Even after being prompt about cleanliness and hygiene, you might get these little devils in your furniture. If you are unable to get rid of bed bugs on your own, call a professional exterminator for bed bug heat treatment.
But before you get to that, here are some tips that should help you ward them off quickly.
6 Steps Guidelines on How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Safely
Step 1: Identify Infected Areas
Inspect each nook and corner where bed bugs are likely to be found and grow faster.
Bed bugs are sensitive to carbon dioxide, which we naturally exhale. Hence, their common nesting places are corners of the bed and areas near your headrest. Cramped places like your mattresses’ underside, carpet, beneath a chair, etc. may also be their homes.
Knowing where they are hiding will enable you to take the right steps, instead of shooting in the dark.
Step 2: High-heat Cleaning and Drying
According to research, bed bugs cannot tolerate high heat. Hence, implementing high-heat treatment might work nicely. But this is effective mostly when they are fewer in number.
Wash your mattresses and their nesting places with hot water. You can also use steaming treatment in places you can’t wash.
After you are done with cleaning, use blow heat drying for the best results. A dry environment will prevent their infestation.
Step 3: Use Cold Treatment
Bedbugs hate extremely cold environments. So using cold treatment is a great way to get rid of them.
If your bedbug infestation is contained to small objects, you’re in luck. Just put these objects in a bag and pop them into your freezer. After about 4 days, they should be dead. You can then clean your objects and place them back in their spot.
This treatment won’t help you with mattresses and cushions, though. So for those, resort to heat treatment only.
Step 4: Vacuum Cleaning
Vacuuming the infected area such as mattresses and the area around your bed is helpful when you have a small infestation. It won’t guarantee killing the bugs, but you might be able to remove them.
Vacuuming is suitable for areas where both heat and cold treatment are difficult to do. With it, you can even remove bedbug eggs.
Use your vacuum cleaner periodically under your bed, on the couch, and on the floor, behind the headrest. Make sure you get into as many corners as possible for the best results.
Step 5: Use Pesticides
Killing bed bugs with pesticides is a vital step to get rid of them for a longer time. You can use this treatment at your home. But getting an expert pest control and chemical treatment would be better.
Many chemical sprays and tablets are available in the market. But they are harmful to your health too, if you don’t follow the safety guidelines. Make sure you read the safety instructions before using them.
You can use insecticide dust like CimeXa Dust or Diatomaceous Earth for treatment. Read their usage instructions or do a quick Youtube/Google search before using. Follow all steps carefully to get rid of even the smallest bugs and their eggs.
Step 6: Prevention Measures
Prevention is better than a hassling bedbug treatment. After you’ve gotten rid of your bedbugs using our tips, make sure they don’t appear again.
For that, keep your furniture and mattresses clean. Don’t forget to deep clean once in a while, even if you don’t have bedbugs.
Regular cleaning and disinfecting will make sure your bed bugs don’t reappear soon. And also remember to keep your wooden furniture and mattresses dry. If you eat on your bed, clean it after your meal to avoid other insects’ growth too.
Conclusion
The tips above will help you deal with moderate or small bedbug infestations. But bedbugs are stubborn creatures that sometimes won’t leave your side even after you’ve tried everything above. If that happens, immediately call for expert bedbug treatment. Remember, the longer you wait, the more they’ll grow.