Bed bugs are incredibly pesky to eliminate. The nocturnal creatures only come out at night and are good at hiding for days at a time. While they’re a nuisance, just like mice, it’s possible to find Bed Bugs and get rid of them for good. Learn everything you need to know about how to get rid of bed bugs in an apartment.
What attracts bed bugs?
First signs of an infestation
How to spot bed bugs in your apartment
How to prevent bed bugs
How to get rid of bed bugs in your apartment
FAQs
What attracts bed bugs in your apartment?
Many people think that bed bugs flock to dirt or clutter. However, blood, carbon dioxide, and warm temperatures can attract bed bugs. They also prefer darkness, meaning they might be more drawn to locations with places to hide, such as living rooms with couches or bedrooms with beds and other furniture.
First signs of bed bugs
While this differs for everyone, a possible first sign of bed bugs is finding bite marks on your body. Bed bugs come out at night to feed, so you may wake up with a few bite marks on your arms, neck, or anywhere that your skin is exposed. They tend to crawl on your clothes and bite your skin right along the edge of a shirt sleeve or pant leg. The bites can be itchy and multiply over a week. Bed bug bites are often in clusters or in a straight line.
How to spot bed bugs in your apartment
If you think you have bed bugs, here’s how to find the pesky little creatures and know for sure if you have a bed bug infestation. The sooner you know, the sooner you can get rid of them.
Inspect the bed
Spend a few minutes inspecting the mattress to see if there are bed bugs. Pull the sheets back and check the mattress, especially along the seams. You are looking for reddish-brown insects about the size of a grain of rice, sometimes smaller if they’re baby bed bugs.
Check beyond the bed
While they’re called bed bugs, these little creatures can appear in more places than just the mattress. Adult bed bugs lay eggs anywhere they feel safe, including behind picture frames, in corners of the wall, and under your bed on the floorboards. Give your bedroom a thorough sweep — under chair legs, inside your desk, and in dresser drawers — to see if you can uncover any hidden bugs. If you have pets, check for bed bugs around their sleeping areas.
How to prevent bed bugs in your apartment
1. Use caution when traveling
Use the luggage stand in your hotel room and keep your luggage off the floor. You don’t want to bring them home with you in your suitcase. Vacuum your suitcase after returning from a trip to ensure you didn’t carry any home with you.
2. Beware of secondhand furniture
Properly inspect hand-me-down mattresses, box springs, and couches before considering bringing them home with you. Plus, you’ll probably spend more money getting rid of the bed bugs than you would have spent buying new furniture.
3. Get bed bug interceptors
These small dish-shaped traps are an affordable way to prevent and detect an oncoming bed bug infestation. The interceptors attach to the bottom of the bed frame legs to prevent bed bugs from climbing onto your bed from the floor. These inexpensive interceptors are available in your local hardware store. They may not be attractive, but they’ll do the job.
4. Wash sheets regularly
This point can seem obvious, but it’s also the easiest. Hopefully, cleaning your sheets is already a habit, but if not, it’s an easy way to avoid attracting bed bugs.
5. Use protective mattress and pillow covers
Bed bugs can’t bite through fabric. Consider getting a simple bed mattress or pillow cover to help protect against bed bugs, dust mites, and other allergens. Your bed is safe if your coverings completely enclose your mattress and box spring.
6. Beware of home remedies for bed bugs
Plenty of pesticides and products tout themselves as home remedies for bed bugs, but these treatments rarely work. Diatomaceous earth does get rid of bed bugs, but it can be hard to tell whether it gets rid of them for good or just for the time being. In the case of an infestation, it’s essential to contact a professional as soon as possible. The more time the bed bugs have to move around in your room, the harder it will be to find them later. It’s essential to hire professionals who know what they’re dealing with instead of relying on an at-home bed bug repellant that might worsen things.
How to get rid of bed bugs in your apartment
If you find bed bugs in your apartment, you can take a few actions to manage the infestation. Explore some steps you can follow to respond to finding bed bugs and techniques for how to get rid of bed bugs in an apartment:
- Call your property manager
As soon as you confirm a bed bug sighting in your apartment, tell your property manager. This report can allow the property manager to notify other tenants in the building and make an action plan for removing the infestation and preventing future ones.
- Hire an exterminator
After you tell your property manager about the infestation, find an exterminator or pest control technician to visit your apartment. While you can try removing bed bugs on your own, pest control professionals typically know the most effective strategies and have the necessary materials.
- Deep clean your apartment
While there are already bed bugs in your apartment, you can help prevent them from multiplying or spreading even further by conducting a deep clean of your apartment. As bed bugs often nest in bedding, remove all your bedding and carefully transport it to a dryer. Then, dry the bedding on high heat for at least a 30-minute cycle to kill all bed bugs that may be present. After this dry cycle, you can wash and dry the bedding. With your bedding removed, clean all other areas of your apartment with disinfectant, including crevices between cabinets or under furniture.
- Buy a mattress protector
One of the best ways to respond to a bed bug infestation is to use a mattress protector. By putting a full-coverage protector on your mattress after you find an infestation, you can suffocate any bed bugs in your bed and ensure they don’t get out or spread. This protector can also help prevent future bed bug infestations by offering a barrier that new bed bugs can’t get through.
- Consider relocating while you get rid of the infestation
Many people sleep in other locations while treating a bed bug infestation. However, if you take all the necessary precautions, it can be beneficial to continue sleeping at home until the infestation is completely gone. You can help avoid spreading the infestation to other units in your building or other homes.
- Tell your neighbors
While treating your bed bug infestation, tell your neighbors about what’s happening. You can also ask your property manager to inform them for you. This point is essential when living in a multi-unit building, as it allows other tenants to search for bed bugs and identify any further infestations.
FAQs: Ridding your apartment of bedbugs
Find the answers to a few frequently asked questions about how to get rid of bed bugs in an apartment:
Your property manager’s exact responsibility can vary depending on the state in which you live. However, most states require property managers to cover the cost of pest control and other forms of eradicating infestations. Property managers legally have to offer habitable housing, and the presence of bed bugs qualifies a home as uninhabitable.
As states legally require landlords to provide habitable housing, your rights as a tenant place responsibility on the property manager for responding to bed bugs.
If your property manager refuses to remove bed bugs in your apartment, you can take action, as deciding not to act is against the law. Some options include breaking your lease early, withholding rent, or suing your property manager. Keep detailed records of your communications to prove that the property manager is not fulfilling the legal responsibility to provide a habitable home.
Yes, you can withhold rent if your property manager refuses to handle a bed bug infestation.
There are natural remedies for bed bugs, but it’s always best to consult with professional pest control technicians or exterminators when you notice a bed bug infestation.
The legal responsibility for property managers to tell you about bed bugs can vary from state to state. However, most states require property managers to disclose bed bug infestations to current and potential renters.
Ready to use your bed bug knowledge to keep your next apartment safe? Search thousands of apartments for rent on Zumper and find your next home— and keep it bed-bug-free!
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