Bed bugs can be a pain to deal with, and if you’ve brought them home from a vacation, it can be more devastating. You went on your trip to get away from the stresses of life, not to bring them home with you. Unfortunately, bed bugs like to travel in luggage, so it’s important you are careful when staying somewhere overnight with luggage. The good news is when you hire a bed bug control service in Cambridge, you can rid yourself of the problem for good. Is there anything you can do in the meantime?

Washing Your Clothes

When you are on your trip, you should separate your laundry just as you would when doing the wash. Seal each bag so if you have picked up bed bugs, they’ll be confined to that bag. When you get home from your trip, empty the bag straight into the washing machine. Use as high a heat as possible, making sure not to destroy your clothes with the heat. After you have washed the clothes, put them into the dryer immediately. Again, use as high a heat as is safe for the fabric. The heat should kill the bugs and their eggs. For this reason, it’s best to do some research to recognize bed bug eggs so that you can effectively and efficiently remove them. 

While this is a great solution for bed bugs, it’s not permanent. In most cases, there are bed bugs in other locations as well. Perhaps they stowed away in a fold of your suitcase. It’s rare, but it’s possible the bed bugs were tucked into the clothes you had on your body. In that case, you may have brought the bed bugs home to take up residence in your home.

There’s also a chance the wash didn’t actually kill the bed bugs. If you’re certain the bugs are only in that one bag of clothing, or if you’ve played it safe and washed all your bedding and all your clothes, you might think you’re safe. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Even if you’ve washed and dried everything, realize some eggs can withstand the heat if it’s not hot enough. If you only washed something in cool water and hung it to dry, it most likely did not kill the bed bugs. For these reasons, there is no guarantee the bugs will disappear after a wash.

Knowing if You Have Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are typically active at night and will feed on your blood while you’re sleeping. If you wake up with little sores on your skin, there’s a chance they’re from bed bugs. You can also search your mattress, box springs, headboard, sheets, pillows and blankets to see if you notice any groups of bugs. They don’t have nests like other bugs, but they do huddle together during the day when there’s nothing to feast on. It’s possible you’ll find them by searching your bed and your bedroom.

Finding a Permanent Solution

While you can wash your clothes as a temporary solution to bed bugs, chances are there’s a more serious issue at hand. Whether you brought the bugs home from a vacation or they got in your home another way, you need a permanent solution or you’ll be living with the bugs forever. Your permanent solution is to contact Truly Nolen for serious pest control.

Our bed bug pest control services include searching for an infestation and preparing the area for treatment. With a high-pressure misting system, we are able to get the product into all the seams and voids where you typically find bed bugs. With this type of pest control system, you don’t have to wonder whether washing and drying actually killed the bed bugs or if you still have a problem. Contact Truly Nolen to find a location near you and to schedule bed bug pest control services today.