People who have lost sleep due to bed bugs know how challenging task it is to get rid of them! It is really disappointing, annoying and very exhausting process to fight them. Also calling for help from pest control professionals can get very expensive! So people try several ‘do-at-home’ options to kill bed bugs.
If you are temporarily budget constrained, then don’t worry. The three options we discuss today will cost you very little or nothing. Without further ado, here they are: Remove or eliminate them physically, Segregation or isolation and Water/Steam/High temperature control
Before we proceed, one note: It is not easy to get rid of bedbugs. You should combine several solutions for faster and long lasting results. The solution details are as follows:
Physical Removal: This solution involves finding the bed bug infestations in your home and removing them using a vacuum cleaner, scrubbing them with vacuum cleaner attachment and removing them using a sticky tape. Bed bugs hide close to their food source: human beings and in some cases pet animals and birds. They avoid light and hide in places where light does not reach easily like inside cracks and holes and deep inside of furniture like bed frame, box spring, headboard, Mattress, dresser, deep inside bed linen and sheets, behind picture frames, mirrors, curtains, loose carpet and wall paper, chairs, couches etc. Inspect all of them meticulously. Inspect the edges of bed frame, mattress and box spring. Remove mattress and box spring from the bed frame and check underneath. Inspect the head board. If you find bed bugs, collect them using a vacuum cleaner. Use a sticky tape to collect them if the insects are hiding in a place where it is not easy to reach with vacuum cleaner or its attachment. Hold and push the tape on the insects and collect them in a plastic bag. Look out for bed bug eggs. They are very small, about the size of a dust particle. Their color is yellowish white. And they are very sticky. You will have to use a hard brush to scrub them off. Collect them in plastic bags. When you feel confident that you have cleaned the entire room thoroughly, remove the vacuum bag and seal it. Seal all other plastic bags where you collected the bed bugs. Promptly dump them in a dumpster. This step is very effective in removing a large portion of bed bug infestation.
Separation: Let’s face it: It is not easy to get rid of bed bugs. So why not safeguard the things which matter to you most? Use plastic bags or plastic containers to Store all your cloths and books. Isolate your bed so they can not reach you. Pull your bed away from the walls so the bed bugs can not crawl on the walls to reach your bed. Bed linens and cover should be rearranged and tucked in tight so they do not touch the floor. Buy double sided tape and stick it on the legs of the bed and bed frame. Put legs of the bed, couch and sofa in bedbug interceptors. The bed bug interceptors can be bought from the web or you can use glass or small pots/pans/dish with very smooth surface. This ensures that the bed bugs will not climb up your bed.
Water/Steam/High temperature control: High temperature of above 120 F/50 C can be very effective in killing bed bugs. First identify all the items you can wash safely. This includes cloths, curtains, shoes etc. Use high temperature cycle to wash them. You may find some items can not be washed but can be put in dryer. Run them through hot dryer for two cycles at high temperature. You may want to dry them at a professional dryer as some of them reach to very high temperatures. You can use steam, to kill bedbugs hiding deep inside cracks and holes. Amazon has some fantastic collection of steamers. Buy a steamer and kill the bedbugs with steam. This can be very useful approach for killing bed bugs.
Our best wishes for a fast and long lasting elimination of bed bugs!
