There are two general ways of how to get rid of bed bugs. You can choose to do it yourself or you can hire a professional bed bug exterminator. But how do you know which of these two means you should pick?
How to treat bed bugs depends on the size of the infestation and whether you want to do the work yourself.
The do it yourself approach to bed bug treatment requires several steps and types of products. Here are some simple steps you can follow and products to purchase in order to get rid of any infestation. Of course if the problems are severe you will have to call in a pest control expert.
Consider buying a kit that contains all of the products you need to treat bed bugs. By clicking the links below you can find some good online sources. A kit will come with a spray, powder, steamer and zippered mattress covers. Some even come with itch cream to help with the bed bug bites.
Do It Yourself Approach to Treat Bed Bugs
1. Clean the Room of the Infestation Thoroughly
When I say thoroughly, I mean it. Bag all the clothes and tie wrap them. Put all shoes, sneakers and what ever you can clean and put them in plastic bags. Do the same with blankets, linens and bed covers. Carry them in the plastic to the washing machine. Wash what you can on the hot setting. Whatever you can’t wash, if it will withstand the hottest setting on your dryer for 10 minutes, do that as well. After the clothes and blankets dry, put into new plastic bags for protection. Wipe all surfaces with a rag that contains a disinfectant.
Vacuum every inch of the room. Use the crevice tool that came with your vacuum. Be sure to work under everything, along the edges of the walls, the window frames, everywhere. After you are done, don’t remove the vacuum from the room. Take the vacuum bag and seal it in plastic and throw it out, outside of the home. Preferably leave it in the hot sun to kill any bugs or eggs that are alive in the bag.
If you have carpet, use a carpet cleaner and add some disinfectant to treat bed bugs. That should kill any eggs.
Remove all clutter from the room including newspapers and magazines. Throw them out in a plastic bag that you fill and seal in the room.
2. Spray and Use Bed Bug Dust
Buy a non-toxic bed bug spray. Spray around the seams of the bed, and in any crack where you think bugs are hiding. After the mattress has dried, seal it with a zippered cover that specifically states it was made for bed bug problems.
Sprays will kill the bugs on contact. However, the eggs are difficult to find and remove since they stick with a cement like substance. By sprinkling dust, when the young bed bug nymphs are born, the dust should kill them.
3. Steam – A steamer will kill the bed bugs and the eggs. If you buy a bed bug kit it will usually come with one for this purpose. Eggs are usually found on fabric or cardboard surfaces. Check everywhere including picture frames, box spring and even inside smoke detectors.
If this doesn’t work, call a professional that specializes in how to treat bed bugs. You can get a recommendation from Angie’s list by calling 877-670-3742. A professional will know where to look and can help you with a full bed bug treatment program. Whether you do it yourself or call an exterminator, you may need more than one treatment to get them all.
In case you really prefer to do the treatment yourself, make sure you know everything about bed bugs so your execution of the elimination process is more effective. Here’s a video that can give your more information about the small blood-sucking pests.
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This was very informative.