A popular statement from callers is, “I don’t know how I personally would ever get bed bugs, I don’t travel or stay in hotels”. For some reason people still think that their financial status makes them immune to ever getting bed bugs. Well they can’t be more wrong! Bed bugs don’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter who you are, where or how you live, what financial status you are in, why you think differently, your color or creed, bed bugs are interested in one thing and that is blood. Unless you don’t have blood, you too are susceptible to getting bed bugs.
There are certain things people can do to make going from “passive to active” control when it comes to bed bugs, which the number one thing entails cleaning up the clutter! Many of us have busy life styles, which cause us to pile items in the corner for a later date “when we can get around to it”. Well, needless to say, we never do and the piles get bigger and bigger. It is then that some think it time to get a storage unit because clutter takes over your living space. Then again, some people continue to pile it up and live with it.
Clutter is the number one problem that causes complete failure of elimination when one should get bed bugs. People keep a multitude of boxes and items under their beds. Like an “out of sight – out of mind” process. On the other hand, they pile things up in a closet to the point that opening or closing the door becomes a problem. Often because there are so many comfortable nooks, cranny and crevice harborages that are welcoming for bed bugs to hide in, for those not affected by the bites, go unnoticed.
When a person of this caliber should finally make the discovery that bed bugs are the problem, they are faced with a tremendous amount of clean-up which not only takes time (which most people have little of nowadays), but also lots of energy. Another powerful reason this is bad is it causes pest control to come back repeatedly, which runs up the cost for elimination.
People of this standard go into “panic” mode at this time wondering if they will ever get rid of the bed bugs they have. They often place “blame” on the pest control company they hired as well. In many cases, when an experienced pest control company sees this type of environment, they refuse treatment and wish people good luck. They know that no matter how hard they work the job is going to be unsuccessful.
None of this needs to happen if people understood how to prepare their lives for “when” they should encounter a bed bug problem. With the way bed bugs are proliferating, it is becoming more like “when” instead of “if” you get them.
We have worked with so many people over the years that had this type of problem. It normally is “after” they got bed bugs that they clean up their act. Unfortunately, it takes just that before people act. So how does one go about this you ask?
First stand in front of your bedroom and ask yourself, “If I had bed bugs would this be an easy chore to deal with?” If you can answer no, then it is time to address the situation with a proactive approach.
If you were to walk into a hotel room or model home, you would see a room with amenities to hold personal belongings and a bed, maybe a table or small desk and an easy chair, a plant and pictures on the wall and no clutter. This is what you want your room to look like, simple clean lines with little extra hiding places for bed bugs to reside.
When opening up your closet do you see clothing from ten years ago that you were saving to “get back into?” It’s time to get rid of those and face the fact that they are just taking up room and causing more work for you down the line.
Making an investment in large zip lock bags and placing extra bedding, sheets or other items takes away hiding places for bed bugs as well. They are easy to see through if you need to get to an item as well, they stack easy on a shelf, and if you squeeze all the air out of them, will take up less space.
We say to people, take the item in your hand and ask, do I need, want or desire this? Then make a decision. You will find that getting rid of those extra items that you don’t use will also make your life so much easier. An uncluttered life is much easier and gives you more time to enjoy life.
One of the smartest things anyone can do is locate a bed bug detection dog team and have regular inspections. If you were to compare the cost of three inspections over a year to a bed bug treatment, you will see that being proactive is much less!
