Can You Get Bed Bugs if Your House Is Clean? Why Clean Homes Get Them Too

Can You Get Bed Bugs if Your House Is Clean?

Bed bugs can live in any house, clean or dirty, since they come for people, not for dirt. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that how clean a place is does not determine whether bed bugs are present, and they turn up in five-star hotels and resorts.

Why Cleanliness Does Not Matter to Bed Bugs

Cleanliness does not matter to bed bugs since they do not eat crumbs, garbage or grease. Bed bugs feed only on blood, and they do not live on their hosts: they usually hide nearby and visit them to feed, mostly at night (HealthLinkBC). A spotless bedroom with a sleeping person in it offers them everything they need.

Entomologists treat "bed bugs only infest dirty places" as a myth. Toronto Public Health reminds health professionals that even the cleanest people can get bed bugs, at home or in a five-star hotel.

What Attracts Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are attracted to warmth, blood and carbon dioxide, not to dirt and grime, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Health Canada explains that they come out at night, drawn by the carbon dioxide you exhale, and feed on people and pets.

So the most attractive spot in any home is where someone sleeps. HealthLinkBC notes that bed bugs prefer places where they can hide easily and feed regularly, which is why they often settle in and around beds, couches and night tables first. For the full picture of what brings them into a home, read about what causes bed bugs.

Do Bed Bugs Mean You Are Dirty?

Bed bugs do not mean you are dirty. Montreal's public health network (CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal) states that anyone can have bed bugs and that there is no need to be ashamed, and the Government of Quebec notes they can be found everywhere, even in the cleanest houses. Even pest control companies such as Orkin Canada note that the cleanest homes can be at risk.

Shame still causes real harm. Health Canada reports that some people living with bed bugs experience anxiety and insomnia, and staying quiet only gives the infestation more time to grow. Telling your landlord, a neighbour or a professional early is the fastest way to stop it.

How Do Bed Bugs Get Into a Clean House?

Bed bugs get into a clean house by hitchhiking on people and the things they carry. They cannot fly or jump (Health Canada), so every infestation starts with bugs or eggs carried in from somewhere else.

Travel and Hotels

Travel is one of the most common ways bed bugs reach a clean home. The CDC explains that they spread by getting into the seams and folds of luggage, overnight bags and folded clothes. MyHealth Alberta notes that even in a clean, well-run hotel, a few bed bugs can be in a room after earlier guests brought them in on their belongings.

The risk is that you rarely notice. According to MyHealth Alberta, 1 or 2 bed bugs may travel home with you, and you may not notice them for a month or more.

Second-Hand Furniture

Second-hand mattresses and furniture are known high-risk sources of bed bugs, according to University of California Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM). HealthLinkBC warns about items from second-hand stores, garage sales and the roadside, and advises against relying on the seller's word that an item is bug-free.

New is not always safe either. HealthLinkBC points out that new mattresses are often delivered in the same truck that carries away old ones, so ask for a sealed mattress and check it before it comes inside.

Neighbouring Units

Neighbouring units are a common source of bed bugs in apartments and condos, no matter how clean your own unit is. HealthLinkBC lists walls shared with neighbours and the openings where pipes, wires and other utility services pass through walls as entry points. Shared laundry rooms, hallways and common areas may also help bed bugs move between units, according to Rentokil Terminix Canada.

Multi-unit buildings come with their own rules and risks, covered in the guide to bed bugs in an apartment.

Everyday Belongings

Everyday belongings carry bed bugs too. HealthLinkBC says bed bugs can hitch rides on clothing, backpacks, luggage and books, and can be found in student residences and shelters as well as homes and hotels. UC IPM adds bedding and other objects to the list.

That means a visitor's overnight bag, a child's backpack or a box of borrowed books can bring them in. To see how quickly they move once inside, read how bed bugs spread.

Does Cleaning Prevent Bed Bugs?

Cleaning does not prevent bed bugs from reaching a clean house, but it can make them easier to find and easier to treat. A tidy home is a home where an infestation can be caught early.

Clutter and Hiding Spots

Clutter gives bed bugs more places to hide, says the EPA. Their flat bodies already let them squeeze into very small spaces: under wallpaper, behind picture frames, in electrical outlets, inside box springs and in night tables (Health Canada). Piles of clothes, boxes and papers around a bed multiply those spots.

UC IPM recommends keeping clutter down so that inspecting is easier and bed bugs have fewer hiding places. HealthLinkBC adds these steps to reduce hiding places:

• Vacuum often, including under and behind beds.
• Repair peeling wallpaper.
• Tighten loose electrical faceplates.
• Seal cracks and crevices.

For a room-by-room list of their favourite spots, see where bed bugs hide.

Spotting Bed Bugs Early in a Tidy Home

Early signs of bed bugs are easier to see on clean, uncluttered bedding. HealthLinkBC lists these signs:

• Dark spots on sheets, mattresses or bedsprings, which the Government of Quebec says come from bed bug excrement
• Molted skins where bed bugs hide, as the US CDC notes
• Bite marks, often on the face, neck, arms, legs or chest, according to Health Canada

Adult bed bugs are flat and about the size of an apple seed, roughly 5 to 7 mm long (US EPA). Eggs are white and about 1 mm long, which makes them almost impossible to see on most surfaces (Health Canada). Bites are not a reliable early signal: Health Canada notes they can take up to 14 days to appear, and many people have no reaction at all. If you are seeing these signs, the guide to bed bug infestation explains how to confirm one.

Why Cleaning Alone Will Not Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Cleaning alone will not get rid of bed bugs once they are established. Health Canada states that washing alone will not kill all of them, and the EPA notes that even pesticides alone will not eliminate bed bugs: control needs several techniques combined with monitoring.

HealthLinkBC recommends getting help from a qualified pest management professional and warns that more than one treatment will likely be needed. Scrubbing harder will not fix the problem, and it should never make you feel the infestation is your fault.

How Do You Keep Bed Bugs Out of a Clean Home?

Keeping bed bugs out of a clean home is about checking what comes in, not about scrubbing more. The full prevention plan is in how to prevent bed bugs.

Inspect Second-Hand Items

Inspect every second-hand item before it comes inside, especially mattresses, box springs and upholstered furniture. Look along seams, folds and joints for live bugs, dark spots, shed skins and eggs. The Montreal public health handout advises never to bring home mattresses or upholstered furniture left on sidewalks.

Protect Your Luggage When You Travel

Protecting your luggage starts the moment you enter a hotel room. Health Canada recommends these steps:

1. Check the room with a flashlight before you unpack.
2. Put your luggage in the bathtub or in the middle of a tiled floor, never on the bed, furniture or carpet.
3. Use a metal luggage stand rather than a wooden one.
4. Keep clothes and belongings in sealable plastic bags.
5. At home, store the suitcase away from the bedroom, for example in the garage.

Dry Clothes on High Heat After a Trip

Drying your clothes on high heat kills bed bugs that may have come home with you. Health Canada advises washing all your travel clothes in hot water, whether you wore them or not, and drying items that cannot be washed on the highest heat for 30 minutes. MyHealth Alberta adds that a hot dryer kills all stages of bed bugs, and that you should not unpack your suitcase in your bedroom.

Seal Gaps Shared With Neighbours

Sealing gaps on shared walls limits how bed bugs move between units. Following HealthLinkBC, seal cracks and crevices and the openings around pipes, wires and other utility services, and tighten loose outlet and switch faceplates. These steps matter most in apartments, condos and semi-detached homes.

Mattress Encasements

Mattress encasements designed for bed bugs keep them from settling in, or from escaping, your mattress and box spring. UC IPM reports that they have been shown to work in laboratory research, and bugs trapped inside can eventually starve. HealthLinkBC recommends sealing any small zipper gap with strong tape and keeping the mattress enclosed for a full year.

When to Call a Pest Control Professional

A pest control professional is the right call as soon as you confirm bed bugs, or if bites and signs keep appearing after you have checked your bed. Pest control companies often use insecticides or very high heat, which Penn State Extension says some combine, and more than one application is likely (HealthLinkBC). To understand the visit, read what exterminators do for bed bugs.

If you use a product yourself, choose one sold in Canada with a Pest Control Products (PCP) number on the label, follow the label exactly, and never apply pesticides to baby cribs, playpens or toys (HealthLinkBC). You can also get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.

If You Rent

Renters should tell their landlord as soon as they find bed bugs. In Quebec, Montreal's public health handout states that the owner of a rental is responsible for dealing with the problem. Rules may differ by province, so check who is responsible for paying for bed bug extermination where you live.