Making Better Real Estate Decisions

The current trend toward repurposing old items may be great for the environment. Yet, your fascination with old furniture could be more trouble than it's worth when you wind up with a pest infestation. Currently, bed bug problems are on the rise, and traveling is not the only way to bring them home. If you find that your itch to reclaim those sidewalk offerings has left you a little itchy, then it's time to do some investigative work to find out if you have a bigger problem than deciding where to fit your latest living room acquisition in your design scheme.

Examine Every Inch of Your Furniture

Bed bugs are extremely tiny, but they are visible to the naked eye. Start by checking any items that you recently brought into the house for signs of bugs. Black spots or eggs along the seams of your upholstered furniture or mattress are a serious red flag. Hard surfaced furniture pieces may also be harboring bed bugs underneath shelf liners or in the corners of drawers. Once you have inspected the repurposed pieces, move on to the other furniture in your house because bed bugs spread rapidly.

Check for Tell-Tale Skin Bites

At first, you may just think a mosquito mistook you for lunch. Yet, you then start to notice a disturbing pattern of waking up with more red bumps than you went to bed with the night before. Finding bites in the morning is a common sign of bed bug bites, and you may notice that they form little lines of three bites in a row. This is due to the bed bug's feeding patterns. In addition to bites on your skin, you may find specks of blood on your sheets or pillowcase that indicate an active infestation.

Get Up Close With Your Home Décor

While bed bugs are usually found around the furniture and bed, they may also travel to other areas in close proximity to their preferred feeding grounds. For example, bed bugs can sometimes be found in the seams of the carpet or hiding behind peeling wallpaper located near the bed. Check these areas, and be sure to seek prompt bed bug treatment if you notice any signs of suspicious insect activity.

Dealing with a bed bug issue is best left to the professionals who have bed bug treatment options, and you will likely never look at a cool couch on the road with the same innocent eyes. While bed bugs naturally give you the creepy crawlies, remember that it is not your fault. Once your home has been treated, simply give that old piece of furniture a thorough inspection before you attempt to bring it into your pest-free house.