These annoying little creatures hide and populate things in our homes, cracks and crevices, furniture, carpets, cupboards and compartments, beds, sofas, anything that may support their procreation. And then come out at times to bother us in our sleep, feeding on our blood. Bed bugs are not only annoying; they are very dangerous too. They are known to spread seriously harmful diseases.
Without taking the right precautions, it can be difficult to get rid of bed bugs from most places in your house. (For tips on how to get rid of them for good, read our blog on The Do’s and Don’ts of Eradicating Bed Bugs.) However, if the bed bugs infest your precious shoes, getting rid of them might prove harder than removing them from beds and other furniture. Considering this difficulty, this article explores the ways you can protect your shoes from bed bugs.
As it is said that “prevention is better than cure”, so let’s first discuss the ways through which we can prevent bed bugs from infesting our shoes.
How to Prevent Getting Bed Bugs in Your Shoes
1. Wear your shoes often.
Bed bugs, unlike fleas, do not enjoy rides. They do not tend to live in things that move often. That is the reason they are most commonly found living in furniture or cracks. Even if they get in, they will try to rush out and run away as soon as the shoe moves. Wearing your shoes often automatically reduces the chance of bed bug infestation. A lot of people think that wearing sports shoes can solve the problem but it won’t! It's not about the texture of your shoes, it's about how you can carry it with yourself.
2. Keep your shoes away from your bed.
Bed bugs tend to live inside or near human resting places, so they can come out and suck the blood out of you when you are dreaming of your nice dreams. They will prefer to populate those shoes that are under or near your bed. Keeping your shoes away from yourself is one way to lower the chance of bed bugs infesting your shoes.
3. Keep your shoes inside boxes or bags.
Keeping your shoes inside a box or plastic bags lowers the chance of bed bugs finding home in your shoes. Bed bugs can not get through sealed covers. So cover up your shoes inside plastic boxes or bags and conceal any potential entrances. Even if somehow they reach inside by latching on to your shoe, they would die (although it takes time) due to lack of oxygen and food.
4. Keep Sterifab on hand.
We recommend spraying Sterifab in your mudroom or wherever you keep your shoes. The spray is an entirely non-residual insecticide, so it will kill the bed bugs (plus any other critters in or around your shoes) but it won’t leave a trace. (You can order Sterifab here.)
Not sure if it’s definitely bed bugs in your shoes?
Here’s how to tell the difference between bed bugs or scabies.