So like millions of other people you got a bed bug infestation. Listen, I know it’s gross. No on likes bugs in their bed, especially ones that feed on you during the night and make you itchy. It’s not the end of the world though. You can treat bed bug infestations; and it’s a lot easier than you think!
Bed bug infestations can be a pain in the rear to get rid of, but with the proper knowledge and tools you can easily get rid of bed bugs in your home. Killing bed bugs boils down to two things. Kill the bed bugs with heat or kill the bed bugs with cold. It’s really that simple. Bed bugs cannot survive extreme heat or extreme cold and almost every bed bug chemical, bed bug spray or bed solution takes advantage of that.
The first step in getting rid of bed bugs is finding the source of the bed bug infestation. You need to check everywhere.
Look in your mattress for bed bugs, look in your sheets, look in the baseboards, behind pictures, in any cracks or seams. Surf your carpet for bed bugs, and make sure you are thorough. Before you can remove bed bugs you need to determine the scope of the infestation. Keep note of where *most* of the bed bugs are and how far across your home they have spread.
Many times bed bugs will be more prevailing in one room more than an other. The room with the most bed bugs is usually the originating source of the bed bugs.
After you’ve determined how bad your bed bug infestation is you need to start killing the bed bugs. The first step in eradicating bed bugs is to use a bed bug powder or spray treatment. You need to apply the bed bug product to the most infected areas. Areas such as your bed frame, mattress, under your bed, baseboards and any seams or pockets require special attention. You must apply the bed bug chemicals aggressively to all of the affected areas.
If your bed bug infestation is severe you may also need to throw out some furniture such as your mattress or couch. Most of the time a bed bug spray will kill the bed bugs but occasionally bed bug infestations are really bad and throwing out furniture will be required.
Remember, bed bugs cannot survive extreme heat. You need to steam clean everything to remove bed bugs.
Steam clean your linens, bedding, towels, curtains, clothes – everything. After you’ve steam cleaned everything wash it on the hottest possible cycle in your washing machine. Heat kills bed bugs, so the hotter the better. Make sure you are thorough when you are steam cleaning. If the bed bugs aren’t hit with direct steam you will not kill the bed bug.
This is a crucial step in getting rid of bed bugs in your home.
Now that you’ve eliminated bed bugs in your household you need to continue to monitoring for new infestations. Bed bugs don’t just magically appear – they come from somewhere. Set up a bed beg trap and keep your eye on it for any new bed bugs. This will help you remove the bed bug infestation before it gets out of hand. Bed bug traps are inexpensive and easy to setup so don’t worry. You should setup at least one bed bug monitoring device but the more you setup the quicker you’ll avoid a bed bug breakout.
Bed bug traps come in many different shapes but the most impressive bed bug monitoring (and killing) system is called the NightWatch. The NightWatch bed bug trap has a 99.9% success rate over a 7 day period.
So you’ve removed all the bed bugs in your home and washed and cleaned all of your fabrics. You’ve also setup bed bug traps to monitor for new bed bug infestations. Now you need to keep your rooms free of clutter and keep them clean. This means vacuuming frequently, changing bedding on a regular basis and keeping your area free of general clutter.
Many times when people get bed bug infestations they move to a different house or different room. This only spreads the bed bug infestation further. Not a good idea.
When you are visiting people or places keep an eye out for signs of bed bugs or people complaining of itchy bed bug bites. The last thing you want is to transfer a bed bug infestation on your clothes to your now bed bug free home.
I dont have much money right now and my sons room is absolutely infested with bed bugs.. what is the best way to get rid of bed bugs on a limited budget – and quick!
Thanks Mari
Mari,
The best way is to just be as *thorough* as possible.
Clean everything, wash all bedding on high heat multiple times, steam clean everything that can be steam cleaned, and then buy bed bug mattress protectors and put out bed bug traps to indicate if bed bugs still exist after your efforts.
[...] kerosone, regular bug spray etc. While these are generally ineffective against bed bugs you can remove bed bugs without having to call in a specialist. However, you have to be very persistent and it’s more manual labour (like vacuuming) then it [...]
My daughter moved into an Appartment with her newborn, she has bites all over thought spiders, I think they are Bed bugs, its not an infestation, what can she use now to get a jump on the bugs.
Your daughter (congrats on the grandbaby) should perform a thorough cleaning of the entire room first to identify the extent of the problem. If it’s not an infestation yet, it could be soon.
The best and easiest way is to simply call an expert in, but be sure they don’t use any harsh chemicals since a newborn will be nearby.
Without the use of chemicals the expert will likely follow these steps:
-Inspect the room for signs of bed bugs
-Clean the room of clutter and thoroughly
clean each item removed from the room.
-Steam clean and wash on very high heat (or throw away) any bedding, clothes, sheets, pillows or fabrics that may have been in contact with bed bugs.
-Vacuum any remaining signs of bed bugs (you have to be thorough, this is where you could miss some).
-Dispose of the vacuum bag or thoroughly clean/steam clean vacuum canister.
-Place bed bug traps around bed posts and obvious cracks and crevices/possible sources of entry.
-Replace bedding!
And that’s pretty much it – overall its just an intense cleaning of the room using high heat followed by inspection and placing traps to monitor for bed bugs.
In the end it all boils down to being thorough!