How to Protect Your Home From Bed Bugs

Bed bugs might just be some of the most frustrating pests you can get in your home, and anyone who has had a bed bug infestation will agree. Unfortunately, these tiny bugs can easily enter your house but will give you a very hard time when trying to get them out. Because of this, it’s best to be extra careful and make sure they never enter in the first place. In this article, we’ll go over different steps you can take to ensure bed bug prevention in your household, providing bed bug prevention tips and what to do if facing an infestation.

Inspect Your Hotel or Rental Home for Signs of Bed Bugs

The most common way people accidentally bring bed bugs into their homes is by bringing them back from vacation. Unfortunately, many rentals and hotels that might not be 100% on top of their cleaning, which can end very badly for you. Sometimes it’s impossible to know beforehand, but when you arrive at your vacation home, check for the following signs:

• Dark, rusty spots on sheets, mattresses, bed frames, and walls.
• Bedbug feces, egg shells, or shed skin around the bed area.
• Negative reviews from other renters/visitors mentioning bed bugs.

Additionally, if you’ve already slept in the hotel or rental bed, you could look for bed bug bites on your skin and blood stains on pillowcases and sheets.

Wash Every Piece of Clothing You Took With You on Vacation

Once you’re back from your trip, you still want to be careful with your next steps. Hopefully, you were able to identify signs of bed bugs and find a new place to stay. However, you still need to make sure you don’t have any bed bugs hidden in your things. For better bed bug prevention, wash every item of clothing you took with you, even if you didn’t wear them. Ideally, you should wash possibly infested clothes with hot water, and dry them at the highest heat setting possible.

Be Extra Careful With Second-Hand Furniture

Similar to what we mentioned for hotel rooms and rentals, second-hand furniture can bring some nasty pests hidden in it, so be extra careful before bringing it into your home. Aside from giving it a close inspection for any signs of bed bugs in all possible hiding places, we recommend getting things such as sofas, rugs, and beds cleaned professionally before moving them in with you.

How to Kill Bed Bugs

There are a number of ways to kill bed bugs, but the most effective method is heat treatment. Using a portable heater or drying your bedding in a clothes dryer on high heat can kill all stages of bed bugs, including eggs. Chemical treatments can also be effective, but it’s important to apply them carefully and follow all safety instructions. With a little effort, you can kill bed bugs for good.

Hire Professional Bed Bug Prevention and Treatment Services

If you were unable to prevent bed bugs from entering your home, your best option is to call for professional help. There are many DIY articles that will give you useful tips to kill bed bugs, but exterminating a bed bug infestation is no easy feat, and if not done properly, it can bring you a great deal of discomfort. Bed Bug Barbeque attacks bed bug infestations at the root and prevents them from returning to bother you. If you need to kill bed bugs in your home, call the experts at Bed Bug Barbeque, Ohio’s number 1  bed bug exterminators.