How To Clean Used Furniture To Prevent Bed Bugs

Bed problems bug are becoming more mutual in apartment communities. More than than e'er, it's of import for tenants and landlords to empathise these insects and what it takes to eliminate them from apartments.

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are tiny insects that alive by feeding on homo blood, normally at dark. They are secretive, hiding in cracks and crevices during the day, and coming out at night to feed. The bite of the bed bug is painless and may or may not get out a red mark or itchiness.

How do I know whether I have bed bugs?

Bed bugs are small, and come out mostly at night.

Bed bugs are pocket-sized, and come out more often than not at night.

Because of their small size and painless seize with teeth, bed bugs may initially go unnoticed. If you notice that you are waking upwards with itchy welts, run across tiny red spots on bedding, or think you have seen the bugs, you may have a problem. Bed bugs do not have nests, but will congregate in choice hiding places. These areas may exist marked past tiny dark spots and stains, and may have a sweetish odor.

Will bed bugs hurt me?

Fortunately bed bugs are not known to acquit any diseases to humans, although some people may experience irritation or allergic reactions to bed bug bites. Generally bed bugs are considered disgusting and can be a source of stress and concern for people living in infested apartments.

How do bed bugs get into my flat?

Bed bug in textured ceiling with droppings (right) around harborage.

Bed bug in textured ceiling with debris (upper right, lower correct and lower left) effectually harborage between popcorn texture.

Bed bugs are no longer an unusual pest in apartments. Since approximately 2000, bed bugs take reemerged equally an important pest in the Usa. Bed bugs are occasionally introduced into an flat via luggage that has get infested from a hotel or hostel. In apartment complexes, information technology is probably more than common for bed bugs to enter a home from a nearby infested apartment, during moving, or through picking upward used or recycled furniture or mattresses. In one case introduced into an apartment building, bed bugs can readily spread from one infested unit to some other.

What should I do if I suspect bed bugs?

If yous think yous see a bed bug, capture information technology if possible. Place in a leak-proof container, preferably with a niggling rubbing booze, and testify it to your flat manager to ostend its identity. Even if you cannot capture i of the insects, you should inform your edifice manager if you suspect yous have a bed problems trouble.

If I have bed bugs should my neighbors exist treated too?

When beg bugs are constitute in one apartment unit of measurement, it is considered standard do in the pest control industry to inspect all apartments surrounding the infested apartment. If no bed bugs are constitute, surrounding apartments do not necessarily need to be treated. Simply if an side by side apartment is establish infested, it should exist treated and all adjacent apartments should besides be inspected (see next question).

How exercise you get rid of bed bugs?

If you live in an apartment or condominium, it's best to alert the property manager right away (preferably by phone and in writing). In multi-family housing a managing director-coordinated bed problems control attempt using a pest control company is mostly needed. Bed bugs readily move from apartment to flat, with many people unaware that they have a problem, so chances are that y'all will not eliminate a bed problems problem by yourself. If one apartment is infested, adjoining units (left side, right side, above and below) should exist causeless to be infested unless shown otherwise through inspection or monitoring. Just asking tenants whether they have bed bugs is non plenty. In ane study only half of residents in a large apartment with bed bugs knew (or admitted) they had a bed bug trouble.

Bed bug handling consists of a thorough inspection followed by vacuuming and treatment of all detected bug hiding spots. Treatment is labor intensive and may take several hours per flat. It volition too probably require several visits and treatments to permanently get rid of a bed bug problem.

My landlord wants to treat the problem using in-house janitorial staff. Is this OK?

In Texas, multifamily housing, hotels, or any concern providing lodging must be treated for pests by a licensed pesticide applicator. So unless the flat employee who enters your home to control bed bugs is licensed by the Texas Pest Command Service, this would be illegal. Illegal action by an unlicensed person includes the use of over-the-counter pesticides, oestrus treatment or whatever other non-chemic control methods–annihilation intended to command pests similar bed bugs, cockroaches, mice, etc.

What's my responsibility?

Apartment with clothing and personal items bagged and ready for pest control.

Apartment with wearable and personal items bagged and ready for pest control.

As a tenant, your first responsibility is to written report whatsoever suspected bed issues problem immediately. One time an appointment is made for your handling, it volition be your duty to prepare your apartment. The following tips will help your pest control service and You to get rid of bed bugs chop-chop.

Don't move any of your things to another apartment during or earlier the treatment. Y'all might end up spreading bed bugs to the other apartment and may re-introduce bed bugs to your newly-treated flat later, when you retrieve your holding.
Pick up and double bag all loose items in bedrooms and other rooms to be treated. Clutter makes it difficult for maintenance crews to inspect all parts of your apartment, and gives bed bugs more places to hibernate. Before returning these items, follow your pest control visitor'south instructions for cleaning and inspecting to make sure you are not returning bed bugs to the treated room.

Vesture that may be infested should be double-bagged prior to treating the room, and dis-infested before returning to the room. Recent research shows that dry cleaning, washing in hot water, or tumble drying for 30 minutes on high will impale all stages of bed bugs.

Even though bed bug treatments are mostly focused on bedrooms and living rooms, information technology's still a good thought to put away all food in the kitchen and dining areas, and comprehend tables, counters, etc. to protect from contagion. Although your pest control professional volition be careful, and the chemicals used should pose minimal risks to people, this step volition reduce your take a chance of unnecessary pesticide exposure and reduce costs for maintenance staff.

Unless you lot intend to get a new bed anyway, it's non very effective (or economic) to discard your mattress, box spring or bed. Instead, buy a practiced quality, bug-proof mattress encasement. Encasements are special sacks that fit over a mattress or box spring–unremarkably to reduce allergens. The zippers on bed bug-proof encasements are designed to be tight enough to prevent fifty-fifty the smallest life stages of the bed bugs from escaping. Too, truly bed bug-proof encasements are strong enough to foreclose bed bugs from biting you through the encasement. A good encasement will trap all bed bugs in the mattress and box spring inside, and volition be smooth on the exterior, providing few places for bed bugs to hide. Sears, Target, Walmart and other stores may sell bed bug-proof encasements, merely they can also be purchased online. Look online for unlike brands and reviews of mattress encasements, using the search term "bed bug mattress protectors".

Vacuum couches, chairs and recliners thoroughly before pest control service. Many bed bugs in apartments are plant in couches and upholstered chairs. Double-bag and discard the vacuum bags in an outdoors dumpster immediately to avoid reintroducing or spreading whatsoever bed bugs caught in the vacuum.

Don't forget to empty drawers in nightstands and dressers next to beds prior to handling. This will make it easier for the pest control company to inspect and treat these furniture items. Purse and make clean or inspect these items co-ordinate to the directions of your pest control professional person before returning the items to the treated furniture.

It's essential to cooperate with management and with your pest control professionals to get complete bed bug control. In one case established, bed bugs can be difficult to control, especially without the assistance of tenants like y'all.

For more data

For more data nigh bed bugs, including their biology and how to recognize them, see publication 50-1742 Bed Bugs also as the EPA website on bed bugs. If you lot live in a state of affairs where professional person pest control is non bachelor or non being provided by management, meet our publication on Practice-information technology-yourself bed issues command (ENT-3012) for tips on controlling bed bugs. The fact sheet on How to Select a Bed Issues Control Provider (ENT-033) has special data to assist apartment managers in working with pest control contractors.

Author

Michael Merchant, Ph.D., Professor and Extension Urban Entomologist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Dallas.