4 Tips To Reduce Bedbug Infestation In Your College Dorm

As a college student, you too may be faced with a bedbug infestation in your college dorm if you are not careful about what you bring into your room. Here are four tips to reduce bedbug infestation in your college dorm.

1. Inspect All Suitcases before Unpacking in Your Room

If you've vacationed to a hotel or visited relatives on break, be sure to inspect all suitcases before unpacking them in your room. If you have a roommate, they should do the same. Shake every item out in the hallway. Bedbugs like to travel in warm areas. They seldom hitch a ride directly on the clothes you are wearing. If possible, wash all your clothing in hot water before packing them. Friends may think you are a bit weird, but it's always better to be safer than sorry.

2. Check Your Entire Bed for Signs of Bedbugs

When you first move into your dorm, inspect your entire bed and other furnishings for signs of bedbugs. You'll want to look for tiny black spots and stains. Some say that you can't see bedbugs with the naked eye, but that's not true. You can see them and their eggs. So if you suspect anything, contact your Resident Advisor or another housing manager immediately.

3. Get Secondhand Furniture from Well-Respected Stores

As a college student, you are trying to save as much money as possible. You may want to dress up your dorm room with secondhand furniture such as:

• couches
• televisions
• futons
• bookcases
• picture frames
• nightstands
• clocks

However, bedbugs can lay dormant in any of these items. Be cautious where you get these items. Never grab them from off the streets. Purchase your items from reputable secondhand stores as they may get their items and inspect them first.

4. Be Cautious Of Visiting Others Dorm Rooms and Apartments

Again, bedbugs do not always hitch a ride on your clothing, but it's not ruled out that they can't. They also can quickly get inside your coat, purse, or gym bag. So whenever you visit someone else's dorm room or apartment, try to keep these items closer to the door and off the couch. Shake your items out immediately upon exiting and possibly again before you get into your car.

The above four tips will reduce your chances of harboring pesky bedbugs. Common pesticides will not eliminate them, so be sure your Resident Advisor has a professional exterminator, like Affordable Pest Control Inc, come out to treat your room.