How To Make Sure Your Bay Area Home Is Bed Bug-Free

Nobody likes the thought of bed bugs crawling across their skin at night, especially homeowners in the Bay Area. Here’s what local residents should know about whether unsanitary homes get bed bugs more often, how these pests travel, easy ways to control bed bugs in your home, and what to do if you’ve discovered an infestation.

Do Bed Bugs In My Bay Area Home Mean It’s Dirty?

While some pests, like rodents or cockroaches, may be more attracted to poorly maintained homes, this isn’t the case with bed bugs. Unlike other pests, bed bugs don’t eat human food or scraps, so there’s no need for them to have easy access to your leftovers. Bed bugs are just as likely to invade the cleanest homes as dirty ones.  Keep in mind that bed bugs are parasites, and their favorite meal is human blood. As long as your Bay Area home has people in it, you’re at risk for a bed bug infestation. 

Do Bed Bugs In the Bay Area Travel On Clothes?

You may have heard that bed bugs get around by traveling, but does this mean they like to travel on your clothes? While bed bugs may occasionally travel on your clothing if they have to, it’s unusual for them to do so. You (and the clothes you’re wearing) move around too much to make a good hiding spot for bed bugs. 

However, if you’ve got clothes sitting in a suitcase or bag, bed bugs may hide inside your clothing. Generally, bed bugs prefer to travel via luggage, backpacks, mattresses, and other belongings. These items will get bed bugs where they need to go, but they’re less likely to move around as much as people. 

Other items on which you may find bed bugs include used furniture and appliances. These critters are small enough to hide in the tiniest cracks and crevices, and if you purchase secondhand furniture that’s already infested, this can be another easy way for these bugs to get into your home. 

What Are Some Bed Bug Control Tips For My Bay Area Home?

Because they travel by furniture and luggage and can be picked up almost anywhere, bed bugs are one of the hardest pests to prevent in your home. However, there are still some precautions you can take to keep them away, such as:

• Place a protective cover on your mattresses and box springs, which can make bed bugs easier to spot and eliminate some of their hiding spots. Ensure that you’re using a tougher or high-quality encasement that won’t rip or tear.
• Before you bring items inside your home, make sure you check any secondhand furniture or appliances for signs of bed bugs, especially in cracks and crevices.
• Try to regularly reduce clutter around your home to eliminate more hiding spots for bed bugs.
• Be careful about using shared laundry facilities, like public laundromats, and try to transport any items in plastic bags. As soon as you remove your clothing from the dryer, make sure you place them back in your plastic bag and fold these items at home.
• Vacuum your home frequently to help get rid of potential hitchhikers hiding in your carpet before they reproduce.
• If you stay in a hotel, motel, or friend’s house, make sure you keep your luggage and suitcases at least a couple of inches off the ground
• Inspect hotel room mattresses and sheets for bed bugs before you settle in. 

How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs In Your Bay Area Home Fast!

Bed bugs can reproduce quickly, hide in the smallest cracks and crevices, and leave itchy red bumps behind. Getting them out of your home isn’t always easy, but there is one effective solution to eliminating bed bugs in your Bay Area home, and that’s by working with Bay Pest. 

With more than forty years of experience serving the Bay Area and surrounding counties, our reliable treatments can turn your home back into a pest-free zone. If you are seeing signs of bed bugs or just suspect you could have an infestation, you’re better safe than sorry. Call us today at Bay Pest to learn more about how our bed bug control services work.