Protecting Yourself Against Bedbugs

Rule Four: What to do if you think, or know, you've been somewhere that's infested — or if you've got guests from out of town.

Heat kills bedbugs. Eisenberg's book suggests sticking all of your clothes into the dryer or a large square heating box (about $300) called a PackTite for things that can't go in a dryer (like shoes and stuffed animals and coats). Heating your potentially infested things up to 114 degrees will kill the bugs.

See Also: 9 crucial travel facts to know.

Steam vapor cleaning can work, too. If you go to someone's house, don't put your coat on the bed, and likewise, don't have guests put coats on your bed in your house. If you're having a party, Eisenberg writes, hang the coats on the shower rod.

Rule Five: Don't be embarrassed.

Early treatment is easier than dealing with a full-blown invasion. Call professional exterminators the moment you see a bedbug, or suspect your home has bedbugs. If you live in an apartment building, alert your superintendent or co-op board. Likely as not, you’re not the only one who has them.  A trained exterminator can come in and flush out the problem more economically if it is confined to, say, the bedroom, rather than waiting until they have multiplied and spread.