How Not To Bring Bed Bugs Back Home
Bed bugs are good hitch hikers. They can easily climb onto luggage or move across a room without being noticed. Hotels have plenty of guests and create an opportunity for bed bugs to feed on fresh hosts. It is important to know how to avoid bed bugs especially when traveling. Even though they cannot be seen easily, there are things one needs to do to minimize the chances of having bed bugs brought back home. It is recommended washing and drying your clothes or use dry cleaning services after the trip immediately to avoid bed bug infestation. Does dry cleaning kill bed bugs? Apparently, high temperature of the dryer can kill bed bugs on you clothes, but you need to take other steps to make sure your home is 100% bed bug free.
When packing for a trip, one should consider using a hard shelled suitcase as it has fewer seams and folds where bedbugs can hold up. Shoes, clothes, toiletries and any other personal items should be packed in sealable plastic bags. Bedbugs find plastics repulsive and thus one should use light colored plastic bags, making it easier to spot them. A white plastic bag would also come in handy, just ensure it is sealed.
Once you reach your destination, don’t put your luggage on the bed or have it unzipped on the floor. Place your suitcase or any other luggage in the bathroom or on a luggage rack.
Inspect your room for bed bugs before you get all comfy. Since bed bugs like to fix themselves in crevices, ruffles, folds and cracks, make sure you inspect such areas in your room. Pull back the covers and look under the pillows and mattress. You might use a flashlight if the room has insufficient lighting. Check at the back of headboard, underneath the frame and box spring. Apart from the bed, you might want to check the areas in close proximity such as: under lamps and nightstands, and in pleats of drapes and upholstered furniture. Also check behind paintings, wall hangings and mirrors.
If you discover bedbugs hidden in any or all of those places then you have an outbreak. It might be tempting to start squashing the bloodsuckers, but that doesn’t get rid of the others lodged in crevices. Inform the hotel management of the situation and work with them to find a better solution. If you decide to switch rooms, don’t settle for any below, above or directly adjacent to the infested room. Bedbugs can easily move to neighboring rooms by lodging on wall sockets, housekeeping carts and luggage. If you need any reputable bed bug service to shine a light on your infestation, look no further than Bed Bug Exterminator Toronto.
Each hotel has its own way of dealing with pest control. Some hotels will offer to do your laundry for free while others will offer better treatment of affected areas. Sadly, sleep sacks are not enough to protect you from these bloodsuckers; bedbugs can easily crawl through bedding’s if there is an opening.
When packing, make sure you check your clothes to make sure you don’t carry any bed bugs to your home. Just a few of them are enough to cause an infestation. Once you reach home, unpack your luggage in the garage, far from the sleeping area and furniture. You can also unpack in the shower, bathtub, or balcony if you reside in an apartment. Pay close attention to seams, linings and pockets.Thoroughly steam clean or vacuum your bag before putting it away. Use a high heat setting to wash all your clothes, dry for about 30 minutes to exterminate bed bugs. After this, you can be assured all the undetected bugs will be killed and you won’t have to worry about an impending infestation.
If you suspect that you have brought bed bugs back then you should call The Exterminators – Pest Control Toronto for treatment options. Call: 647-496-2211
We also feature a variety of bed bug related products such as mattress covers and bed bug monitors.
