Difficult as it is to consider, they may one day need our help — just as we once needed theirs. Having a caregiver to help care for them is a great source that can provide you with peace of mind. Caregivers can help provide assistance in everyday activities such as eating, bathing, and dressing in addition to ensuring that the proper medications are administered, and doctor appointments are kept.
Unfortunately, one of the main reasons people get bed bugs is because of a caregiver or a family member that has them. So what do you do when your caregiver is no longer a relief, but the reason the stress is occurring?
The Awkward Bed Bug Conversation
It’s important to note that people can get bed bugs from anywhere and anyone can get them. They are resilient pests that are famously known for hitchhiking their way from victim to victim. So before you start pointing fingers it is important to be open minded before beginning the conversation and be sure that you do indeed have bed bugs.
First step is to call a professional bed bug exterminator, like ECO DC, for an inspection. We will give you our expert opinion as to whether you have bed bugs or not. If you have a bed bug infestation, it is important to tell those that enter and leave your home on a regular basis. You do not want your caregivers or family member spreading it to their homes.
Depending on how bad the infestation is at your home, it may have already spread to their residences. If your infestation was just beginning to start, it is likely that you were not the original source of the bed bugs. If you believe that your bed bugs may have come from your caregiver or family member’s homes, it is vital to suggest they get an inspection done as well. Even if you do not believe it came from their home, it would be the polite manner to suggest they get one done.
How Did They Bring Bed Bugs Into My Home?
Bed bugs are known for being excellent hitchhikers. Using people’s belongings such as clothes, purses, and luggage. They even travel on a person’s shoes!
Caregivers are consistently rotating through people’s homes, therefore having a higher chance of picking up a bed bug or two. This then leads to them bringing them to their own homes and spreading them to others. This is especially true for caregivers or housekeepers that assist the elderly, in truly opposite formats.
While cleaning, a housekeeper is turning up furniture and digging around in areas that are not typically addresses, aka where bed bugs hide. This can lead them to collect a few on their belongings or clothes.
A caregiver, or someone who assists the elderly or disabled in their home, can pick up bed bugs due to the lack of attention done to prevent bed bugs. Those that do not have the means to clean on a consistent basis or discard clutter can find themselves living with bed bugs for years and not even know it.
How Do I Stop It From Happening?
You cannot simply avoid bed bugs or completely prevent them from coming into your home. They are only the size of an appleseed, quick, and have no preferences of their own. We would drive ourselves crazy constantly checking ourselves for bed bugs and that is no way to live.
There are a couple of simple things you can do to reduce your chances of bringing bed bugs into your home:
- Get a mattress and box spring cover with no seams
- If you consistently rotate homes, like a babysitter or housekeeper, be sure to spray your shoes down with 91% alcohol as soon as you leave a residence
- If you are a caregiver or housekeeper, be sure to put your clothes in the wash right away when you get home. Use hot water and high heat!
- Avoid upholstered communal areas, like couches in a motel lobby.
- Inspect your home mattress regularly
- Inspect any bed you plan to sleep on (hotel, motel, guest room bed, etc.)
- Have an open conversation with your caregiver or housekeeper about letting you know if they ever have a bed bug issue
If you feel as though you were in a home with bed bugs or your caregiver, housekeeper or a babysitter might have them call ECO DC Bed Bug Exterminators today to schedule YOUR inspection at (202) 709-7490 or visit us on our website.
