Bedbugs are a small bug that originates in Africa. They usually reside in densely populated areas such as night clubs, apartment complexes, and large homes.
They feed on humans by either living or wandering around during the day looking for organic food. When they find someone, they crawl into the person’s bed to spend the night.
Some people have a higher chance of being allergic to bed bugs because they have a more pronounced rash around the area where they lay. This is due to the bugs drawing blood through their skin pores.
Can You Bring Bedbugs Home on Your Clothes bullet point! 1
The good news is that you can bring bed bugs home on your clothes! The bad news is that it may be hard to do if you live in an area with very few bed bugs because of the high allergic reaction rate.
Contents:
Wash clothes on high heat to kill bedbugs
Only do this if there are bedbugs living in the clothes as heat will kill them as well. Tumble dryer heat can be harmful to some fabrics.
Bedbugs feed on blood and will ingest their blood while feeding. If the bedbugs were parasitized by a bug exterminator, then the clothes would look clean and smooth. If you are worried about launder bills, rent a dryer with a bundle of three or four units instead of one unit to save on laundry money.
By washing the clothes on high heat, you are ensuring that any bedbugs that may have survived being parasitized die. Washing at low heat or using cool-water drying will not kill them as they would perish from thermal shock.
Keep clothes in a tightly sealed bag when not in use
Keeping clothes in a bag may sound silly, but it can prevent some bugs from eating the clothes and bringing them back into your home. While it sounds crazy, it can save you significant money in treatment fees as well as harm your clothing picturesheit.
This is especially true if you have children who might leave clothes strewn about the house, or if you have special events such as a wedding or funeral picturesheet. With only having to seal the bag for storage, you will cost savings in treatment fees.
However, this method of protecting clothes from bedbugs does not work for other bugs. If there are other pests that enter your home via clothing, you will need to fix the problem before treating for bedbugs.
Check for signs of bedbugs
If your clothes seem a little bit more wrinkly or have any holes or discoloration, it is a good idea to check for signs of bedbugs.
One easy way to check for signs of bedbugs is to fold up the edges of the garment in half and then pin up the top to create a tent. If the bed bug eggs can be seen, this proves they are present.
Another way to check for signs of bedbugs is by making a coffee mug test. Combine one cup of brewed coffee and one teaspoon of Bissell liquid soap in a mug and let them sit for an hour before using. If you like hot coffee, you can add another cup of soap to counteract the heat from the Bissell so that you do not need heat hazardous appliances such as stoves or ovens for this test.
To truly test for bugs, however, one must leave evidence behind. That means being aware of places that might be infested and paying attention to ones clothes collection.
Talk to your building manager about the problem
The easiest way to contact the building authority about bedbug problems is by going to their website. You can also call 669-3000 or visit their office in person.
Bedbug infestation is not a common problem in buildings. However, when there are bedbug problems, it can be very annoying.
To make matters worse, the bugs can spread throughout the building! This happens more often when there are older buildings because they do not have great pest control services in place.
It is up to the building authority to take care of this issue and prevent it from happening again. They may ask you to go through your apartment and check for signs of bugs, but you should do this yourself too!
If you live in an older building with bad bedbug problems, talk to your property manager about having a pest control inspection done.
Seek professional help immediately
Bedbugs are a species of bug that lays eggs in sleeping people’s bedding. Once the eggs hatch, the bugs follow their new host and consume their food and shelter.
If you find an invasion of bedbug larvae in your clothing, it is important to do not panic. Pushing the bugs into a bag and going to a different location is helpful.
Possibly the best way to handle this situation is to seek professional help immediately. A pest exterminator can heat kill the bedbugs, remove the eggs, and assess the damage. Costly treatment like this, may be necessary so do not feel guilty or like you should protect yourself from it.
Many pest control companies offer special services on Sunday afternoons when people are at church or school, so they are available until around midnight to help.
Use natural treatments
If you are concerned about bringing bedbugs home, you can use a few things that may help prevent this. For example, if you use benzoyl peroxide to treat soap scum buildup, you can also use it to help prevent the bug’s return.
Benzoyl peroxide is a common ingredient in many products for cleaning, medicine, and anti-bacterial uses. It is mostly used topically, but can also be applied day and night.
To prevent bedbugs from being brought back into your house, make sure to always keep your bedroom bugs in a sealed container that is protected from humidity and air movement. If you do have trouble with keeping the bugs protected in the container, use some sort of non-preservative spray to protect them from exposure to moisture and vibrations.