Pest specialists warn of 5 things traditionally bought that may invite bed bugs into the house, become unwanted guests, and be difficult to get rid of.
1) Travel bags
Nancy Troiano, an entomologist with a Ph.D., says that bed bugs often frequent luggage and infest private homes when owners return to them, according to Best Life.
Troiano advises opening the bags away from the upholstered furniture when entering the hotel.
Troiano also recommends putting the contents of the bag through a 15-minute high-temperature drying cycle, in order to kill any bed bugs that may have reached the house.
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2) clothes
Nancy Troianu recommends checking new clothes before purchasing them, as well as putting them in the dryer on a high temperature for 15 minutes to kill any bed bugs, before running the regular wash cycle.
3) Furniture
Furniture, especially used ones, may contain bed bugs, and Troiano notes that “furniture, especially soft and upholstered types from unknown sources, can harbor bed bugs or bed bug eggs that you may not see immediately.”
Before bringing used furniture into the home, Troiano recommends, an agreement with a pest management professional should be done to check to make sure it is free of any bugs.
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4) Money wallets
If you want to make sure you are not inviting bed bugs into your space, make sure you carefully check any wallets you bring into the home.According to the National Pest Management Association of America, when placing portfolios on furniture or the floor, bed bugs can travel without them. Nobody notices them in the seams and pockets until they settle into the house.
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5) teddy bears (stuffed dolls)
Dolls and cotton-stuffed animals may look cute, but they can be a free entry for bed bugs into your home.
The National Pest Management Association of America says bed bugs can settle in the fur of stuffed animals, which could cause an infestation into any home they are later brought into.
And if you want to prevent this from happening, the association recommends that you wash and dry stuffed animals on hot when entering the home for the first time.