How Do You Check Furniture for Bed Bugs?

When bed bugs infest a home, they not only bite you. They also bite your guests when they either sit on your sofa or sleep on your bed. In a bid to avoid this pain, most people consider getting rid of their furniture first before seeking ways to eliminate bed bugs. Instead, you can search for bed bugs in your furniture. So, how do you check the furniture for bed bugs?

Before we get to the tips, you need to know that bed bugs do not only hide in wall cracks, cervices and floor cracks. Your bedding is not the only place where you are likely to find a bed bug. These reddish-brown pests also love to hang out in select areas of your furniture for various reasons.

In a bid to get rid of them completely, you must consider all your furniture, from your bed to the sofa, and even the drawers. That being said,

How do You Check Furniture for Bed Bugs?

1. Place Furniture on White Sheet

Because of their color, it is highly probable to spot a bed bug when it falls on a white sheet. This is why this tip is one of the most effective to find bed bugs in your furniture. Place your furniture on a white sheet and shake the furniture vigorously. You can get help to shake the furniture to see if any bed bugs will fall off.

Note that this step is fundamental for every other furniture check you’ll be making. This enables you to spot the bed bugs faster when they fall.

2. Use Cards to Check Cracks in Furniture

Hiding in cracks is easy for bed bugs because of their flat-shaped bodies. The cracks in the furniture are not exempt from this. And bed bugs can use it as a hide-out from which they launch attacks on your skin.

Run any strong card through these cracks to fish out bed bugs that may be hiding in them. When you do this, you will either find actual bed bugs, bed bug feces (which are usually red stains) or old skin which nymphs (baby bed bugs) shed.

3. Use Flashlight to Inspect the Corners of the Furniture

There are some dark spots in your furniture that you won’t see. As such, you need a flashlight to be able to check for bed bugs that may be hiding in these dark spots. This will also enable you to quickly notice the bed bug movement, especially if the furniture is a brown one.

Bed bugs can hide in almost anywhere as long as it is a cool area as they do not like heat. This makes your furniture a perfect place where they can hide and operate from. It is essential to know this as you consider various methods to eliminate them.

Now that you know how do you check furniture for bed bugs, understand that steaming and vacuuming are very effective ways to kill bed bugs and their eggs. You should also consider spray tree oils on affected areas once you notice the presence of bed bugs.