Finding bed bugs in your mattress can be overwhelming, and your first instinct might be to throw it out immediately. However, bed bugs are sneaky—they can also hide in curtains, rugs, and other furniture. Before taking drastic action, here’s what you should consider.
Should You Discard Your Mattress?
Deciding to toss your mattress isn’t a straightforward solution. While it might seem like the main source of the infestation, bed bugs can quickly spread to other areas of your home. Disposing of your mattress without the right precautions can even make the problem worse by spreading bugs further.
Tips for Safe Mattress Disposal
If you decide that discarding the mattress is necessary, follow these steps to ensure you don’t unintentionally spread the infestation:
Plan: Coordinate with your local waste collection service to arrange a quick pickup. Leaving the mattress outside for too long could result in someone unknowingly taking it home.
Ask for Help with Removal
Getting rid of a mattress on your own can be challenging, especially if you’re trying to avoid spreading bed bugs to other parts of your home. Enlist a friend to help lift and carry the mattress without dragging it along the floor. This reduces the risk of bed bugs scattering as you remove it.
Protecting a New Mattress
If you’re replacing your mattress, take precautions to prevent future infestations:
Final Thoughts
While it’s tempting to toss your mattress at the first sign of bed bugs, it should only be done as a last resort and with proper precautions. Managing an infestation takes care and planning, but by following these tips, you can tackle the problem effectively and prevent it from spreading further.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
Not every creature that visits your property is a dangerous nuisance. Many animals actually offer a number of benefits that keep your yard healthy. Predatory animals, in particular, actually offer natural pest control. Here are five common suburban creatures that can help keep more difficult or annoying animals at bay:
The customer is always right, and this is especially true if he or she is complaining about seeing a mouse or cockroach. Pests have no place in your organization, as bugs and rodents will turn away potential business or even lead to a possible lawsuit. Keeping your company protected requires a proactive approach. Work with a pest removal specialist to identify the best ways to stop creatures from infesting your business. Here are just a few ideas for successfully mitigating and preventing any issues:
You might see an influx of rodents at this time of year, because as the weather cools mice and rats seek warmth anywhere they can find it. Unfortunately, that often means inside residential homes. Many homes may experience rodent infestations at this time of year more than any other. Whether they're getting into your garage, basement or kitchen, it's important to put a stop to them before the problem becomes too serious and requires the intervention of a professional pest control agency.
Summer is almost here and before you head out on a family trip or even if you travel for work, consider doing a little research so you become familiar with bed bugs. This will help you identify them quickly and it could keep you from bringing them home unknowingly!
With the promise of summer also comes the promise of bugs. Homeowners have to stay vigilant, lest they find ants - or worse - rifling through their food.
You might've heard that cockroaches can survive a nuclear blast. If the worst should happen and the world succumbs to nuclear war, the cockroaches would reign supreme as the one and only organism left on earth. This hardly seems fair - consider how much time humans have spent trying to control cockroach populations. You might've chased one of them out of the bathroom this morning! So, if they really can withstand a nuclear blast, what chance do we have of managing cockroach infestations at home?
