It’s not just the bites that make you feel uncomfortable if you have an infestation of bed bugs. But the simple fact is that it can be very easy to bring bed bugs into your home or work place without realising it. Rest assured, an outbreak does not reflect on your standards of cleanliness in any way.
Here are a number of simple steps you can take to reduce your chances of facing an unwelcome outbreak of bed bugs:
Wash and dry clothes at the highest possible temperatures.
Eliminate clutter in your house to give bed bugs fewer places to hide.
Avoid spreading bed bugs to your friends and family by not taking any clothes, suitcases or furniture to their homes.
Tidy all areas of your bedroom, especially the floor around/underneath your bed and bed-side cabinets.
Vacuuming can greatly reduce the size of the bed bug population, but only when they’re clearly visible. It cannot guarantee total elimination. (Empty and clean the vacuum to avoid transferring eggs to other rooms.)
Check hotel bed linen and mattresses for live bed bugs, small dark bloodspots and a distinctive sweet and sickly smell.
Avoid putting your suitcase on the bed.
Hang clothes in a wardrobe rather than use drawers.
Store suitcases in the garage between trips.