Do the bed bugs just keep coming back? Or have you never been able to get rid of them? Bed bugs can seem like a recurring nightmare, but a properly treated infestation can be managed. There are some mistakes that are very commonly made that could prolong an infestation or even make it worse.

1. Moving Around in Your Home

You find bed bugs in your bed, so you switch to the guest room. Then you find bed bugs in your guest room, and switch to your couch. Then you find bed bugs in your couch. Bed bugs will follow you around a home. As unpleasant as it may seem, you should normally stay in one area until your home and everything in it has been completely treated. 

2. Not Getting Immediate Help

Tenants, in particular, have a tendency to hide bed bugs from their landlords in fear that they could be charged exorbitant fees for the cleaning. The faster the relevant parties know about the problem, the faster it can be dealt with. Apartment dwellers, in particular, can treat bed bugs in their own apartment but keep getting them from their neighbors. The entire building has to be treated at once.

3. Leaving Your Home

Staying with a friend or relative during treatment can seem appealing, but even if you aren't visibly carrying bed bugs, you could still have them. Not only could you give them to your friend or relative, but you could leave them with an infestation and that infestation could reignite your own.

4. Not Covering the Mattress

As noted, it's better not to leave your mattress if you know you have bed bugs. However, that doesn't mean you have to keep sleeping directly on a bed bug infested mattress. A mattress cover should be purchased and placed over it to seal in any live bugs until you can get a professional treatment by a company that offers pest control services. 

5. Trying to Use Regular Bug Sprays

Not all bug sprays kill bed bugs. Bed bugs need to be treated in two ways: either through a bed bug pesticide or through killing them with temperature extremes. These are the only effective ways to kill off an infestation.

6. Not Being Proactive

Once your bed bugs have been treated, you need to take active steps to prevent another infestation. That includes cleaning your vehicle, not bringing in additional items from your home into your home, investing in a mattress protector, and regularly cleaning and inspecting for signs of new infestation.

Are you making any of the above mistakes? You may want to call a professional to deal with the problem at once, rather than suffering through it. Professional pest control services can treat your entire house at once and can give you tips on how to avoid future infestation.