When you buy an article of clothing, even if it's in a fancy mall store, put it in the dryer for 20 minutes when you come home. Bedbugs are everywhere. Lately when I go to the movies, as a precaution, I take off my clothes and put them in the dryer when I get home. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I also bought plastic mattress covers for all my beds. Should we ever get infested, God forbid, I can wash my linens and keep my beds. Nothing comes into the house without first being put into the dryer. I'll never know if I prevented an infestation but it doesn't matter. I never liked picking up upholstered furniture from the garbage but if I did it now, I would first hit it with bedbug spray from the Home Depot. Then I would let it sit in the yard in the sun on a hot day. Heat kills. That would do it. In order for cold to kill, the temperature has to go down to zero Kelvin for two to three weeks. If that ever happens, we'll all be dead, not just the bedbugs. Heat kills just as effectively, so my dryer is my first line of defense.
It's not just "soft" furniture that is a problem. Watch out for bureaus too. Wipe down all drawers (the corners especially) and spray with a commercial insecticide or straight white vinegar. The idea is to kill any eggs that maybe dormant. Bedbugs can live for a year or more without a meal.
No comments:
Post a Comment