How to Prevent Bed Bugs from Spreading
Bed bugs survive by feeding on the blood of humans and other animals. Prevent bed bugs from taking over your home and skin by following these steps.
Up next in Insects, Rodents, & Other Pesky Creatures (39 videos)
Got a home infestation on your hands? Before you call the exterminator, try these solutions to rid yourself of insects, rodents, and more.
You Will Need
- Vacuum
- Plastic mattress cover
- Steam cleaner
- Exterminator
Steps
-
Step 1
Examine your home
Examine your home to determine where bed bugs are hiding. Bed bugs live in warm places, like mattresses, sofa seams, and narrow crevices and cracks.
-
Areas that are infested with bed bugs are marked by dark spotting.
-
Step 2
Clean your home
Thoroughly clean your home. Get rid of clutter to give the bugs fewer places to hide. Vacuum and wash clothing and blankets in extremely hot water.
-
Have delicates dry-cleaned.
-
Step 3
Cover your mattress
Cover your mattress with a plastic cover. While bed bugs invade many areas, they mostly congregate in mattresses. Covering your mattress will prevent bed bugs from leaving or entering the area.
-
Step 4
Steam clean furniture
Steam-clean your furniture. Extreme heat is a great way to rid your home of bed bugs.
-
Step 5
Call an exterminator
Call an exterminator. Successful termination of bed bugs requires detailed knowledge of their biology and hiding places. Exterminators know effective strategies to safely control bed bugs.
-
In the 1990s, archaeologists found fossilized bed bugs while excavating a 3,500 year old site in Egypt.
