When faced with bed bugs, moving into a new apartment or house will leave the bed bugs behind and give you a clean start.
FICTION
Moving will NOT automatically eliminate your bed bug problem! There are necessary precautions you MUST take to ensure that bed bugs are left behind during your move. It is ideal to eliminate the bed bug infestation before moving, but if you must move before elimination, please use the following guidelines:
Packing:
- Dry all fabric items on the hottest recommended setting, and seal them in clear plastic bags labelled clean.
- Put items that cannot be sanitized inside sealed clear plastic bags (electronics, appliances, books, etc.), and contact Poulin’s Pest Control for ways to treat these items.
- Purchase bed bug proof mattress and box spring covers for each bed in the house. Install on the day of moving.
- If you are throwing away any infested mattress, box springs, etc., wrap them in plastic and clearly write bed bugs on them. You may want to go further and slash or destroy the items before discarding as well.
Moving Day:
- Install the box spring and mattress encasements, and move them into the moving van. Take special care not to damage the encasements while moving them or they will be rendered ineffective.
- All should shower and change into clean clothing and shoes, bagging the possibly infested clothes to be laundered.
- Bathe pets to ensure they are bed bug free before taking them to your new home. Animal bedding should be laundered and bagged.
- All furniture should be treated with properly labelled insecticide. Furniture such as night stands and bookshelves can be most effectively sanitized and treated when they are empty. Have the empty furniture treated by a Poulin’s Pest Control prior to moving into your new home.
Unpacking:
- Before personal belongings can be unpacked, they MUST be bed bug free, or the new home will most likely become infested as well.
- Inspect any new or used furniture carefully before bringing into your home. Treat the furniture as required with appropriate labelled insecticide, if you have not already done so.
- Educate yourself about bed bugs. Refer to Poulin’s Bed Bug fact sheet, as well as Poulin’s Management of Suspected Bed Bug Infestations Guide.
- Monitor regularly to ensure no bed bug infestation is present. The use of double sided bed bug monitoring tape and insect monitors can help identify a problem.
Contact Poulin’s Pest Control if you notice any signs of bed bugs in your new home. The earlier an infestation is detected, the easier it will be to eliminate bed bugs.