Essential Steps to Prevent a Bed Bug Infestation at Home

A cluttered home provides more hiding spots for bed bugs and makes it harder to treat them. Regularly inspect and clean behind furniture and in other hard-to-reach places.

Also, vacuum frequently and use a crevice tool around moldings. Wash all linens, clothing, and drapes in hot water and dry them on high heat. Store items in sealable plastic containers.

1. Clean Your Bed

Bed bugs can easily infest your home and be carried in on clothes, suitcases, bags and the coats of people you visit. It’s important to take steps to prevent bed bug infestations by cleaning your home regularly and how to prevent bed bug infestation.

Start by washing all affected bedding and clothing in hot water, and dry it at the highest temperature setting. You can also use a dryer sheet or an insecticidal spray on clothing and shoes to kill any bed bugs that remain after washing. In addition, be sure to vacuum the floors and corners of your home on a regular basis.

During your inspection, look for black/brown spots (dried blood or feces) and white spots (eggs). If you find any, wash the item in which they are found immediately. You should also inspect the seams of your mattress and box spring, headboard and frame, and any concealed or tight areas. Pay special attention to the areas closest to the bed, as bed bugs tend to congregate in these areas.

In addition to cleaning your house, you can also reduce the number of hiding places for bed bugs by putting down a barrier around the bed. Place bed bug-proof covers or liners on your mattress and box spring (available in most home stores). Make sure the zippers close completely, so the bed bugs trapped inside will starve to death and new ones won’t be able to get in.

Clean and disinfect all surfaces, including the walls, cabinets and baseboards, in your bedroom and other rooms that will be treated. You can also seal cracks and crevices with silicone caulk to keep pests out.

De-clutter your bedroom by removing clothing, toys and books from the closets and dressers in your bedroom and other rooms that will be used during treatment. Put these items in a bag and double-bag it, labeling it as “personal” so that you don’t accidentally return them to an infested room after treatment. This can spread the bed bugs back to the infested area and result in a larger infestation.

2. Vacuum Daily

The most common way that bed bugs get into a home is by hitchhiking in on furniture, clothes, suitcases, and other items from infested places like hotels, schools, hospitals, or movie theaters. You can help prevent this by not bringing in used or vintage items (even if they appear clean). If you bring in any used furniture, make sure to do a visual inspection before accepting it (and try breathing into cracks and crevices — if you see them, they are likely there, too). Avoid using rental electronics unless they have been heat-treated; their vents can harbor bed bugs.

Even after a thorough cleaning and steam treatment, bed bugs can still find their way into your house. That is why it is so important to vacuum every day. This helps reduce their population and makes it easier to spot and treat them when they start multiplying.

It’s also a good idea to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which will eliminate most of the dust and allergens that bed bugs feed on.

When you vacuum, pay special attention to the floor around and under your bed and dresser, as well as areas where rugs meet wall-to-wall carpeting. Check the folds of carpeting, carpet tack strips, and underneath picture frames, light fixtures, smoke detectors, and electrical outlets. Bed bugs can hide in these areas, too, and may drop off into other rooms when you open a door or move furniture.

You can also reduce the number of hiding spots for these pests by encasing your mattress and box spring with a protective cover that’s made of a light color that makes them easier to see. You can buy these covers at any big box store, but be sure to look for one that says “bed bug proof” on the label.

Other helpful prevention strategies include installing door sweeps and sealing cracks around baseboards, furniture, and light sockets to discourage the movement of these pests into hallways and other rooms. Eliminating clutter can help because it gives bed bugs fewer places to hide, and by regularly washing your clothing and bedding in hot water, you can kill any bed bug eggs that hatch.

3. Keep Your Furniture Clean

When bed bugs start to spread, it is often due to contaminated furniture. This is why it’s important to avoid scavenging any secondhand or used items and instead stick with hard pieces of furniture like tables and chairs that don’t have any fabric seats. When you do need to purchase a used piece of furniture, it is always a good idea to thoroughly inspect it for any signs of bed bug infestations before you bring it home. This means taking off any cushions and examining the seams, creases, and corners of all upholstered furniture. If possible, you should also use a pest control product like diatomaceous earth on the surface of any upholstered furniture before bringing it into your home.

You can also improve your chances of preventing a bed bug infestation by removing any animal nests, bird roosts, or bat roosts from your home. These types of animal habitats can lead to the infestation of your home by attracting rodents and other animals that feed on bed bugs.

If you do find that a piece of furniture is infested with bed bugs, you should take it outside to avoid spreading them throughout your house. You should also wrap it in plastic and tape off the edges to prevent the bed bugs from crawling out into the trash, where they will have more chance of finding a new home. You should then label the furniture as infested and place it in a garbage bag before slashing it up and throwing it away to help keep people from accidentally taking it home and introducing bed bugs to their homes.

Whenever you clean your upholstered furniture, make sure to vacuum it first to remove any dirt and dust that may be hiding inside the cracks and crevices of the piece. This will also prevent any hidden bed bugs from hatching once you begin using the furniture again. You should also wash any removable items, such as pillow covers, mattress liners, and couch cushions in high heat to kill bed bugs. You can even put in a few bed bug interceptors under the legs of your sofa, beds, and other upholstered furniture to catch any bed bugs that may be trying to escape in the future.

4. Get Rid of Clutter

The more clutter in your home, the more places for bed bugs to hide and harder it is to find them and treat them. Get rid of things you no longer need, donate or recycle them and organize your belongings so they aren’t stacked up against walls. If you must store items on the floor, use a piece of cardboard under the item to keep it off the floor.

Clutter also provides hiding spots for the tiny bugs that cause the bites, so go through your closet and clean out anything you haven’t worn in a while. Make sure to look under all clothing, especially on the sides and back. Also, go through your dresser drawers, emptying everything and pulling out the contents. Check behind drawer slides and under metal drawer pulls. Inspect wicker furniture for bed bugs and use a crevice tool to look in all the cracks. Check wall baseboards close to the bed, and remove electrical, telephone or cable faceplates and inspect behind them.

Regularly wash and dry clothes and bedding, using high temperatures to kill the bugs. Put shoes, stuffed animals, and other items that can’t be washed in the dryer for 30 minutes on high heat to kill bed bugs and their eggs. Scrub mattress seams with a stiff brush and vacuum the entire area around your bed and in your room every day, including windows and molding.

Use a zippered cover, or encasement, on your mattress and box springs (encasements are designed for non-vinyl mattresses). They may be expensive, but they will protect the bed from an infestation and help prevent the bugs from reaching you while you sleep.

Foggers and bug bombs may kill the bugs, but they can be toxic to pets and people if used incorrectly. It’s better to use plant-based products, such as EcoRaider or Bed Bug Patrol, which are less toxic than chemical insecticides and are effective against bed bugs. In addition, you can apply diatomaceous earth (DE) around your home to deter the pests. Be sure to wear a mask when applying DE and follow the directions on the label.