inspect your home
Are you noticing painful, itchy sores on your back, legs, or arms when you wake up? Do you notice small brown spots on white or lighter-colored sheets? Worse yet, are you actually seeing small brown bugs walking around in your bedding, carpet, or in your clothing? These are all tell-tale signs of a bed bug infestation. When you spot one, the first thing you need to do is start looking for any other areas of your home that may also be impacted. Bed bugs spread quickly, and when they are able to move about without detection, they can quickly spread from one room in your home to another. Check all other bedrooms, living areas, any upholstered furniture, and even pet beds for signs of bed bugs. Make a note of every area that is impacted—you will want this information for later.
develop a plan
As the old saying goes: “failure to plan is a plan to fail.” When it comes to pest control solutions, not having a plan generally leads to haphazard treatments, incomplete processes, and sub-par results, all while wasting money on various products and services. If you suspect you have a bed bug problem, the first thing you should do is make a plan on how you are going to approach this issue. Once you have a plan, stick to it closely so you can determine how you might need to adjust your treatments going forward to ensure a total and complete solution.
isolate the issue
The first step of any high-quality bed bug plan should be to isolate the problem to prevent it from spreading. If you are fortunate, you might catch your bed bug problem early on, when it is only affecting one area of your home. If this is the case, quickly close off this area of your home and prevent anyone from entering, notably children and pets. This should prevent bed bugs from reaching new areas of your home by hitching a ride on your clothing or in your pet’s fur.
Of course, closing off an area may not be completely practical. After all, all of your clothing might be in a bedroom, and where would you sleep if your bed isn’t accessible? We advise grabbing a few changes of clothing, isolating them in a sealed bag, and immediately running them through the laundry. This should eliminate any bed bugs that might be hidden in these garments and ensure you at least have something to change into. We also recommend removing any bedding and immediately laundering it the same way. This should wipe out any bugs that have made their home in your sheets and remove many of the stains that these bugs may have left in your bedding.
hire a bed bug pest control expert
Eliminating a bed bug infestation is a tough challenge, and that is why we strongly advise hiring a professional to take care of the job. A professional has the experience, equipment, and knowledge to thoroughly treat any space, including hunting bed bugs in places the average person may not realize exist. They can also guide you on how to properly clean a space before and after treatments, helping you eliminate your problem faster. Proper cleaning and constant attention is key to eliminating a bed bug problem, and help from a professional can make sure you’re paying attention to the right things at the right time and in all of the right places.
continue to monitor
Once your first treatment has been completed, the next few days are crucial for solving your problem. You will be able to use any treated spaces that same day, but you will want to continue to monitor treated areas and clean them constantly. For example, vacuuming regularly is important to clean up dead bugs, neutralized eggs, and other dirt and debris left behind. You will probably want to do this every day for the first few days. Likewise, keep an eye on your sleeping patterns and habits, and note if the problem doesn’t seem to be going away. Bed bug strategies often require multiple treatments to fully eliminate the problem, so remain in communication with your pest control team, who can help you decide when you should treat your spaces again to move closer to total elimination of your issue.
Has your property been invaded by bed bugs? Get help with it from the experts at proof. pest control! Dial now to schedule an inspection or your first treatment.