Bed Bugs- How to Keep Them from Coming Home from School

I must say that I was shocked when I first read this article about bed bugs. I never even thought that they could infest the schools they way that they infest homes. Usually when we hear bed bugs we think about a bug in the bed, not in clothing, or backpacks. So how can you protect your home? Below is a list of ways that may help you to keep your home bug free. Some of the tips may sound a bit odd but it would really be worth the effort, to keep your home bed bug free. Even if your school does not currently have a bed bug problem you may want to try some of these methods anyway just in case.

No backpacks in the house

Why not start by installing a nice coat rack outside on your front porch, or in the garage. It should be an area outside of the house so that they do not bring them in. You can have each of your children hang up their backpacks on the racks outside. After they have emptied out their backpack completely it is a good idea to place the backpack in the dryer for several minutes. This may be a pain to do everyday but the effort will certainly be worth it in the long run.

Change clothes

Don't let any clothes worn at school sit for even a minute. As soon as each child comes home have them change their clothes, and place the clothes in the washing machine on hot. I do not recommend leaving them in a clothing bin, even if they are placed in a bag. Wash them, and dry them right away. Of course if you don't have a washer and dryer in your home, it may make sense to put them in a special bed bug bag. These bed bug bags can be found at your local Wal-Mart store. Keep all school clothes in these bags until laundry day, and wash them separately. Just don't open the bags inside of the house. This includes hats as well, that should be placed in the dryer.

Bed Bug traps

Set up traps at all the entry ways leading into your home. Even if you don't currently have a bed bug problem that is nothing wrong with protecting your home. You can click here to find a variety of bed bug traps. This way if your child does end up bringing some home from school perhaps the traps will get them before they infest your home.

Leave shoes outside

Some families already do this on a regular basis to keep from having dirt tracked through their house. Depending on the type of shoes you have bed bugs can easily hop a ride on shoes. You may not see this mentioned much, but as an extra precaution keep them outside.