How to Prevent Bedbugs in Apartment Buildings

A blood-sucking scourge, bed bugs are a bane to landlords and tenants alike. Once present in a residence, remediation of the pest is costly, time-consuming and often ineffective. For this reason, many landlords have opted to take extensive steps to prevent such infestations before they start, outlining regular cleaning procedures and rules for tenants in an effort to minimize the chance of contracting the insects. Landlords and tenants can take steps to increase the chances of their apartment building remaining bed bug free.

Things You'll Need

• Flashlight
• Vacuum cleaner

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Instructions

• 1

  Purchase new furniture and don't bring in used furniture. Used pieces of furniture, particularly upholstered furniture and furniture related to beds, such as box springs, slats and bed frames, are one of the leading carriers of bed bugs. Do not even think of bringing a used mattress into the building. If you purchase a refurbished mattress, be aware of what parts of the mattress were reused and what cleaning procedure it underwent before sale.

• 2

  Check your clothes, luggage and possessions before entering your building. Doing a quick once-over of your person, especially after visiting a place that has a high risk of bed bugs, such as public transportation and certain large residences, such as hotels and hostels, is the next step in preventing bed bugs from entering your premises. If purchasing used items, such as books or clothes, be sure to carefully inspect them before bringing them inside.

• 3

  Wash your clothes and bedding immediately upon returning home from a trip. Hotels are leading carriers of bed bugs. Wash all clothes and other materials with fabric that you took on the road.

• 4

  Seal up infested furniture. Once you've taken all the steps possible to prevent bed bugs from entering your home, you should begin to take measures to prevent an infestation from taking hold, in the unlikely event that they are already there. First, wrap your mattress in an airtight plastic cover. This will prevent any bed bugs already present in the mattress from escaping and forbid any others from building a nest there.

• 5

  Vacuum your floors regularly. This will suck up any bed bug eggs that are present, preventing them from hatching and taking root.

• 6

  Conduct periodic inspections of your building and furniture. Familiarize yourself with the appearance of bed bugs and their eggs and spend a few minutes each week inspecting likely nesting locations for signs of an infestation.

• 7

  Check yourself for bites. Every week or so, spend a minute or two immediately after you wake up checking for unexplained marks on your body. Bed bugs can look different on different people. While on some individuals they appear as small white bumps, on others they will become large red welts. If you find unexplained marks, re-inspect your bed and furniture.