Basics of Property Management: Screening Potential Tenants
3 Ways To Eradicate Bed Bugs From Your Entire Home
Jesse Obrien
Do you have bed bugs? If you even have an inkling that these terrifying insects have begun taking over your home, it's time for action. A bed bug infestation can take hold fast, and once they are there in full force it can feel almost impossible to remove them. Even worse, you can easily spread bed bugs to family members, friends and colleagues. The best way to treat for bed bugs is to treat your entire home at once. There are a variety of methods that you can try.
1. Heat Treatments
Though bed bugs are resistant to many common methods of pest control, they are fairly susceptible to heat. Bed bugs can be killed at temperatures as low as 113 degrees. It takes about 60 minutes for bed bugs to die. While 113 degrees is certainly an unpleasant temperature, it's not very hot at all. A sauna, for instance, ranges from 160 degrees to 180 degrees. For a heat treatment, the temperatures are simply raised in the home temporarily using special equipment, which kills off all the bugs inside. Very few items within a home will be affected adversely by 113 degree temperature, though televisions and other complex electronics should be temporarily removed.
2. Cold Treatments
Bed bugs will die off at around 32 degrees. But don't just turn off the heating in your home during the winter. Cold treatments should still be done by professionals because the cold must be sustained for a period of time. If you attempt a cold treatment without a professional, you could cause serious structural damage to your home--namely, the pipes. Cold treatments are often used for items within the home, as you can stick bedding in a chest freezer and have it emerge unscathed. But cold treatments can also be feasible for a home under the guidance of a home pest control service.
3. Pesticide Treatments
If neither heat treatments nor cold treatments are really feasible, pesticides can also be used for bed bug removal. This type of treatment has a clear advantage: you don't need to remove any delicate items from your home. If you have antique furniture, for instance, you will not be able to leave it inside your home during a heat treatment or a cold treatment because it could warp or even break.
To find out more about bed bug treatment you should call your local home pest control service as soon as possible. They may have discounts or deals on certain types of pest treatment and may have specific recommendations for you regarding your home.
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For the last several years, I've used a property management firm to help with my rental properties. One of the tasks that they handle for me is screening applicants who would like to move into one of my vacant units. Their expertise has helped me lower my tenant turnover and find people who want to stay with me for years. Part of the process is a tenant screening credit check. Before any further contact takes place, my manager orders credit reports from at least two agencies. That is enough to tell us if an applicant is a good financial risk. Assuming the references work out, I meet the candidate and make the final decision. If you own rental properties, let me tell you more about the benefits of having a property manager. I'm betting you'll find this type of arrangement will work for you too.