7 Tips for Preventing a Bed Bug Infestation

Do you suspect or think that you might have bed bugs? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that bed bugs do not spread diseases like fleas and ticks. These tiny parasites instead are more of a nuisance, as they can bite humans while they sleep and leave behind a set of red, and often itchy, bumps. These bumps might cause excess scratching, which can still lead to skin infections.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent a bed bug infestation in your home. Follow the tips below to significantly lower your chances of having these bothersome bugs inside your home.

1. Examine Secondhand Items Carefully
Yard sales and thrift stores provide the opportunity to score an amazing deal on furniture items. Unfortunately, these items can sometimes harbor bed bugs that will gladly make your home their new residence. To prevent this from happening, always carefully examine any secondhand purchases you make before you bring the pieces into your home.

Signs to look for according to the EPA include the following:

• Stains on sheets and mattresses that are rusty brown or reddish in color
• Fecal matter that appears as tiny dark spots on mattresses and baseboards
• Evidence of molting. Bed bugs will shed their skin during the nymph stage and leave behind tiny skins that look like eggshells

In addition, you should look for the bed bugs themselves. In rare cases, you may actually spot full grown bed bugs, which are brown or red in color.

2. Inspect Hotel Rooms When on Vacation
While on vacation, you probably do not want to think of any pests. Unfortunately, hotel rooms are another common source of bed bugs. Without knowing it, the bed bugs may hitch a ride with you in your luggage and then end up causing an infestation within your home.

To prevent this, inspect the bedding, headboards, and baseboards around the bed for any evidence of bed bugs. Do this before you unpack so you do not contaminate your items from home.

If you spot any bed bugs, you will want to look for a different hotel. Chances are additional rooms within that hotel are affected as well.

3. Install Special Mattress and Box Spring Covers
To prevent infestation to your bed, purchase and install mattress and box spring covers that are specifically designed to protect your bed from bed bugs. These covers are not like sheets, but rather encase the entire mattress. Bed bugs will not have access to the mattress, and the light color of the covers will make it easy to spot any intruders that are trying to invade your home and eradicate them quickly.

4. Use an Insect Interceptor Bug Trap
Although the insect interceptor bug traps do not prevent bed bugs from entering your house, they do stop them from climbing up your bed. As the bed bugs make their way to your bed, they fall into the trap. The sleek sides keep the pests from being able to crawl back out. Simply check the traps each morning and contact an exterminator if you catch a bed bug.

5. Use Caution at Laundromats
If you live in an apartment building with a shared laundry room or you need to travel to a local laundromat to wash your clothes, then you will need to be careful. In order to prevent picking up bed bugs from others, you will want to immediately place laundered items in plastic bags as soon as they come out of the dryer.

Bed bugs die in high heat, so while the clothes are still hot from the dryer, encasing them in plastic will help them stay hot. Then, you can take them back to your apartment and fold or hang up your clothes.

6. Reduce Clutter and Vacuum Regularly
Bed bugs love clutter because it gives them plenty of places to hide during the day. Keeping clutter to a minimum and vacuuming on a regular basis is the best way to take care of any stray bed bugs that may have entered your home without you knowing about it.

7. Spray Essential Oils Around Your Home
Some essential oils might help to dispel bed bugs or discourage them from infesting your home. Some essential oils to consider might be lavender, thyme, or peppermint. Make sure to spray thoroughly in any potential spots, like luggage or sheets.

Should you follow all of the above tips and still end up with a bed bug problem, contact the experts at Paffy's Pest Control. Our company will rid your home of these unwanted pests. We want you to feel and be safe and comfortable in your home. Please let us know what questions or concerns you may have, and we will be happy to answer them. We look forward to assisting you with your pest control needs throughout the Metro Area.