Bed bugs are small, brown insects that feed on human or animal blood and are active at night. The welt left behind after a bite eventually becomes quite itchy and can often be confused with a mosquito bite. Let's review how to tell whether or not you have bed bugs and how to get them out of your home.

How to Tell Whether Bed Bugs Are in Your Home

Bed bugs are attracted to blood and not filth, and they usually hide in cracks in the bed frame, mattress, and cushion seams. Bed bugs can enter your home as a result of activities like buying used items such as beds, sofas, and even bags. They can also multiply and spread from room to room quickly. If you're nervous about an infestation, you should look for signs like small bloodstains on your bedding, rust-colored droppings, and a musty smell in your home.

How to Eliminate Bedbugs From Your Home

Identify the infested areas. Once identified, it is easy to find ways to eliminate bedbugs and contain their spread.

1. Wash your bedding regularly. Washing the bedding at the highest temperature indicated, and then drying the items in a high heat setting can kill the bed bugs. Also, remember to wash the laundry hampers.
2. Clear up clutter. This is especially important in your bedroom because it provides various hiding places for bed bugs. Do not move items from one room to another as this can spread the bedbugs from an infested room to a bedbug-free room.
3. Purchase mattress protectors. These are made of special fabric and cover the entire mattress, trapping and killing the bedbugs within and preventing other bedbugs from getting in.
4. Steam-clean fabric furniture. This includes the carpets, sofas, and other areas where you think bedbugs could hide. Steam can also damage certain items, so first ensure the item can be steam-cleaned.
5. Consider pesticides. While effective in some cases, it is not advisable to spray these on any bedding items. The drawback is that some bugs may become resistant to these sprays.
6. Hire pest control. The best solution to your bed bug problem is to hire pest control if the area is highly infested. According to Pest World, in the past year, 97% of pest professionals have dealt with the bed bug problem.

To prevent bed bugs, make sure you're following the tips we've outlined above. And if you don't realize there's a problem until it's too late, don't hesitate to reach out for pest control services.