How To Keep Centipedes Out Of Your Bed

Your bed is the place in your home that should bring you the most peace, tranquility, and comfort. After all, most people spend nearly one-third of every day in bed. So ensuring it is free of any discomfort is essential to maintaining this harmonious status quo. This balance is immediately interrupted, however, the moment you notice a centipede crawling on your sheets.

The best way to keep centipedes out of your bed is to keep your home dry, clean, and clutter-free. Centipedes are attracted to moist places, so purchasing a dehumidifier or installing a bathroom vent helps keep centipedes outside. Removing clutter, deep cleaning, and sealing any holes and cracks in your walls are also great ways to prevent centipedes from entering your home and bed.

When you first notice a centipede in your home, especially near your bed, it makes sense you want to never see another one. There are many ways you can make your home less vulnerable to centipedes and other unsightly pests. Before you choose which method or methods to employ, you should understand more about centipedes and their habitats. This will help you understand what about your home makes it vulnerable to centipedes.

House centipedes are more common than you might think. These insects, however, like dark wet areas, so they are almost always out of sight of humans. While these bugs are tiny, many home centipedes have a venom that packs a punch. A centipede bite can leave you with a large welt that will remain painful and itchy for days. You can even experience chills, sweats, and fever from centipede bites.

Centipedes like dark areas and are averse to sunlight. Their ideal conditions are dark, wet, and warm. They are often found in warm climates hiding in warm moist areas in your yard. They can also make their way into your home if your home presents optimal living conditions.

Centipedes love moist dark places. You are likely to find them in areas that are rarely exposed to light and maintain high levels of humidity. This is why it is popular to see them under a bathroom sink, for example. If you have a home with a high moisture content, like a non-climate controlled home in a tropical climate, then your entire home is at risk for centipede visitors.

Consider climate controlling your house, or at least investing in a dehumidifier. Drying out your living space will make your home a much less desirable location for centipedes to live, and they will likely opt for wetter areas outside your home. Dehumidifiers also make your home more comfortable and can help prevent mold from damaging your home and belongings. This makes this an option that can solve multiple problems in the home.

In order for centipedes to get into your bed, they first need to find their way into your home. Cracks in your walls and near entry points are not only pathways for centipedes and other insects to enter the home. They are also places where small insects can live and breed.

Take time to examine your walls, paying attention to your entrances and windows. Also inspect your window screens. If you notice even small holes and wear and tear, it is best to replace the screens, as these are common places for insects to enter. Fill any holes or spaces with caulk, and make sure your doors and windows seal the home properly. This will prevent most entry points for centipedes.

Reducing clutter is not only a great way to better organize your life. It is also a great way at reducing the risk of centipedes living in your home and crawling on your bed. Clutter in your home promotes the buildup of dust and dirt. This promotes the growth of insect populations, which in turn attracts centipedes.

What makes clutter even more attractive for centipedes is it is often untouched. This means centipedes can live unbothered in a cool and dark spot in your home without ever having to worry about being exposed to sun or predators. Removing clutter ensures that more of your home is exposed to light, which discourages centipedes from setting up a home.

If you notice a centipede in your home, it might make your home feel dirty. Use this feeling to your advantage and opt to immediately deep clean your home. Deep cleaning helps prevent centipedes from entering your bed for several reasons. A deep clean means you are touching and sanitizing all surfaces, even those hidden in the dark.

It also sanitizes your home, making it an undesirable place for centipedes and other bugs. Cleaning your home also means vacuuming, mopping and doing laundry. If your home is regularly cleaned, it becomes a less desirable place for centipedes to hide out.

There are several types of insecticide that can be used to help prevent a barrier between your room and centipedes. There are all sorts of insecticides and fumigation methods on the market. Several of them are geared towards killing centipedes. Others act as a poisonous deterrent. Some even act to attack the centipede’s food source.

Choose an insecticide that is safe and works best for the problem you are having. If you do not have an “infestation” but rather are trying to prevent centipedes from potentially entering your bedroom, you may want to try a spray that lasts a long time and deters them from entering.

Perhaps the best way to eliminate centipedes from your home altogether is to eliminate their food source. Centipedes are carnivores, as in they eat insects. The more insects you can kill and keep out of your home the less likely you are to have centipedes living in your home. If you are specifically worried about centipedes in your bed, it is important you have a very clean bed and bedroom.

Be sure to wash your bedding weekly, as this prevents mites and other bugs from making a home in your bed. A mattress protector is a great way to prevent bed bugs and other insects from living in your sleeping area. A bug free bed area will help ensure a centipede free bed area as well.

If you are a naturalist and averse to pesticides, you may want to opt for an essential oils approach to centipede prevention. There are several essential oils that are known to be quite effective at deterring centipedes.

Some essential oils that repulse centipedes include cedar wood, tea tree oil, lavender, and even peppermint. Using these oils in a combination in a diffuser, or even spraying them on your bed sheets, can help prevent centipedes from entering your bed. Several of these oils have a lovely smell, and lavender is known to promote relaxation.

You should hire a professional If you cannot seem to rid yourself of centipedes, or are looking for the most effective method to prevent centipedes out of your bed. A professional pest control expert can come to your home and discover its vulnerabilities.

There may be parts of your home you have overlooked. There may also be certain remedies and prevention methods your professional has access to that your hardware store may not. While this is certainly the most expensive option, it is also likely the most effective when you are looking to never see a centipede in your bed again.