Keeping Bed Bugs Out of Your Home

Bed bug infestations can hit you hard and fast, which is why it’s so important to know what you can do to prevent them. Even if you keep a clean, tidy home, bed bugs are capable of setting up shop. The most common ways bed bugs spread is through exposed luggage, discarded furniture, and transported clothing that was infested. By knowing the best ways to go about keeping bed bugs out of your home, you can hopefully prevent an infestation down the line.

By staying aware of the things that may increase your risk of a bed bug infestation, you can learn how to keep bed bugs out for good!

Keeping bed bugs away from your Des Moines property

While bed bugs are known to infest even the cleanest of homes, it never hurts to routinely clean your home as a way to both prevent bed bugs and inspect your surroundings. Because bed bugs can live in crevices, cracks in the floor, and carpeting, it’s always smart to regularly vacuum your space. Cleaning your pet’s bed on a regular basis is also an important measure to prevent bed bugs. In general, knowing what attracts bed bugs is a good way to learn how to keep them out.

How to keep bed bugs out

There are six main ways to go about keeping bed bugs out of your home:

1. Regularly look for signs: Bed bugs leave behind dark fecal spots on mattresses and upholstery, along with pale-yellow shell casings and their white, sticky eggs. Bed bug bites on exposed skin are usually red, itchy, and appear in rows or zigzags.
2. Cover power outlets: Though it doesn’t seem like an obvious spot, power outlets are ideal hiding spots for bed bugs. Cover the outlets with a simple outlet plug to keep them away.
3. Use vacuum-sealed bags: Vacuum-sealed bags help provide a barrier between your clothing and wandering bed bugs. 
4. Cover your mattress: A mattress cover that can withstand tears or holes will be extremely helpful in keeping bed bugs out.
5. Be careful with used items: Bringing used goods into your home is an easy way to get bed bugs. Make sure to always thoroughly check any used item before bringing it home. 
6. Take care while traveling: Bed bug infestations are known to start when the bugs are brought home from a trip due to infested hotels or luggage.

Professional bed bug prevention

If you’ve done all you can to prevent bed bugs and still find yourself seeing the signs of an infestation, it’s time to call an expert. Because bed bugs are so difficult to locate and spread easily, professional help is almost always required to completely control an infestation through multiple intensive treatments. Springer Professional Home Services know how to keep bed bugs out–for good! Contact our team today to learn more