Bed bugs may seem like a trivial matter, but these tiny critters could have a huge impact in college students’ lives. Dorm rooms are not the cleanest place on Earth and boys often have little consideration about cleanliness. As a result, many dorm rooms are infested by bed bugs. These bugs could cause significant sleep discomfort among students. Sleep deprivation can be a bad thing for many students. They would be unable to perform properly in college. In fact, it’s possible for students to have lower grades due to sleep problems. Bed bugs don’t discriminate and they will go to any place that can harbor their habitats. The student’s social status doesn’t guarantee protection from bed bugs in dorm rooms, but their cleanliness is. Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers and they are brought into the dorm room from outside. Once a room in the dorm is affected by bed bugs, it’s very likely that other rooms will be affected as well. Bed bugs can be brought into the dorm rooms with handbags, shoes, clothing, briefcases, backpacks and luggage. As an example, a friend may go to our dorm room and he lays his backpack on our bed. A few tiny insects could quickly penetrate the bed sheet. Anyone could accidentally introduce pesky bed bugs into the dorm room. College staff should teach students how to prevent the proliferation of unwanted insects in their bedrooms, residence halls and dorms. It is important to provide prevention procedure on how bed bugs can be prevented. Staff should also regularly inspect dorm room for cleanliness. Beds could also be checked for presence of unwanted insects.
There should be a program to reduce or eliminate clutter in the dorm room. Each weekend, the college staff may go to the dorm and ask all students to perform one hour of room cleaning tasks. The result can be inspected to make sure that there’s no accumulation of dirty laundry and other things. It is also highly recommended to vacuum the dorm room, including the bed. Another thing to prevent bed bugs infestation is to choose mattresses that are certified to prevent bed bugs. Used furniture should also be regularly removed from the dorm rooms. Old wood furniture may absorb moisture, causing organisms to thrive inside cracks and crevices. There should be a close examination to determine the extent of the infestation and we should adopt the proper follow up plan. Once bugs are found inside the mattresses and beds, there must be a quick and immediate step to quickly remove them. If the problem is severe enough, these beds could be disposed permanently. If, despite all efforts, bed bugs still can’t be removed from dorm rooms; then we may need to obtain professional assistance. Bed bugs are growing issues and we should know how to properly remove them from our dorm rooms. In fact, bed bugs could provide a public relation downfall, if there are reports and rumors about the outbreak of bed bugs inside the college. Staff needs to be proactive and they need to properly prepare everything.