The Worst Housewarming Party
Moving into a new home or apartment is so exciting, especially if it’s your first one. Having your own space- yours to decorate, organize, and use as you choose- is a whole new type of freedom. Having friends and family over for a housewarming party once you get yourself settled is also a fun tradition. However, there may be some unwelcome guests at that party if you’re not careful! Bed bugs in apartments are an all-too-common occurrence, and unfortunately, the process of moving presents plenty of opportunities for bed bugs to come along to your new home.
Why Are Bed Bugs Such a Problem in Apartments?
Bed bugs can be a huge issue in multi-tenant dwellings such as apartments or dorms. Heat treatment is the most effective treatment for bed bugs, however, apartments present a problem, mainly because of electrical outlets and tiny cracks in shared walls. In apartment buildings, units are typically right next to each other. So if one unit has an issue with bed bugs and the landlord calls a heat treatment service to treat just that one unit, the bugs will sense the room getting warmer and try to find cracks in the walls, electrical outlets, etc to hide in. These cracks may lead to the next-door neighbor’s apartment- and voila, the unit next door now has a bed bug problem.
Where’s the Danger in Using a Moving Company?
You might be using a moving company to assist you with your big move, especially if you’re moving into a house and/or have a lot of furniture and other big items to move. However, using a moving company can be a recipe for a bed bug infestation. Though moving companies are convenient to use, there are many ways that they can bring bed bugs into your new home. For one thing, they go in and out of dozens of homes and apartments per week, in many different areas of town. They may have taken furniture out of an infested home- or worse, a mattress, which is one of the best places for a sneaky bed bug to hide. Unfortunately, bed bugs do like to explore, so they may crawl off of the furniture in question and hide away in the moving company’s truck.
Moving Blankets
The potential for bed bug problems increases when a moving company uses moving blankets. Moving blankets can be handy- they can protect furniture from scratches during the moving process, and even protect your walls by softening the blow if the furniture is accidentally bumped into the walls. However, since they are typically made of polyester and cotton, they provide a great hiding place for adventurous bed bugs. Bed bugs like to hide in fabric- it’s easy for them to cling to, and has lots of small, dark spaces for them to hang out in. So if a moving company moves furniture with bed bugs and they end up hiding in the moving blankets, it’s really easy for them to then transfer onto your furniture.
Bedtime For Bed Bugs
One of the biggest challenges, when you’re moving, is moving your bed. It’s probably bulky and hard to move, so this may even be the primary reason you hire a moving company. Unfortunately, if the moving company has bed bugs in their truck, your bed will be the best possible place for them to hide. Bed bugs like to be near us when we sleep. That’s the best time for them to feed because we’re unconscious and therefore easy prey. On top of that, mattresses provide plenty of dark, cozy spaces for them to live in until we’re asleep.
How Can I Prevent Bed Bug Stowaways?
After reading all of this, you might be even more nervous about your upcoming move, but never fear, there are several ways to avoid starting your new life in your new home with bed bugs. If you’re able to get help from friends and family instead of using a moving company, that’s the number one thing you can do to prevent taking home bed bugs (just make sure those friends and family haven’t had a bed bug issue recently!). Renting a U-Haul to move your furniture may be cheaper than using a moving service, as well as being safer bed bug wise. If you must use moving blankets, consider buying some of your own. They typically aren’t too expensive, about $50-$75 for 12 blankets, and you’ll have peace of mind knowing that they haven’t been in a bed bug-infested home. If you can’t buy some of your own, consider borrowing or renting moving blankets. That way, you can throw them in the dryer for an hour or so in order to kill any bugs that may be hiding out in them.
Got Some Uninvited Roommates?
If bed bugs have moved into your new home with you, don’t worry. If you’re in an apartment, make sure to let your landlord know, and then contact Bed Bug BBQ in Lakewood, Ohio! We use heat treatment to get rid of bed bugs. After this safe, effective treatment is completed in less than 24 hours, your home is guaranteed bed bug-free for 60 days! Contact Bed Bug BBQ today for a FREE quote and inspection at (216) 221-1227 or through our website, and check out our other bed bug informational resources on identification, prevention, and eradication.