A potential bed bug infestation is enough to scare even the toughest of us. These tiny, gross, blood sucking creatures are not only a nightmare to live with, but they are a nightmare to get rid of as well. If you are currently dealing with an infestation, calling for professional bed bug treatment is the only way to ensure that all traces of bed bugs are eliminated from your home. And along with bed bug treatment, there are several steps that you should take to help avoid a potential re-infestation.
Do Not Remove Any Items from Your Home That You Intend to Bring Back
Bed bugs, unlike tics or lice, do not live on the human body once they have finished feeding. They can however travel on or inside backpacks, shoes, or other articles of clothing; they can survive inside books and on toys. When you are packing to leave your home before a bed bug treatment do not take anything from the home you intend to return with that hasn’t been thoroughly inspected and cleared of bed bugs.
It stands to mention as well, if you are travelling home from a location that has a bed bug infestation, do not bring any potentially affected items into your home. Prior to returning home place all your clothing items into plastic bags, upon arrival place all items into the washing machine and launder and dry on the highest temperatures possible. Thoroughly vacuum all bags and luggage, preferably outdoors, and dispose of the vacuum bag immediately.
Wash and Wrap Your Belongings
A bed bug treatment will target the areas most commonly infected by bed bugs with pesticides. However hidden bed bugs can live over 365 days without food so the potential for re-infestation is high. To avoid this possibility, wash all linens, sheets, towels, clothes, pillows, cushions, and jackets wash and dry in the hottest temperature you are able to then place them into tightly sealed plastic bags. For items that can’t be washed, place them into the dryer on high heat.
As a bed bug’s food source is human blood and their favourite place to live is inside mattresses, a special encasement or mattress cover should be used after bed bug treatment for a minimum of one year to ensure that any living bed bugs are starved out.
Keep an Eye Out forStragglers
Professional bed bug treatment is usually quite effective at getting rid of a bed bug infestation on the first try. However, depending on the size of the home and the level of infestation, more then one treatment may be required. There are many nooks and crannies that bed bugs like to make their homes in, so after your bed bug treatment try to maintain a clean environment free of clutter, especially piles of clothing left in the floor, and be vigilant for signs that the bed bugs have returned.
If you begin to notice signs of an infestation, such as bites on your body or bug fecal stains on your bed sheets, schedule bed bug treatment immediately. Bed bugs breed extremely quickly and the faster you can contain the infestation, the higher the odds are that your bed bug treatment will be successful.