How to Protect From Bedbugs

Bedbugs are small brown insects that bite humans and suck their blood for nourishment. Their bites are so small that the bite is not felt until after the bug is done feeding. Bedbugs were a large problem before the advent of pesticides, but even these days they occasionally turn up to infest hotels and homes. Protecting against bedbugs can be difficult because of their small size. However, there are some measures you can follow to prevent an infestation of these pests.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic bed encasement
• Pesticide

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Instructions

• 1

  Wash bedding in hot water. Hot water will kill any bedbugs present on the bedding.

• 2

  Cover your mattress and box spring with a plastic cover encasement. Encasements will block the path of the bedbugs so they can't enter tears or holes to hide inside the box spring or mattress fabrics.

• 3

  Keep your luggage off the floor in hotel rooms. Bedbugs often infest even the cleanest of hotel rooms because guests can bring them in with their luggage. The bedbugs can then hitch a ride back home with you on your luggage, so keep your luggage off the floor or the bed when staying at a hotel.

• 4

  Spray your house with a pesticide designed specifically for bedbugs.

• 5

  Get a new mattress and box spring if the above options do not handle the problem or if the bed has many tears and holes in it that make it prone to continual infestation.

• 6

  Inspect your mattress often for signs of bedbugs, such as spots of blood on your sheets from bedbug feeding, or small dark brown spots that may indicate bedbug excrement.