Having bedbugs can be a nightmare. As if the itchy, red welts aren’t bad enough, the anxiety, sleep deprivation, and social isolation they cause can be incredibly overwhelming. But fear not—by taking a few proactive measures, you can safeguard yourself and your belongings from these bloodsuckers. From meticulous luggage packing to vigilant home inspections, here’s your ultimate guide to outsmarting bedbugs and ensuring your travels remain blissfully bite-free.
Travel Safely
Seal your belongings: If you’re traveling, use a suitcase or bag that closes all the way. This prevents bedbugs from entering your luggage and hiding clothes, plush toys, and blankets.
Inspect your lodging: Use a flashlight to inspect bedrooms. Inspect the mattress seams, headboards, nightstands, baseboards, upholstered furniture, and electrical sockets for exoskeletons, fecal staining, and live specimens.
Keep your clothes out of their reach: Bedbugs can hide in any crack large enough to fit a piece of paper, which means that no matter how thorough you are, there’s always a chance you won’t find one if it’s hiding well enough. Keep your clothes bagged and off the floor and on a luggage rack (if available) for the duration of your stay.
Inspect and wash your clothes as soon as you get home: Perform a thorough inspection of your luggage and wash your clothes as soon as you get home. Dry on high heat if possible. Vacuum the interior and exterior of your suitcase before storing them away.
Be vigilant: Continue to inspect your home, particularly mattresses and upholstery, for any sign of bedbug activity in the weeks following your return home. Vacuum frequently.
See our article: How to Know if Your Hotel Has Bedbugs for more tips to travel safely!
Fortify your Furniture:
Avoid Secondhand Furniture: Bringing used furniture (particularly the upholstered kind) into your home can put you at significant risk for bedbugs. Even clean homes can harbor bedbugs, so be sure to be vigilant regardless of the source. Even if you trust the original owner, it is advisable to check the corners and seams for the signs of bedbug activity listed above.
Mattress Covers: Consider purchasing a protective covering for your mattresses and box springs. This will reduce common hiding places for bedbugs as well as keep them from entering the mattress itself. Coverings must be tear-resistant and rated for bedbug protection. Covers that have been pre-treated with pesticides to control bedbugs are also available. Be sure to check the cover regularly for holes to ensure its effectiveness.
Healthy Home Maintenance:
Remove/Reduce Clutter: Bedbugs thrive when they have ample places to hide. They have been known to hide in electronics, plush toys, laundry piles, books, paper piles, and even in the heads of screws. You don’t have to throw everything away, but the fewer hiding places they have, the better.
Vacuum Frequently: Vacuuming removes any bedbugs in the nymph or adult stage that may have hitched a ride into your home. Eggs are often too tightly secure to surfaces for vacuums to dislodge, so vacuuming frequently is crucial to catching them as soon as they hatch. Bedbugs can survive inside of vacuums for months without feeding and have also been known to crawl out of the vacuum after being sucked up. Eliminate this issue by emptying the contents of the vacuum into a trash bag, sealing it, and removing it from your home immediately. It is important to wash the canister if you have a bagless vacuum.
Seal The Deal: Bedbugs can spread quickly in multi-unit homes. It is important to protect each unit by installing door sweeps to discourage bedbugs from wandering into hallways. Bedbugs can also travel through wall voids, so care should be taken to seal openings around baseboards, sockets, and anywhere that a bedbug may be able to fit.
Prevention At the Laundromat
Bag It Up: Transport your laundry in plastic bags, rather than hampers or other receptacles. Remove the laundry from the dryer and put it in the bag.
Fold It At Home: Do not leave your clothes on surfaces within the laundromat for any length of time. Fold your clothes at home to avoid potential exposure to bedbugs that may lurk in the laundromat.
How Do I Know If I Have Bedbugs?
Bites: Bedbug bites occur in areas that are exposed when sleeping, such as your face, neck, and hands. Bites may appear as itchy, red bumps on people with lighter skin, and purple on more melanated skin. Bites alone are not sufficient to confirm that you have a bedbug infestation. They can be easily confused with mosquito bites or contact dermatitis. Each body responds slightly differently to the bites, so appearances may vary. Some people experience no reaction at all.
Blood stains: You may notice small, reddish blood stains on your sheets or mattress. These stains are caused when bedbugs are crushed and undigested blood is expelled from their bodies.
Shed skins: when bedbugs molt, they leave behind their old exoskeletons. The sheds are light brown, translucent, and can be anywhere between 2-7mm long depending on where it was in its life cycle. This is not only a clear sign that bedbugs have been present in the area, but also that they have been feeding and growing.
Fecal staining: Bedbug droppings leave stains that look like dark spots or smears. Each stain is usually about the size of a pinhead. Fecal staining is found in the corners or seams of mattresses and furniture, along baseboards, or on sheets and pillowcases
Bedbug appearance: The most direct way to tell if you have bedbugs is to see a specimen. Adult bedbugs are about the size of a watermelon seed, oval-shaped, and rusty-brown. They can also be pearly-white if they are freshly molted. Younger bedbugs are whitish-yellow and can be so small that they are almost imperceptible to the naked eye. If you find a bedbug specimen, save it in a plastic bag or between two pieces of clear tape and provide it to a pest control company for verification. You may also take a clear picture and send it to info@modernpest.com if you are unsure.
What Do I Do if I Have Bedbugs?
Bedbug infestations require professional intervention immediately. The longer you wait, the worse it will get. Off-the-shelf pesticides may claim effectiveness, but bedbugs are notoriously quick to develop pesticide immunity. Vacuuming frequently, removing clutter, and washing/ drying all fabric items on high heat are vital in ensuring that your bedbug treatment is effective, but that alone will not eliminate an infestation.
If you’re concerned about bedbugs infiltrating your home, Modern Pest is here to help. Our Bedbug Control service is designed to eliminate bedbugs and create a safe, comfortable environment for your family. Modern also offers Commercial Bedbug Management for schools, hotels, and any other business that might have bedbug issues. Call Modern at 800-323-7378 today for more information.