By the time bed bugs bite, they’re everywhere. You’ll find them hidden in the crevices of your bed, box springs and surrounding furniture. Sometimes, they even hitch a ride into other rooms via your clothes. When you have a bed bug infestation, you can find them at all stages of their lives. It can be a bummer to find them after summer travels. Here’s how you can deal with a summer bed bug infestation.
Make Sure it’s Bed Bugs
The first step you’ll want to take if you believe you have bed bugs is to confirm if that’s the pest you’re dealing with. Look for their shells between your mattress and box springs. Check out the crevices of furniture and walls around your bed. You may find live bed bugs, and if you do, it’s a sign that you have an active infestation. Not finding them doesn’t rule them out, but it does warrant looking into other possibilities.
Call the Professionals
Once you feel confident that bed bugs have invaded your home, you should call the professionals to deal with the infestation. DIY methods may help as a stop gap while you wait for the bed bug control team to arrive. However, no DIY method safely takes care of the problem, because bed bugs exist at every stage of their lives during the infestation.
Vacuum Everything
Bed bugs hide everywhere. Vacuum carpets, furniture, mattress seams and other surfaces where bed bugs can hide. This can even include the walls behind the furniture they’ve infested. Once you’ve cleaned all these areas thoroughly, dispose of your vacuum cleaner bag immediately so the bugs that survived being vacuumed don’t re-infest your home.
Wash Using the Hot Setting
Wash and dry bedding, especially sheets and pillowcases, using the hottest temperature setting. If you’re confident that you have or had a bed bug infestation, be sure to wash any clothing they may have come in contact with, as well. The high heat is important for getting rid of bed bugs at all stages of life.
Check Second Hand Items
Bed bugs are great at hiding, so before bringing used clothing or furniture into your home, inspect it for signs of bed bugs. Once you bring these items, consider giving them a thorough wash before placing them or putting them away, just in case you missed something in your visual inspection.
Calling the professionals should be the first step when you identify bed bugs in your home. If you’re in need of bed bug control services, Pro-Staff is here to help. Call us at 515-279-7378 or contact us online.