on luggage, or other items with upholstered surfaces. In apartments and hotels, it’s not uncommon for bed bugs to sneak between rooms.
These pests can be tough to get rid of if they’re already in your space. Prevention is much easier! That’s why the experts at Plunkett’s have put together a comprehensive bed bug prevention guide.
4 Ways to Prevent Bed Bugs
Don’t let the bed bugs bite—make these habits a part of your routine:
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1. Don’t Put Stuff on Your Bed
Chances are, you throw your dirty clothes, books, laptop, or headphones onto your bed without thinking about it. Unfortunately, like we said earlier, bed bugs are notorious for their hitchhiking skills. The most common way bed bugs get from place to place is by clinging onto materials. If you’re not careful, you could end up delivering bed bugs straight to your mattress.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs by Keeping Your Bed Clear
When you take off your clothes at the end of the day, put them straight into the laundry basket. In a perfect world, you’d check your clothes for pests as you took them off. Don’t put anything you brought in from outside on your bed; that includes bags, suitcases, and purses.
2. Check Your Bags
Once bed bugs are inside your bags, they seek out the darkest and most confined areas, making them extremely difficult to find. They’ll remain perfectly motionless until they have the opportunity to sneak into more permanent accommodations.
How to Check Your Bags for Bed Bugs
Unpack and check your bags before putting them away. If possible, run the bag and its contents through the dryer on a hot setting. This advice is especially important if you’re bringing a suitcase back from out of town. If you can’t run your bag through the dryer, unpack and carefully go through your stuff. Check nooks, crevices, and crannies. If you find any bed bugs, carefully wash anything that was in the bag before putting it away.
3. Clean Your Sheets
You may be thinking, can you get bed bugs from not washing your sheets? No—bed bugs have absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness levels. However, washing your sheets regularly gives you the opportunity to look for and remove any possible bed bug infestations.
How to Check for Bed Bugs
When you strip your bed to wash the sheets, take the time to give your mattress a quick once-over. Flip it over once or twice while checking the corners, nooks, and zipper for bed bugs. Consider vacuuming the mattress to remove crumbs, dirt, or dead skin. Check the frame, headboard, and bed skirt, too. If you find bed bugs, strip the mattress bare and wash everything—skirt, sheets, pillowcases, and comforter.
4. Hang Up Your Clothes and Belongings
When you’re folding clean clothes or putting away dirty ones, hang them all up. Keeping clothes off the ground stops bed bugs from crawling onto them and clinging to your items. Clothing is one of the primary ways bed bugs move from place to place. If you keep yours out of reach, you’ll limit bed bugs’ transport options. It’s also important that you hang up your purses, backpacks, and other items.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs From Hitchhiking on Your Clothes
Right after laundry, hang up your clothes. If you have reusable grocery bags, make sure they are set on a shelf or hung up somewhere. The same goes for shoes; try your best to keep them on a shelf, in a cubby, or hung up somewhere.
Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
Worried that you may already have a bed bug infestation? Here are some telltale signs that these pests have made their way into your space:
- Small, Itchy Red Bites: If you’re waking up with new bites, bed bugs could be the cause. They typically feed at night, leaving small, red marks that may itch or swell.
- Blood Stains on Sheets: Look for small, rusty stains on your sheets or pillowcases. These could be from crushed bed bugs or bites that have bled slightly.
- Dark Fecal Spots or Exoskeletons: Bed bugs leave dark, rusty spots on sheets, mattresses, or walls and may shed skins as they grow. Check around mattress seams, corners, and bed frames.
- Musty Odor: In larger infestations, bed bugs may emit a musty, sweet odor from their scent glands.
If you notice any of these signs, it’s time to take action. Bed bug infestations can quickly spread, so contact Plunkett’s Pest Control for effective bed bug removal services.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs: Get Help from Plunkett’s!
Bed bug infestations are difficult to eliminate once they are in your home. To feel confident that your bed bug infestation is gone for good, it is best to hire a professional pest control company for bed bug treatment. Our process for getting rid of bed bugs is efficient, effective, and reliable. Get in touch with Plunkett’s Pest Control to say bye-bye to bed bugs!
