Best Bed Bug Defense for Group Living

August 25, 2021

Bed bugs have increasingly become a concern for group living environments.

So, let’s break those management methods down:

- Bed bugs are incredibly small, nimble, and quick to hide. They crave small, tight spaces. Any objects in a room including light switches, decorative moldings, hanging art & mirrors, and furniture offer refuge for bugs. Furniture with smooth, non-porous surfaces deter bug movement since the bugs cannot get the traction required to crawl. Metal, molded plastic, and lacquered wood are all good options. Joints will still exist on most furniture but clear silicone caulk can easily fill those favorite hiding spots. The same goes for switch plates and moldings; sealing the crevices with clear silicone caulk prevents hiding places.

- If professional pest treatment becomes necessary smooth surface furniture offers the additional feature of being easily cleanable after chemical treatments. Molded plastic and metal furniture in particular are easy to wash with water and mild detergent. Mattresses can also be part of the bed bug arsenal when made with non-porous mattress covers like coated nylon or vinyl made with inverted seams. The cover deters nesting and the inverted seam minimizes hiding places. While there is no furniture or mattresses that are completely resistant to bugs but there are ways to make furniture more resistant.

- Monitoring is the other half of a good defense strategy that both prevents and detects bed bugs. Monitoring devices include specially made plastic discs that fit under furniture legs that are coated with a fine powder that attracts bugs but is too slippery to allow them out. These discs are not designed to treat an infestation but are instead designed to alert staff to the presence of bedbugs. Bed bug proof mattress encasements are another essential tool. These lab-certified bug proof devices are made with a micro-knit cover, micro tooth zipper, and micro seams. Additionally, encasements are bright white to make any bugs clearly visible upon inspection. Monitoring devices are inexpensive compared to treatment options and can show the presence of bugs as soon as the first bug.

Bed bugs can cause your organization plenty of headaches. Investing in bed bug resistant furniture is a big step toward fighting off these pests and keeping you rooms safe. Create your own Furniture Concepts Wish List today to get a price on bug resistant furniture for your organization.

Topics: Bed bug prevention plan, bed bugs