EVERYTHING BED BUG – EVERYTHING BED BUG

CURBSIDE ITEMS

That nice looking bedroom set sitting out by the trash may not be your best find. A lot of people place infested items by the curb, thinking getting rid of that item will take care of their bug issues. In all honesty, setting out a bed bug infested couch will only take care of the problem about 1% of the time.

Cities have tried placing bans and making rules on curbside, bug infested items. Cities are saying to mark items that are infested and bag up what they can, so others know not to take the items. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen like it should.

Products That Can Help

91% grade rubbing alcohol. This is a direct kill to bed bugs. Let me note, this product is only effective when wet. That means, if you think you will protect your couch from bed bugs by spraying the whole couch with this rubbing alcohol… well, the moment it dries, a bed bug can walk all over your couch with no issues.

Steri-Fab. Same concept of the rubbing alcohol. It is only effective when wet. You can spray this product inside your purse, backpacks, shoes, toys and such to kill off any live hitchhikers.

Safety Measures

Inspect, inspect, inspect. Look in every crack and seam. Need help inspecting? Click here.
Plastic items can be sprayed down with 91% grade rubbing alcohol or steri-fab.
Fabric items that can fit in the washer/dryer: Make sure you do this on the highest heat setting.
Dressers, desks, and other wood items: Look underneath and inside any drawers. When you bring this item home, take the crevice tool on your vacuum and go over every crack and seam.

BUYING SECONDHAND ITEMS

We all love deals, but the number one source of getting bed bugs: buying secondhand items. Because they travel on used furniture, in books and bags, and on clothing, you want to take extra precautions when bringing in used items into your structure.

Products That Can Help

Steri-Fab. Same concept of the rubbing alcohol. It is only effective when wet. You can spray this product inside your purse, backpacks, shoes, toys and such to kill off any live hitchhikers.

Safety Measures

If you are buying furniture, inspect thoroughly. Look in every crack and seam. Need help inspecting? Click here.
If you are purchasing clothing, curtains, sheets, or bedding, the moment you bring them into your home, they need to go straight into your washer and dryer. They need to be ran in the hottest cycles.
If you are getting pet bedding, run those through the washer/dryer if you are able to. If you can’t, spray it down with rubbing alcohol or steri-fab.
Plastic toys. Spray them down with either 91% grade rubbing alcohol or steri-fab.
Stuffed animals, purses, bags, and such. If you are able to run them through the washer and dryer, do so. If their label says they cannot be ran through the washer/dryer, spray them down with the rubbing alcohol or steri-fab.
Shoes. Spray with that 91% grade rubbing alcohol or steri-fab, or run through the washer/dryer.
Picture frames. You will want to inspect the cracks around the frames, the backside of the picture, and inside the frame. Remember, you are looking for dead/living bugs, droppings, and eggs that resemble sticky salt pieces.
Kitchen items. wash with the hottest temperature of water. Inspect everything.
Dressers, desks, and other wood items: Look underneath and inside any drawers. When you bring this item home, take the crevice tool on your vacuum and go over every crack and seam.
Electronics need to be completely inspected: tops, sides, bottoms, and inside.
If you are purchasing books, you just need to flip through the pages and inspect thoroughly.
Cars. Don’t worry. Bed bugs don’t live in cars. If you have a stray bug in your car, they leave pretty quickly. There’s no food source for them in there.

SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY TIPS

Schools, hospitals, doctor/dentist offices, movie theaters: Just a small list of public places bed bugs can be found most. Because of how great bed bugs are at hitchhiking, there are a few tips that can help make sure bed bugs don’t make it into your structure.

Products That Can Help

Steri-Fab. Same concept of the rubbing alcohol. It is only effective when wet. You can spray this product inside your purse, backpacks, shoes, toys and such to kill off any live hitchhikers.

Safety Measures

If you have a child in school or if you are going to be in public places where bugs can be found most, the moment you get home, you need to change clothes immediately and put them into the washer/dryer. No, do not travel throughout your home.
Book bags, purses, briefcases, message bags, luggage, and such. Carefully take out books/papers out. Check books/papers thoroughly. Throw bag in dryer for a minimum of 45 minutes on high. If you do not have a dryer or the material does not allow fabric to be placed in dryer, get 91% grade rubbing alcohol or steri-fab, place in a spray bottle, and spray inside and outside of bag.
Shoes. Take off the moment you get home and do not travel throughout your home. Spray with that 91% grade rubbing alcohol or steri-fab.

TAKING PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

New and used furniture, bedding, luggage, boxes, backpacks, clothing: Just a few items bed bugs can hitchhike into your structure from.

Although they typically feed on blood every five to ten days, bed bugs can be quite resilient; they are capable of surviving several months to a year without feeding.

Just a few simple precautions can help prevent an infestation

When traveling, use these traveling tips to help prevent bugs coming back with you.
Check secondhand furniture, beds, and couches for any signs of bed bug infestation before bringing them home.
Consider using mattress and box spring encasements. These help eliminate hiding spots. The light color of the encasement makes bed bugs easier to see. Be sure to purchase a high quality encasement that will resist tearing and check the encasement regularly for holes. Plastic encasements are prone to ripping easier than fabric encasements.
Reduce clutter in your home to reduce hiding places for bed bugs.
Vacuum frequently to remove any successful hitchhikers.
Be careful when using shared laundry facilities. Transport items to be washed in plastic bags (if you have an active infestation, use a new bag for the journey home). Remove from dryer directly into bag and fold at home. Remember to run your clothes through the dryer for a minimum of 45 minutes on the highest heat setting.
If you live in a multi-family home, try to isolate your unit by:
- Installing door sweeps on the bottom of doors to discourage movement into hallways.
- Sealing cracks and crevices around baseboards, light sockets, etc., to discourage movement through wall voids.

Products that can help

Steri-Fab. Same concept of the rubbing alcohol. It is only effective when wet. You can spray this product inside your purse, backpacks, shoes, toys and such to kill off any live hitchhikers.

TRAVEL TIPS

Planning on traveling? I hope these tips and inspection tips can help you out to prevent these hitchhikers from coming back with you.

Products That Can Help

Steri-Fab. Same concept of the rubbing alcohol. It is only effective when wet. You can spray this product inside your purse, backpacks, shoes, toys and such to kill off any live hitchhikers.

Safety Measures

At hotels, pull back the sheets and inspect the mattress seams, particularly at the corners, for telltale stains or spots. If you see anything suspect, notify management and change rooms/establishments immediately.
Thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking, including behind the headboard and in sofas/chairs. If any pests are spotted, change rooms/establishments immediately.
If you do need to change rooms, be sure that you do not move to a room adjacent and/or directly above/below the suspected infestation. Bed bugs can easily hitchhike via housekeeping carts, luggage and even through wall sockets. If an infestation is spreading, it typically does so in the rooms closest to the origin.
Consider placing your suitcase in a plastic trash bag or protective cover during the duration of your trip to ensure that bed bugs cannot take up residence there prior to departure.
Remember: bed bugs travel by hitching rides. After your trip, inspect your suitcases before bringing them into the house. Vacuum your suitcase thoroughly before storing away. Consider using a garment hand steamer to steam your luggage, which will kill any bed bugs or eggs that may have hitched a ride home.
Wash all of your clothes – even those that have not been worn – in hot water to ensure that any bed bugs that may have made it that far are not placed into your drawers/closet.

BED BUG GALLERY

Lets get up close and personal a little. This is a gallery of bed bugs in all forms: adults, babies, eggs, and those bratty teenagers. You will see their droppings, small infestations, and big infestations. I hope you don’t get too grossed out.

Yep. Still going! By the time we are done, these images will be stuck in your head!

I wanted to throw in a curve ball. The last image above is not, I repeat, is not a bed bug! The only bug that looks like a bed bug is this above creature, otherwise known as a BAT bug.

Fun, right?

HOW TO INSPECT

First, let’s discuss what you are looking for:

Live bugs
Dead bugs
Dropping that look like small pen dots
Blood stains that look like small pen dots
Eggs that look like pieces of salt

Any live bugs or dead bugs you find, save in a plastic bag or sealed container. You need to first verify if the bug you found is in fact a bed bug, because there are different types of bugs that can live on your furniture that can bite or leave reactions. A bed bug looks like this:

You will need to inspect the places bed bugs will be found most: beds. You will need to flip over your mattresses and box springs to look underneath. Go ahead and rip off that fabric lining on the bottom of the box spring. You don’t need it anyway. Begin looking in the seams of your mattresses and box springs underneath, on top, and on the sides. Continue until every area is inspected.

Before putting your mattresses and box springs back, look in the corners and cracks in your headboards, foot-boards, and the metal bed frame. Once thoroughly inspected, go ahead and put everything back.

If you did happen to find bugs, or evidence of bugs, your next step will be to figure out what your next step should be. Obviously, you want to get rid of these bugs, but how? To help you out, I have a break down on treatment options for you to look over. Click here and check it out.

Did not find anything? Great! Now to do the same thing with your couches, sofas, and love seats! Pull back every crack and seam in the bottom, sides, backs, tops, and insides of each.

Still didn’t find anything? Great news! You could be in the clear. These are the areas bed bugs will be found the majority of the time. Why? Because they want to be found next to their food source: You.

If you still worry whether you have bed bugs or not, you could always call a professional. Most professional pest control companies can do a free bed bug inspection. To find a local pest company near you, click here.