Photo: Andreanna Moya / Flickr

You probably do everything you can to ensure that you have a good, peaceful sleep when you climb into bed, but researchers have revealed new facts that might keep you awake at night. The number of bedbug infestations seems to be on the rise, and the bad news is that it isn’t easy to prevent their spread. Read on to find out how to keep your home and mattress safe from the hidden bedbug menace.

Why are we worried?

Yes, bed bugs present an extremely creepy image, but what else can they do to harm you and your family? The good news is that they aren’t known to spread any diseases, but if the bed bugs do bite they’ll leave you very itchy. A scratched bed bug bite can become infected.

How to not let the bedbugs bite

Anyone worried about bedbugs is advised to avoid buying a secondhand mattress, or taking on a home that’s already furnished with bed and linen included. Once bedbugs have settled in it’s quite a process to get rid of them. Home owners should start by freeing their homes of clutter and washing and drying all bedding and clothing. After that, a pest removal service can treat the area – especially the cracks and crevices where bed bugs like to live – or even fumigate a home. It’s likely to take multiple treatments to get rid of bed bugs.

The travel bug

Bed bugs are most often picked up in hotels, as they can attach themselves to luggage and clothing like little hitchhikers. Before they can get near your mattress, wash and dry all of the clothing you took with you – bed bugs can’t survive high heat so the dryer is a great help here. Most people don’t think of cleaning their luggage often, but do this too – prevention is always better than cure.

Tags: bed