Last edited on May 8, 2024
Cleaning tip: How to avoid bedbugs
The unpleasant bedbug spreads quickly – today we're sharing tips on how to get rid of it!
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Today's cleaning tip is about the return of the bedbug and how to stop it!
The bedbug, also called "skäkta" and with the Latin name Cimex lectularius, is not actually a louse, but a five to eight millimeter long true bug. The presence of the insect was long rare and something that was only associated with "old times," but has now regained a foothold as a result of globalization and the significant increase in people's travel. But it is not only after trips abroad that you should take precautions, but also after hotel stays in Sweden.
The bedbug is difficult to detect in time. During the day, it crawls into crevices in the home, often hiding in the bed, to emerge at night to bite us while we sleep.
This is how the bedbug finds its way into your home:
1. It hitches a ride in your luggage.
2. It is present in Second Hand items that you bring home.
This is how YOU find the bedbug:
1. The bedbug's droppings are one of the first signs. Small, black dots are warning signs. Check the bed, sheets, mattress topper, and box spring. Feel free to use a flashlight and look in seams and folds.
2. Bites. The bedbug bites and sucks blood. It needs blood from humans or other animals to be able to live, lay eggs, and reproduce. The bites resemble mosquito bites, but people react differently to the bites. Some people get large itchy marks, while others barely notice the bites. There is no evidence that the bedbug spreads diseases, but it is unpleasant.
3. Larger colonies of lice also emit a characteristic odor that is often described as "mealy."
4. Small blood stains in the bed. It is not certain that you noticed that you were bitten during the night.
5. Light shells (shed skin) in, for example, folds and seams in the mattress.
Below you can see bedbugs in different stages and bedbug bites.
General tips!
1. Keep clean! Pull out furniture and empty the beds when you clean. This way you quickly discover if bedbugs have come in.
2. Never bring in furniture from bulky waste rooms! Are you still going to do it? Be careful!
3. Wash Second Hand finds extra carefully.
4. Also check used books before you put them on your bedside table.
This is how you stop the bedbug from gaining a foothold in your home!
When you are traveling
1. Never put luggage on the bed. Instead, place the bag in the bathtub, on a desk, or in a luggage rack. The bag should not come into contact with textiles or wallpaper.
2. Pack in plastic bags that you then put in the suitcase.
3. Put used clothes and nightwear that you have used at the hotel in a tightly sealed plastic bag in the bag
When you get home
1. If possible, unpack outdoors. Otherwise, you can also place the bag in the bathtub or in the shower.
2. Take clothes directly from the bag and into the washing machine. Wash at at least 60 degrees Celsius, as bedbugs die at 50 degrees Celsius.
3. Put finer garments that cannot withstand 60 degrees Celsius in a tightly sealed bag and freeze them for a few days.
4. If you have a sauna that you can set to 60°C, you can also use it to heat, for example, the suitcase to a safe temperature. However, it is important that the bag becomes thoroughly warm AND that you check that this is fire safe. Never leave textiles unattended in a sauna. Exercise caution.
5. The tumble dryer can also be used to heat treat.
6. During the winter, leave the bag on the balcony or patio for a couple of days. Bedbugs die at -18°C. If the bag fits, it can be placed in a tightly sealed bag and stored in the freezer for a couple of days.
7. Then clean the bag inside, never put away a dirty bag! Wipe the outside, preferably with a damp cloth and soap. Then put the bag in a plastic bag that you seal before you store the bag.
If you have followed these instructions, you have done everything you can to avoid getting bedbugs in your home!
Should you still get bedbugs, it is important to address the problem as soon as possible! Contact your insurance company and pest control immediately. Bedbugs spread quickly!
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Questions and Answers
- What are some signs that you have bedbugs?
Signs that you have bedbugs are small black dots (bedbug droppings) on the bed, sheets, mattress topper, and box spring, bites that resemble mosquito bites, a characteristic odor from larger colonies of lice, small blood stains in the bed, and light shells (shed skin) in folds and seams in the mattress.
- How do bedbugs find their way into your home?
Bedbugs can find their way into your home by hitching a ride in your luggage or being present in Second Hand items that you bring home.
- What general tips for avoiding bedbugs do we share?
General tips for avoiding bedbugs include keeping clean by pulling out furniture and emptying the beds when you clean, never bringing in furniture from bulky waste rooms, washing Second Hand finds extra carefully, and checking used books before you put them on your bedside table.
- What is recommended to stop bedbugs from entering your home?
To stop bedbugs from gaining a foothold in your home, it is recommended to never put luggage on the bed when you are traveling, to pack in plastic bags that you then put in the suitcase, and to put used clothes and nightwear that you have used at the hotel in a tightly sealed plastic bag in the bag.
- What measures are recommended to treat bags and clothes after a trip?
After you get home from the trip, it is recommended to unpack outdoors if possible, to take clothes directly from the bag and into the washing machine (wash at at least 60 degrees Celsius), to put finer garments that cannot withstand 60 degrees Celsius in a tightly sealed bag and freeze them for a few days, and to clean the bag inside, wipe the outside with a damp cloth and soap, and then store it in a plastic bag.
Clean regularly with products from Västerbottensåpa!