As a homeowner, one of your responsibilities will be to stay alert for household pests, which could include bed bugs. According to Today’s Homeowner, they are called bed bugs because they are attracted to the carbon dioxide that people breathe out when they are asleep. These small, brown bedroom insects will climb into mattresses, but they also live in couch cushions and luggage, furniture, and clothing.

Once you identify bed bugs in your home, you should take action to get rid of them. According to Today’s Homeowner, although bed bugs don’t cause any communicable diseases, their bites can cause allergies or skin reactions in the people they bite. According to Healthline, you can identify bedbugs by seeing brownish-black specks or live bedbugs, which are red and measure about ¼ inch long. If you see those signs, you should investigate available options for bed bug treatment.

You may find bed bugs treatment available in hardware or home goods stores. However, most homeowners who face this problem will need to consult a bed bug cleaning service, because professional measures are often needed to control these infestations. According to Bob Vila, the average professional bed bug treatment cost ranges between $350 to $6200.

Chances are you know you’re supposed to sleep tight and not let the bed bugs bite, but do you know how?

Unfortunately, bed bugs plague too many people. Back in 2000, only 25% of pest control services reported having to deal with bed bugs, but according to a 2013 survey from the University of Kentucky, 99.6% of pest management services had to provide professional bed bug treatments that year.

With bed bug populations surging, you need to know how to guard your home against these blood-sucking fiends, otherwise you may wind up itchy and bitten. Here are a few tips to help.

Inspect Your Hotel Room.

Hotels are notoriously buggy, so if you plan on doing any traveling, do an inspection of your hotel room’s bed once you arrive. Check the box spring, the mattress, and then any visible parts of the headboard, paying close attention to the edges. If you see little brown spots, then call the front desk and ask for a new room, as those are signs of an infestation.

Think Twice About Used Furniture.

Secondhand furniture and clothing can also give you bed bugs. Never pick up a sofa, bed, or loveseat from the curb, and if you go to a used furniture store, ask the salespeople how they deal with bed bugs. If they don’t have an answer ready, you might want to go someplace else to buy.

If Infested, Use a Natural Bed Bug Treatment.

A heat treatment for bed bugs is one of the most superior bed bug solutions around. These natural bed bug treatments use thermal remediation equipment to heat rooms to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for about two hours, which effectively kills any and all bed bugs where they’re hiding. What’s more, these natural bed bug treatments are also much safer. The chemicals of unnatural bed bug treatments have been linked to such horrifying side effects as brain damage, infertility, birth defects, cancer, and even organ failure. Instead of taking those risks, just use a natural bed bug treatment.

Remember, if you want to avoid bed bugs, avoid buggy hotel rooms and second-hand goods. If you do get infected, be sure to use a natural bed bug treatment to roast those nasty pests.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. Read more.