The bedroom is the most vulnerable place for bed bugs to nest. Due to its dark and undisturbed environment, these pests can sneak around unnoticed.
But what about other areas of the home such as smartphones, TVs, kitchens, and other home appliances? Are they just as susceptible to infestation?
People are often shocked to find out that bed bugs can live virtually anywhere that is warm and close to their host.
This includes TVs located close to the bed, electrical sockets, and even small electronics like phones or tablets with a continuous heat source.
Bed bugs don’t typically live inside your electronics or appliances – but that doesn’t mean they won’t make a home somewhere nearby.
Bed bugs prefer dark, quiet places close to their host – so if you have a TV near your bed that could be an attractive spot for them to hide out. Plus, electronics often give off heat which bed bugs like.
Bed Bugs Inside Home Appliances: Explained
A bedbug infestation is a homeowner’s worst nightmare. While they’re difficult to get rid of, their ability to spread and even hide in different places makes them especially difficult to eradicate.
Their ideal hiding spots include dark, undisturbed, and warm environments – and if you come to think of it, our home’s appliances may just fit the bill.
Microwave ovens, refrigerators, and washing machines all provide a suitable habitat for bed bugs due to their warmth. However, although they’re all considered to provide suitable living conditions – there’s one thing missing from these places, making it nearly impossible for bedbugs to nest in these areas – a blood meal.
Take kitchen appliances, for example. Not only are they located in rooms separate from our bedrooms, but the bed bug would have to crawl through at least one door and a few feet of flooring just to get close enough to be able to feed.
Unlike roaches that feed off crumbs, or ants that feed off other insects and sugary treats, bedbugs are parasitic in nature, meaning they require a living host to survive.
Although electronic appliances may offer suitable living conditions, the lack of a human host can make it difficult for them to survive – thus making it very unlikely for these pests to be found in these places.
This makes it much less appealing for a bed bug compared to something like a mattress or couch cushion.
When Will You Normally Find Bed Bugs Nesting In Your Appliances?
In general, electronics are not prime targets for bed bug infestations.
Although we’ve mentioned that it’s incredibly rare for bed bugs to nest inside your appliances, there are some cases in which they can be found in these areas, and here are some of these circumstances:
Severe Infestation
When a severe infestation has taken over and there are no other areas in your home available for them to stay, they may find that your appliances can provide a suitable temporary home.
Anywhere that’s near the infested area such as wall cracks, nearby furniture pieces, and even home appliances can be infested by these pests.
Unusual Habits of the Host
Your habits in the bedroom might lure bed bugs out of their hiding spots and into your electronics.
If you’re someone who likes to watch TV and sleep on the couch, with the TV being close to the couch, then there’s a possibility that these bed bugs might stay there.
While it’s true that these bed bugs might prefer staying on the couch. However, if there’s a severe infestation and there’s no place for them to stay on the couch, then the next best place for them to stay is near the TV or other home appliance near your couch.
Laptops Left Under the Bed for Extended Periods
Many of us have the habit of leaving our phones, and sometimes, laptop computers under the bed.
Whether you’ve brought some last-minute work from the office that you needed to finish quickly, or you simply wanted to listen to some music before going to sleep – leaving these electronics under your bed for an extended period of time can make it a prime spot for bed bug infestations.
Undisturbed Appliances
As mentioned earlier, bed bugs and similar pests don’t like to get disturbed. With a severely infested home and no other nearby spot to go to, bed bugs may find that your appliances can provide a suitable home.
Appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, and washing machines are usually left undisturbed for long periods. When was the last time that you moved your washing machine?
Do you remember moving your refrigerator to clean its backside? There’s a possibility that these types of large appliances have never made it to a different spot for years – and this makes them a great spot for bed bug infestations.
Can Bed Bugs Nest in Vacuum Cleaners?
One of the most common ways to get rid of bed bugs from your home is to use a vacuum cleaner. But what happens to your vacuum cleaner after you’ve used it? Can bed bugs nest in there?
The answer is “not likely”. Bed bugs don’t like to get disturbed, and a vacuum cleaner is one of the most active cleaning devices used in homes.
This means that after vacuuming your home, you need to clean up the bag and ensure that you dispose of it properly.
Otherwise, these bed bugs might just climb up off the vacuum hose, and find their way again to a new spot to stay inside your home.
This renders the entire vacuuming useless, which is why it’s important to make sure that you clean your vacuum cleaner properly after every use.
Ideally, you’d want to use disposable bags for your vacuum cleaner and empty it out properly if you’re dealing with a bed bug infestation.
This ensures that their eggs and larvae don’t get stuck in the vacuum cleaner, leading to a potential re-infestation.
Is It Possible to Find Bed Bugs in Pre-Owned Appliances?
Every once in a while, being thrifty and buying pre-owned appliances can seem like a great idea.
While there’s nothing wrong with pre-owned appliances, the possibility of there being bed bugs inside them is real.
If you didn’t know by now, buying anything second-hand is one of the fastest and easiest ways to bring bed bugs inside your home.
Mattresses and couches will surely come with bed bugs, but even a simple coffee maker can carry them.
If you really have to buy a pre-owned appliance or furniture piece, it’s always best to perform a thorough inspection and make sure that there are no bed bugs before bringing it inside your home.
Mattresses and couches should be steam cleaned even before it steps foot inside your home. Otherwise, you might be dealing with a severe infestation inside your home.
Can You Find Bed Bugs in Your Smartphone?
Unfortunately, bed bugs are incredibly small – and even the tiniest of electronic gadgets can provide them with an ideal home.
Your smartphone is no exception. However, it’s very unlikely that they set shop there since it’s always being carried around everywhere – and getting disturbed is the one thing that they don’t like most when it comes to finding a suitable home.
However, if your phone remains under the bed, or pillow, as mentioned earlier, the possibility of bed bugs finding their way inside these tiny devices increases.
Again, if there’s not enough place for them to stay, and this happens when an infestation is severe, they may find their way inside your smartphone in search of a suitable home.
Final Thoughts
Heat treatment is considered a great way to treat bed bugs, but with appliances, this doesn’t apply.
It’s possible to kill the bed bugs present in items such as a couch, mattress, or clothing using heat treatment, but this doesn’t work with large appliances like washing machines and refrigerators.
Not only will the heat damage the appliance, but it won’t be enough to kill all of the bed bugs present.
The best way to get rid of bed bugs from large appliances is to call a professional exterminator who can take care of the infestation for you effectively and safely.
Before you try to get rid of all those bed bugs from your appliances, it’s best to address the infestation at its source – which could be your bed, couch or any other furniture pieces that might be harboring bed bugs.
Once you take care of the main source, getting rid of bed bugs from your appliances will be much easier.
They’ll come out on their own, find a suitable place to stay, and with the chemicals lingering, and follow-up treatments from pest control services, they’ll be gone for good.
