In terms of bed bug infestation, an apartment is likely to have a greater chance of being infested. It is because bed bugs can spread much more easily toward stuff such as unused furniture that sometimes is left outside.
So, to get rid of bed bugs in the apartment, we need comprehensive treatment including inspection, treatment, and prevention. In this case, killing bed bugs in the apartment should be easy and fast because the space is limited and there is less stuff than in a regular house.
However, the exception is only for the big size apartment. There, you need more effort and attention to deal with bed bugs.
So, now, let’s dive in.
Check the legal aspects
The very first thing you need to do is check and learn about the legal aspects of your apartment. Here, you need to know the right and duties of a resident or occupant.
It is because each apartment and state has its own law or rules that must be obeyed due to bed bugs problems.
In a certain apartment, maybe you need to contact the pest exterminator that is legally accepted or you are free to do anything as long as you don’t do harmful things around. The law can be different for each apartment.
Asking permission from the landlord is necessary because sometimes bed bug treatment follows the design of the apartment.
In this case, bed bugs can spread from your neighbor, especially their unused furniture, mattress, or belongings that are just thrown away around.
Sometimes, bed bugs can also travel from one unit to the other unit through cracks and any possible path between the infested unit and the clean unit.
So, it is necessary to also treat another unit that is suspected to be infested too.
Well, if you are able to do the treatment by yourself legally, now let’s continue to the following section.
Related article: A List of Guides to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Inspection
The inspection may take a few minutes for a small apartment because it doesn’t really have much stuff inside.
To inspect bed bugs’ existence, you need a flashlight, magnifying glass, and basic knowledge of bed bugs’ appearance and signs.
It is important to understand what bed bugs look like because sometimes they can be mistaken for roaches nymphs and other bugs of similar size.
Well, I assume that you ultimately know that there are bed bugs in your house. So, let’s start your inspection of some spots in your apartment that are likely to be bed bugs’ sanctuaries as follows.
Check other guides at How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Bedroom area
The most vital area that needs to be inspected is your bedroom area since this is where the bed bugs live primarily.
First, if you use a board for your bed, you need to primarily check the area under the mattress. There, bed bugs usually stay and live. Then, you also need to check the bed cover, blanket, pillow, cracks on the board, etc.
Second, if you don’t use any board for your bed, you need to check the layer under the mattress. Here, some people prefer to not use any high board so they can easily and comfortably sleep without being afraid of falling from their bed.
Well, inspecting this type of bed is much easier because there are fewer spots for bed bugs to hide.
Check your bed carefully and keep your stuff there to avoid the spread of bed bugs. Here, inspection only aims to know whether there are bed bugs or not.
We don’t want any further spread just because we move the bed parts to another room.
Carpet
In certain types of people, a carpet sometimes is hardly washed frequently. Sometimes, we can find a house with carpets that are not washed for years.
It is actually a bad sign of house cleanliness and leads to pest infestation. This kind of situation is the favorite spot for any insects to hide and even live. That’s why we need to inspect the carpet area.
So, be careful when you roll the carpet and find out that there may be some insects under your carpets, crawling and sometimes even attacking you.
Here, if there is a heavy infestation of bed bugs, you will also find bed bugs shed, eggs, and even nymphs. That is a normal actually clear sign that bed bugs live there.
Couch
If you have a couch near your bedroom, you surely need to check this. It is because sometimes people sleep there too and that is where bed bugs preferably get their food.
Here, checking a couch is a bit challenging because there must be some points of unreachable covered areas that need extra effort.
But, once you are sure about the couch, it is likely to solve many of your problems.
Wardrobe
If you are actively traveling and staying from one hotel to another, it is important to inspect your wardrobe. Sometimes, bed bugs travel via luggage and hide in your clothes.
This is why sometimes the infestation starts in your wardrobe where bed bugs stay and spread when it is possible.
Please check your clothes and other fabric stuff carefully because bed bug nymphs are so tiny.
If there is a bed bug, it is better to wash all of your clothes and inspect your wardrobe completely.
That is a sign that the bed bugs have traveled so far from your bedroom or that is where all the infestation begins in your house.
Vacuuming
Vacuuming is one of the safest methods you can do to get rid of bed bugs in an apartment. It is residual-free, easy to do, and chemicals-free which is completely good if you have kids, pets, or any other health issues related to the use of chemical sprays.
First, you need to vacuum the bedroom or any of your sleeping areas which is the primary area where bed bugs live.
Here, you need to pay attention more to your mattress. Make sure that you do not miss any of the spots. Otherwise, you will find out that the bed bugs will likely be reproduced and spread again.
Then, you need to vacuum the other near areas where you usually sleep. It is important to also check some stuff inside and near you because bed bugs can go anywhere.
During the breeding season, sometimes female bed bugs will run away due to the bad habits of male bed bugs that can hurt the females.
That is why sometimes you will find bugs in unpredicted places such as paintings, walls, and even electronic stuff around.
Next, make sure you kill the bed bugs collected in your vacuum. If you can burn them, just burn all of them with the bag.
It is important to not let any bed bug nymphs and eggs escape. In this case, you need to unload the bag outside the house because we don’t want to let any of the fallen bed bugs escape, right?
Washing
It is important to wash your bed cover, mattress layers, clothes, and any fabrics in your apartment, especially those that have been used as bed bug nests.
Here, you have to make sure that there will be no bed bug eggs and nymphs left. That is why you do need to wash your stuff during the treatment.
First, you need to separate the infested stuff into a plastic bag. Then, you need to wash them with bed bugs detergent that you can buy in any market near you.
It is because there are not only adult bed bugs but also nymphs and eggs. Here, you may wash it with hot water to get extra power to kill bed bugs.
But, still, it is important to check the temperature at which your fabrics can stand.
Then, after all the stuff has been cleaned, you have to keep them in a safe place. It is necessary to put them in a new plastic bag that can help you to prevent any bugs from crawling into the pile of your stuff.
The washing method is how to get rid of bed bugs fast in the apartment. However, in this case, it is better to keep your stuff until the whole treatment is finished.
Isolation
The other way to get rid of bed bugs effectively is by doing isolation. Here, isolating your apartment unit is possible but it requires a lot of patience.
In this case, if you plan to leave your apartment unit for months, isolation can be the easiest way to kill bed bugs in the apartment.
Isolation means letting the bed bugs die in a certain place by cutting off the supply of food sources. This condition will lead bed bugs into desiccation which is a condition that makes bed bugs dry and die.
To do this isolation, you need to completely seal all the cracks and any other crevices that may make bed bugs escape or move to the next apartment unit.
Here, recent research shows that bed bugs can survive at least 4.5 months after their last blood meal while nymphs can survive just as long.
But, they can prolong their lives by crawling and hiding in crevices and cracks. It is because those small cracks and crevices are much moisture that slows down the desiccation process.
Heating
The other popular and effective method is killing bed bugs in apartments by heat. In the case of apartments, heat treatment can both prevent and control bed bugs.
So, it is a good method you can do if you have a chance to leave your apartment for a while.
To prevent bed bugs from outside, it is better to put your stuff in the heating chamber before you unload them in your apartment.
One great idea is by creating a permanent heat chamber by using a storage closet, basement room, or a shipping container. It is like the place you need to pass before entering your apartment after traveling.
Then, to control bed bugs in apartments, you need a bit different heating method. Here, you can use hot vapor to kill bed bugs inside.
The use of a small heat chamber may help you but there must be some free space to store it after use. Well, the choice is yours.
Moreover, there are some heat treatment methods that you can choose depending on your ability and finances. It is because some stuff to do this method is quite pricy.
So, read more in this article How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs with Heat Treatment to learn this method completely.
Well, that is all about how to get rid of bed bugs in your apartment. If you have any other tips and tricks, feel free to share them with us.