Have you ever wondered if bed bugs could pose a threat to your office building? Well the answer is yes! In 2013, office buildings ranked the fifth highest in public locations that have reported bed bug infestations. The problem they pose in office buildings is a little different than the problem they create in homes. In offices, unlike in a home, bed bugs do not have sleeping or resting areas to infest. Instead they tend to wander and spread around the office before anyone is aware of them.
If your building ever becomes infested, here are three things you can do:
- Thoroughly vacuum the problem areas. The best way to quickly eliminate pockets of accessible, clustering bed bugs is to vacuum them using a powerful vacuum equipped with a crevice tool. Common places for bed bugs to hide in office buildings are under desks, on chairs, along rug tack strips, and even on walls. In order to get the most out of vacuuming, be sure to scrape the crevice tool along surfaces to dislodge or even crush the bed bugs and their eggs.
- Hire a professional steam cleaning service. Steam can help overcome the limitations of vacuuming by destroying bugs and especially eggs that may not have been located or dislodged during vacuuming. When steam cleaning, pay particular attention to seams, folds, and ribbing on beds, chairs, and other surfaces. Repeat the steam cleaning process on a regular basis until is apparent that the infestation is gone.
- Call a professional pest management company. If the first two solutions don’t work or you don’t want to handle this problem on your own, it’s probably time to hire a professional pest management company.
