How to prevent a bedbug infestation

Bed bugs are most commonly found in beds, but they can also infest other areas such as couches, office chairs, nightstands, dressers, curtains, windows, door frames, walls, ceilings, outlet covers, clothing, household items, floors, carpets, hotels, public transport, and cinemas.

Bed bugs can travel on luggage, upholstery, and within multi-family dwellings, moving from room to room.

Prior to settling into a new lodging area, such as a hotel, inspect the space for signs of bed bugs. Check the bed, curtains, carpet, walls, and surrounding areas. If you suspect an infestation, request another room and keep your clothes off the bed.

If you are not sure about you're hotel accommodation, put you're suitcase into the empty bath as bedbugs wont be able to crawl up the smooth tiles or plastic sides of the bath keeping you're suitcase bedbug free.

IMPORTANT:

If you are returning from a trip, be it a hotel, B&B, etc, and you are not sure if you have slept in a bedbug infested room, follow this information, you will control the bedbugs.

1) But a towel on the seat of you're car before you start you're journey home, this will keep any bed bugs from transfering from you're clothes onto the car seats.

2) Before you put you're suit case into you're car, put the suitcase into a black plastic bag, as bedbugs can attach themselves not only to the clothes inside the suitcase, but also to the outside of the case.

3) When you get home, go straight to you're laundry room, putting the clothes from the suitcase and the clothes you wore on the journey home and ( Including the towel you sat on in you're car) into the washing machine, and put on a hotwash.

4) Put the now empty suitcase back into the black plastic bag, tying a knot, sealing the plastic bag, leave the sealed suitcase either in the laundry room, or even better, out in you're garage or garden shed

5) Go to the kitchen sink, lean into it as if you are going to wash you're hair in the sink, and run a comb through you're hair.

6) Then go for a shower, ( if you have tea tree oil shampoo, this will be even better)

7) And Finally, just incase a bedbug managed to get through these 6 steps, pull you're bed slightly away from the wall, then simply wrap you're box spring ( around the base) or bed frame ( around the legs of the bed frame) with double sided sticky tape, this will capture any that might be crawling on the floor (making sure the bed covers are not touching the floor)

If you follow these simple instructions, you will avoid a bedbug infestation.

The list below is just follow ups and general advice on keeping a clear and clean room bedbug free.

Avoid storing items beneath your bed, as it creates hiding spots for bed bugs and may unknowingly harbor infested items.

Opt for plastic containers or bags for storage, as bedbugs struggle to crawl on smooth surfaces like plastic, reducing the risk of infestation.

Declutter your floors and refrain from leaving clothes on the ground, preventing bed bugs from latching onto your garments and spreading.

Protect your mattress and box spring with dust mite-proof encasements, creating a barrier against potential bed bug infestations.

Regularly vacuum your living space to eliminate any stray bed bugs. Dispose of the vacuum bag in an outdoor bin for further prevention.

Keep your clothing off beds, as you can't be sure which beds bed bugs may have infested. This also applies to guests' clothing; avoid placing them on your bed.

What ever the problem is, we here at Pest.ie can solve youre pest problems.