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| Piles of clothes and toys can hide bed bugs |
Photo © Pinto & Associates |
Reduce Clutter, Vacuum, and Use Mattress Covers
There are a number of things you can do to make it more difficult for bed bugs to infest your bed.
- Vacuum your bedroom often, particularly the area around the bed and the bed itself.
- Reduce clutter. Don’t keep piles of clothes, boxes, toys, shoes, etc. on the floor, under the bed, or in closets. They provide hiding places for bed bugs.
- Buy bed bug proof mattress covers (encasements) and put them on your mattresses and box springs. The encasements trap any bed bugs hidden inside the mattress and box spring so that they can’t come out and bite. They will eventually die.
Quality mattress and box spring encasements reduce bed bug problems Photoby Richard Cooper, Cooper Pest Solutions The encasements also prevent any new bugs from finding hiding places in your mattresses and box springs.
You can purchase encasements online or from pest control supply companies and medical supply stores. Prices range from $20 to over $100 each depending on their quality, size, and thickness. Choose encasements specialy designed to protect against bed bugs. For a complete discussion of encasements, click here, and go to #10.
- Pull your bed a couple of inches away from the wall so that it is not touching the wall.
- Regularly inspect bed frames and the seams in your mattresses and box springs. Call your rental office if you find a bed bug.
- Do not scavenge mattresses, beds, or other furniture that others have thrown away. Carefully inspect used furniture, rental furniture, used luggage, and other used items before bringing them into your home.
Be sure to check out the following pages that also provide bed bug information for apartment residents: