Bed bugs are not a sign of a dirty home or poor personal hygiene. Bed bugs are not known to spread disease, but can be an annoyance because their presence may cause itching and loss of sleep. If you think you may have bed bugs, it's very important to do a thorough inspection, and to begin treatment as soon as possible.
Instead, the most frequent causes of a bed bug infestation are due mostly to accidental and random reasons. They are usually brought into the home by hitching a ride on infested items, including furniture, suitcases, clothing, purses, and backpacks.
Bed bugs are solely attracted to anywhere blood can be easily accessed, so no matter the cleanliness of your bed, you'll still be at risk. This myth may stem from the fact that bed bugs are harder to identify in a dirty bed, so by the time an infestation is discovered, it has become extensive.
Many of us assume that having bed bugs means that they are filthy people who do not clean or bath. The reality is that anyone can have bed bugs. To help prevent you and your family from getting a bed bug infestation you can use preventative measures. You can invest in mattress encasements.
This is because bed bugs are supposedly attracted to dirt or filth, but this couldn't be further from the truth: People, clean or not, will attract bed bugs as they feed on blood. Unfortunately, it only takes one encounter with even a few bugs for them to hitch a ride on luggage, furniture, or backpacks.
Other Homes and People – Just because you do not travel doesn't mean that you may not be exposed to bed bugs from visiting someone else's home, or having someone with a bed bug infestation visit your property. Buying Used Items – Bed bugs are outstanding hiders.
Wash everything on a high temperature or sanitary cycle for at least 30 minutes. Placing everything in the dryer on the hottest setting for 30 minutes will also kill bed bugs and larvae. Immediately after you're finished putting clothing in the washer, tie up and throw out the empty garbage bag in an outdoor trash bin.
You may be thinking, can you get bed bugs from not washing your sheets? No—bed bugs have absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness levels. However, washing your sheets regularly gives you the opportunity to look for and remove any possible bed bug infestations.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide on Your Body? Bed bugs do not typically hide on the body. They prefer to feed, then move back to their hiding place until they are hungry again. In some cases, they may hide in your clothes or the soles of your shoes.
It has been noted that bed bugs prefer neatly made beds as opposed to messy unmade beds. The made bed provides more warmth and less chaos. Bed bugs have no preference when it comes to who they want to attach themselves to. If you are in a movie theatre, they might cling onto your clothes or purse and follow you home.
A few bed bugs contained to one room of the house, such as one bedroom, can be eliminated fairly easily with professional assistance. If you ignore the problem, bed bugs will reproduce and multiply and can quickly infest your entire house, from couches to carpets and even clothing.
If you have the unfortunate experience of getting bed bugs in your home, you can not leave them untreated, as the infestation will continue to grow and spread throughout your home. Sometimes people are embarrassed about bed bugs and want to try DIY methods to get rid of them instead of calling for help.
And with statistics indicating that one in five Americans has either dealt with bed bugs or knows someone who has, it's likely you may have to deal with these pesky critters at some point. It's normal to be completely creeped out by tiny insects that come out at night and crawl around on your bed.
Everyone is at risk for getting bed bugs when visiting an infected area. However, anyone who travels frequently and shares living and sleeping quarters where other people have previously slept has a higher risk of being bitten and or spreading a bed bug infestation.
Heat – Bed bugs use sensory structures on their antennae to detect body heat. Body Odor – Bed bugs are also attracted to the various odor molecules produced by our bodies. Body odor is also why bed bugs are twice as more likely to be attracted to dirty laundry than to clean laundry.
Lemon (Or Any Citrus)
Like many other animals, bed bugs hate the smell of citrus plants. Citrus, particularly oranges and lemons, will smell gross to them. As a result, most bed bugs will not want to stick around this aroma for too long. There are several ways to make this work for you if you want to repel insects.
Get a mattress and box spring cover
An effective way to keep bedbugs that are hiding inside your bed from biting you is to invest in a good-quality covering for your mattress and box spring. The best option is to use a cover with a good seal that zips around your mattress and box spring.
Diatomaceous earth is a great chemical-free option for getting rid of a number of pests, including bed bugs. This natural powder contains properties that can dehydrate bed bugs, absorbing their fat and oil, and killing them dead as a doornail. Spray or sprinkle in infected areas and allow it to sit for at least a week.
Bed bugs are not attracted to dirt, decay, or decomposing materials. They are only attracted to blood, and will search it out, regardless of the cleanliness of the environment. Bed bugs detect carbon dioxide emitted from humans and respond to warmth and moisture as they approach the potential host.
Hygea Natural Bed Bug Laundry additive is a necessary step when dealing with bed bugs. Bed bugs are known to hide in mattresses, covers, clothing, furniture, outlets and anywhere away from your eye. Use to treat bed bugs from clothing, linens, drapes and other washable, machine-safe items.
In a nutshell, you should wash your bed sheets and pillowcases once a week, or every other week at the very least.
No. You should not throw out your mattress after a bed bug attack. Besides that being one of the easiest ways to spread the infestation even further, it also won't solve the problem. Unfortunately, bed bugs are not limited to mattresses.
Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed. Dark spots (about this size: ), which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a marker would. Eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger.
Use small plastic bags to pack clothing, shoes and other personal items. This will help prevent any bed bugs that climb into your suitcase from getting into your house with your clothing. Bed bugs can also hide in books, cloth toiletry kits and other non-metal personal items.