Once you get bedbugs in your home, it's difficult and expensive to get rid of them.
I recently read that some retail stores in New York City had been infested by bedbugs imported with shipments of new clothing made overseas.
Wash all new clothing in the hottest water possible and dry for 20 minutes on high before hanging them in your closet. Avoid buying new clothing labelled "dry clean" or "hang to dry" only.
Before you reserve a hotel room or consider renting an apartment, check this site http://bedbugregistry.com/ where you can search a hotel name or apartment address to find out if bedbug infestation has been reported.
Stand, don't sit, when using public transit. In public places, keep your personal items off the seats and the floor.
When you enter a hotel room for a stay, put down your luggage by the door and check the room for bedbugs. Lift up the bedding and check in the crevices of the mattress. If you see any signs of bedbugs, check out and find another hotel.
When staying in a room away from home, keep your clothes packed in your suitcase and your luggage off the floor. As an extra preventative measure, bring a large plastic garbage bag with you and encase your suitcase in it. Never leave items of clothing lying on the floor or on upholstered furniture.
When you arrive home after travelling, put your suitcase in the garage. Remove the contents, wash immediately in hot water, and dry on hot in the dryer for 20 minutes. While the laundry's being done, vacuum your suitcase with a vacuum that has a disposable bag. Don't use your central vac system. A small shop vac with a disposable paper bag is ideal. Empty the bag immediately into a plastic bag, seal, and place outside in a garbage can away from the house. The vacuum hose can be rinsed outside with a garden hose and left to dry outdoors.
Unless you know the previous owner well and can be sure the items are bed bug free, do not bring used furniture, carpets or clothing into your home. Buying at flea markets and garage sales can be risky as is "salvaging" upholstered items left out on the roadside for garbage collection, as well as buying vintage clothing from online vendors you haven't dealt with before.
Avoid buying a new mattress from a company that also offers to take away your old mattress in its delivery truck. Someone else's old infested mattress may have been in that truck--and the bedbugs could hop on your new mattress for a ride into your home.
Check out your city's website for bedbug prevention and eradication information, like this one from the City of Ottawa http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/health/environments/bed_bug/index_en.html
Before you reserve a hotel room or consider renting an apartment, check this site http://bedbugregistry.com/ where you can search a hotel name or apartment address to find out if bedbug infestation has been reported.
Stand, don't sit, when using public transit. In public places, keep your personal items off the seats and the floor.
When you enter a hotel room for a stay, put down your luggage by the door and check the room for bedbugs. Lift up the bedding and check in the crevices of the mattress. If you see any signs of bedbugs, check out and find another hotel.
When staying in a room away from home, keep your clothes packed in your suitcase and your luggage off the floor. As an extra preventative measure, bring a large plastic garbage bag with you and encase your suitcase in it. Never leave items of clothing lying on the floor or on upholstered furniture.
When you arrive home after travelling, put your suitcase in the garage. Remove the contents, wash immediately in hot water, and dry on hot in the dryer for 20 minutes. While the laundry's being done, vacuum your suitcase with a vacuum that has a disposable bag. Don't use your central vac system. A small shop vac with a disposable paper bag is ideal. Empty the bag immediately into a plastic bag, seal, and place outside in a garbage can away from the house. The vacuum hose can be rinsed outside with a garden hose and left to dry outdoors.
Unless you know the previous owner well and can be sure the items are bed bug free, do not bring used furniture, carpets or clothing into your home. Buying at flea markets and garage sales can be risky as is "salvaging" upholstered items left out on the roadside for garbage collection, as well as buying vintage clothing from online vendors you haven't dealt with before.
Avoid buying a new mattress from a company that also offers to take away your old mattress in its delivery truck. Someone else's old infested mattress may have been in that truck--and the bedbugs could hop on your new mattress for a ride into your home.
Check out your city's website for bedbug prevention and eradication information, like this one from the City of Ottawa http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/health/environments/bed_bug/index_en.html
