How to Avoid Getting Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are bad news as they multiply quickly and leave your skin covered in nasty, painful bites, but the best bed bug treatment is to avoid letting them into your home in the first place.
11/12/2020
“Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
Seriously, though, bed bugs are bad news. They multiply quickly and leave your skin covered in nasty, painful bites, sucking your blood while you sleep. In many ways, the best bed bug treatment is to avoid letting them into your home in the first place.
Do just that by following these steps:
Reduce Household Clutter
Bed bugs are hard enough to spot the way it is; don’t give them even more hiding spots where they can make themselves at home. The more clutter you have around your house, the more likely you are to attract bed bugs, especially when the clutter is pushed up against the walls. Bed bugs often enter the home near the baseboards, so peripheral clutter is an ideal environment for them. Worse yet, unorganized clutter often accumulates dust and debris, further attracting infestations.
Cover All Mattresses
To prevent bed bugs from making a home inside your mattress, it’s a good idea to invest in zippered cloth mattress covers. These act a lot like Ziploc bags, enveloping your mattresses and sealing them off from outside pests. While doing this won’t necessarily prevent a bed bug infestation, they will make one considerably easier to deal with. Keep them smooth and tight in order to limit folds or tears where bed bugs can hide.
Vacuum the Carpet
Despite their name, beds aren’t the only places bed bugs are drawn to. They also proliferate among the fibers of household carpets, breeding and multiplying right beneath our feet. Since bed bugs prefer dark areas, they’re more likely to be found in carpeted areas underneath furniture, so make it a point not only to vacuum, but to vacuum those hard-to-reach spots beneath the couch, behind the dresser, and under the table.
Perform Inspections Often
If you are worried about bed bugs, it’s far from excessive to schedule regular home inspections. You don’t necessarily have to hire a professional unless you’ve confirmed an infestation; you can perform a simple inspection yourself. Check for cracks along both the interior and exterior walls of your home, sealing them with caulk as you go. Keep an eye out for dark spots around these areas which may be left behind by bed bug defecation.
Identify Warning Signs
If you do find your home under siege from bed bugs, the sooner you realize it and start fighting them off, the better. In addition to the dark spots mentioned above, you may find dead bed bugs in warm, dark locations. They can be recognized by their small size, being just ¼ of an inch long, and by their reddish-brown color. A major telltale sign of bed bug infestation is the appearance of rash-like itchy red spots on your skin.