Some believe that as long as you keep your home clean, pests will never come to you. Unfortunately, that is not the case with bed bugs. The truth is bed bugs can enter any home or property whenever they have the opportunity. For instance, if you travel frequently, there is a higher chance of you acquiring bed bugs from hotels as these pests can easily hitchhike onto people’s items like clothes or suitcases. Therefore, you may unknowingly bring bed bugs with you in your return home and the moment they gain access to your household, an infestation will likely ensue in no time.
Bed bugs are attracted to sweat and carbon dioxide and consume blood to survive. That is why they love to get close to humans especially at night when the latter is asleep. It is no wonder that bed bugs are mostly found in people’s bedroom, especially in areas in and around the bed or mattress. Bed bugs would then take advantage of their sleeping victim by subtly sucking the latter’s blood. Consequently, people bitten by bed bugs will notice red flat welts on their skin the next day. Bed bug bites can make people restless because the bites are extremely itchy and do not easily go away unlike mosquito bites. When left untreated, the bite marks may become inflamed and infected adding more stress to the victim and making people lose sleep due to the discomfort.
Get Rid of Bed Bugs Immediately
It is, therefore, necessary to treat a bed bug infestation the moment you notice the first signs of bed bug activity. Bed bugs multiply fast and because they are too tiny and less visible during the day, they often go undetected. So, how do we eliminate these pesky creatures at home fast? Consider using the following techniques:
1. Apply extreme heat or extreme cold.
Bed bugs cannot survive when exposed to extreme temperatures. If you have spotted the subtle signs that you have bed bugs at home, you need to wash your clothes, linens, beddings, and stuffed animals in the washing machine using hot water. After washing, you can dry them in the dryer for at least twenty minutes. For non-washable items, you can place them inside plastic bags and let them stay in the freezer for at least 24 hours. This method truly works when it comes to killing the bugs.
Since mattresses and upholstered furniture are too enormous to be washed and get frozen, you may opt to apply steam cleaning. First, set the steam cleaner’s temperature to over 140 degrees Fahrenheit and run it several times over those huge items, especially the parts with nooks and crevices where bed bugs like to hide.
2. Vacuum.
Vacuum cleaning definitely helps suck out and remove bed bugs from their hideouts. Regularly vacuum areas surrounding your bed, furniture, walls, floors, and other potential hiding spots. Of course, once done, don’t forget to dispose of the vacuum bag by throwing it into a trash bag and storing it in a tightly-sealed garbage bin outside of your home. This prevents the annoying bugs from crawling back to your property.
3. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth.
Diatomaceous earth is an inexpensive chemical-free powdery substance considered as an effective natural bed bug home remedy. It is known to dehydrate bed bugs, thereby killing them in the process. You only need to sprinkle the powder onto cracks and infested places. Because bed bugs have fragile exoskeletons, their weak bodies will be cut into shreds once they crawl over the tiny shards of diatomaceous earth. After a couple days, you will see your desired results. However, you must refrain from sprinkling the substance on areas where you can inhale it as it is harmful to your lungs. Tip: Wear masks and gloves when applying DE.
These are the top home remedies that you can use to eliminate bed bugs. Other homeowners also suggest using rubbing alcohol, baking soda, bleach, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and essential oils to be sprayed on bed bug infested areas. It must be noted, however, that these bed bug removal techniques do not guarantee 100 percent effectivity. Still, in terms of heavy infestations, calling in the pest control professionals is the best thing to do.