Bed bugs are persistent pests that are notoriously difficult to get rid of once they infest an area. Although they are primarily found in hotels and residential spaces such as apartments, they can be found anywhere, including storage units. While many storage facilities are aware of the problem and have taken steps to minimize the risk of a bed bug infestation, here are few things you can do to protect yourself and keep these tiny terrors out of your home.
What You Should Know About Bed Bugs
Adequately protecting yourself from bed bugs requires knowing a little bit about them. These pests are tiny vampires. They come out at night and feed on their victims' blood. Though they don't transmit disease, their bites can cause an allergic reaction that lead to bumps and welts forming on the skin that are very itchy.
Bed bugs are so small, they can hide almost anywhere in luggage and clothing, making them very easy to transmit from one area to another. According to some statistics, one out of every five people has had some experience with bed bugs. Once in a new area, they quickly begin infesting it and looking for a meal source.
Most importantly, however, these little buggers can survive without a meal for up to 400 days, depending on the temperature. Because of this, some people try to save their infested items by putting them in storage for year or more in an effort to starve the bugs to death. This means that any one of the neighboring units could contain a hoard of bed bugs just waiting to invade your stuff in a search for food.
Bed Bug Proofing the Storage Unit
Avoiding a bed bug infestation starts by choosing the right storage unit. When shopping for a place to store your stuff, take a tour of the facility and check for the following:
When it comes time to store your items, the best thing you can do is seal as much as you can in plastic bags, especially mattresses, couches and cushions, pillows, and other items that would be particularly difficult to inspect and clean properly when you remove them from the unit.
Avoid Taking Bugs Home
Thoroughly inspect any and everything you take out of your storage unit before placing it in your vehicle or taking into your home. Remember, these bugs are tiny and can easily hitchhike a ride into your house or apartment when you're not looking. Take apart furniture, open up boxes and luggage, and inspect cracks and corners of sports equipment for signs of bugs. Use a handheld vacuum to suck up any bed bugs you see, empty the canister in a plastic bag, and throw the bag in the trash.
Wash all clothing, bedding, towels, and other linens in hot water, and dry them on high heat (above 113 degrees) for at least 30 minutes. Other items that can't be washed, such as shoes, can simply be thrown in the dryer for the minimum amount of time.
Your bed will be the most vulnerable place for bed bugs, since that's where you'll sleep. If the bed was uncovered while in storage, then place it in a plastic cover before taking it to your home. Leave the cover on for a minimum of 400 days to starve any bed bugs that may be living in it.
Bed bugs are nondiscriminatory pests and just as likely to show up at an immaculately clean storage unit as they are a dive motel down the road. Taking precautions while storing your stuff can save you a world of headache later on. For more information on keeping bed bugs away, talk to a storage unit rental facility near you.
Share6 October 2015
I made a difficult decision to leave the company that I was working for and start a small home interior design business of my own. Since I had limited space in my apartment, I had to find a place to keep all of the things that I needed to present my clients with the ideas that I had come up with. How did I find the space that I needed - I found a storage facility close to my apartment. My storage unit is organized and set up in a way that I can find what I need and can store more than I need for my business.