Of course, even if you follow every possible precaution, you can’t necessarily protect yourself from bedbugs, but here are some measures that might help:
NEVER bring discarded furniture into your apartment! Avoid rebuilt mattresses (which should be clearly labeled). A bedbug-certified mattress encasement is also a good preventive measure. You may want to tape up the zipper; if you use less-expensive encasements that aren’t bedbug-certified, use two, put them on with the zippers facing in opposite directions, and tape both zippers.
If you buy second-hand clothing, have it dry-cleaned or put it in a hot dryer for at least 30 minutes before bringing it into your apartment.
Be careful when you travel! Never put your suitcase or clothing onto the bed or into any furniture or closets in a hotel room. Put your suitcase on the luggage rack and live out of it. You may want to bring with you a plastic bag large enough to seal your suitcase up while you’re not using it. Check the mattress and box spring for signs of bedbugs. Even if you don’t see any signs of bedbugs, you may want to take other precautions: there are nontoxic sprays available in sizes approved for air travel that will keep bedbugs out of the bed while you’re in it. You can make a nontoxic bedbug spray repellant by putting 5-10 drops each of essential oils of peppermint, cloves, lavender, and eucalyptus in a spray bottle, filling the bottle with water, and spraying liberally — the bed, around the bed, and your luggage. The bottles the essential oils come in are small enough to meet TSA specifications, and you can leave the spray bottle empty until you need it.
If you’ve been in an environment where you think there may be bedbugs, there are things you can do when you get home to make sure they don’t move in with you. Strip as soon as you get in the door, put all your clothes into a plastic bag and seal it up until they can be washed and dried, and take a hot shower. If you think your suitcase may have become infested and it doesn’t have any components that might melt in a dryer, put it directly into a dryer for 30 minutes. Remember that a visual inspection of your clothes and luggage may not be sufficient — eggs and newly hatched nymphs are very difficult to see with the naked eye.
If you own a car, make sure that it’s kept bedbug-free, too. Your apartment can become infested, or reinfested, by bedbugs that have been joyriding in your car.
The measures outlined above for keeping bedbugs from getting back into your bed or your apartment once you’ve had an infestation will also work to keep them out in the first place — especially sealing up all cracks and crevices.
If you’ve been exposed to bed bugs or if you have any questions, our New York Bed Bug Injury Attorneys will help you through the process of filing a claim, and we will fight for your right to compensation. Call and speak to one of our New York Bed Bug Injury Attorneys at 646-504-7384 or via our contact page to learn more about your rights so that we can obtain the best outcome for you.