Finding bedbugs in your home can be a nightmare for any homeowner. These critters tend to spread around homes quickly and can take up residence in basically any fabric, including bedding, curtains, and clothing. To contain the infestation, you’ll need to do a lot of laundry. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to follow about this process.

Do:

Wash all fabrics in your home.

Even if you’ve only seen bedbugs in one location, you need to wash all fabric throughout your entire home to ensure the infestation doesn’t spread. Use hot water since high temperatures kill bedbugs and their eggs, and then dry all of the clothes fully.

Store clean clothes in sealed trash bags.

Once you’ve finished washing certain items, put clothes, linens, and other fabrics into clean garbage bags and seal them fully. This will prevent any bugs from getting to the clean items while you finish washing everything else.

Don’t:

Take items to another location.

You should always wash items in your own home if possible. If you bring bedbug-infested items to a laundromat, dry cleaners, or friend’s home, you could be spreading the infestation. Keep it contained in your own space until you can have a professional pest control company ensure that all of the pests are gone.

Wait to launder items.

You should wash everything as soon as you notice an infestation, so the bedbugs don’t have a chance to multiply. Start washing immediately and keep items contained while you wait for an exterminator to show up and provide professional service.

If you need a bedbug exterminator to help you control an infestation, call Select Pest Control. Based in Hebron, KY, the company serves the entire Cincinnati, OH, area, providing a wide array of affordable pest control services for bedbugs, termites, carpenter ants, and even mice. The team even has a “bedbug dog” that is capable of sniffing out these pesky critters to ensure none of them are missed. Visit the company’s website to learn more about their services, or call (513) 352-0080 to request a consultation.