US agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that bed bugs are a public health pest. They can hide in tiny crevices in your home during the day and feast on blood at night. That’s why it’s important to learn how to prevent bed bugs in North Carolina. Use these tips below to prevent bed bugs from infesting your North Carolina home!
Look for Signs of Bed Bugs
You might notice small red bites on your skin as a sign of bed bugs, but some people don’t get them. Other physical signs of bed bugs include:
- Tiny, dark spots of excrement on fabric
- Rust-colored stains on mattresses or sheets
- One-millimeter bed bug eggs or eggshells
- Shed yellow skins
- Bed bugs, which have legs tucked close to oval-shaped bodies
Use a Mattress Cover
If your mattress is free of bed bugs, put it inside a zippered cover made from high-quality fabric that won’t tear and has no folds around the zipper where bed bugs could hide.
Avoid Stowaways When You Travel
Use these steps to inspect your hotel room for bed bugs and prevent bed bugs from hitching a ride back to your North Carolina home through your luggage:
- Look for rust-colored spots and stains on sheets, bed skirts, mattress seams, and tags
- Search for bed bugs under the bed and other furniture, lifting it up if needed
- Store your clothes in vacuum-sealed bags
- Don’t open your luggage on the bed or near the walls
- If you find bed bugs, ask for a room in a different part of the hotel
- When you get home, don’t open your luggage on your bed or store it near your bed
- Put your clothes from your luggage in the dryer on high for 15 minutes
By the way, watch out for bed bugs in laundromats and changing rooms too!
Clean Your Home
Here are the key cleaning tasks to fight bed bugs:
- Vacuum all your carpets, mattresses, and box springs, then throw away your vacuum bag
- Clean any pet’s bedding area
- Get rid of any extra clutter or boxes, especially against walls
- Thoroughly look through all your furniture and clean it
Physical Fixes
Use these changes to prevent bed bugs from entering your home or spreading:
- Cover unused power outlets
- Buy climb-up preventers to put under your bed’s feet
- Close cracks and outside openings with caulk
- Repair tears in window screens
- In an apartment, seal up the crevices between your unit and others
You now know how to prevent bed bugs in North Carolina from getting in, but you might already have them in your home. Don’t use dangerous pesticides and equipment on your own.