What To Do If You have Bed Bugs The first thing to do if you have bed bugs is decide how serious it is. You will probably need to call a pest control specialist, but there are other things that you need to do to make sure they are gone for good.
Everything that can be washed in the washer and dried in the dryer should be put in dissolvable laundry bags. That includes obvious things like bedding, and less obvious things like curtains. Also you will need to empty out all of the dresser drawers of clothing and put them in laundry bags.
Bed Bug Obliteration - 6 Ways To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs
Take bags from the room only as you can throw them directly into the washer, and clean them on the hottest water setting. Don't take them out of the room ahead of time, and don't put them back in the room until you are sure it is clean of pests. Make sure you inspect the outside of the bag before removing from the room so you don't inadvertently spread them to the rest of the house.
While the dresser drawers are out and bedding off, vacuum everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING! Vacuum meticulously in drawers, along base boards, in nooks and crannies. Remove the lining from the bottom of the box spring and vacuum in there. Then vacuum up some diatomaceous earth so that it kills off any bugs that are in the bag. Remove the vacuum cleaner bag and take it out immediately to the curb. (Avoid breathing diatomaceous earth as it is an abrasive. It is preferable to wear a dust mask)
Temperatures of 300ºF to 320ºF will kill bed bugs and their eggs on contact. Get your dry steamer and steam the bed mattress and box spring especially well. Then start in one corner of the room and steam clean inch by inch. This is especially important if you have carpets. In fact, I would recommend you take up your carpets completely. Pay particular attention to the base boards, outlet covers, sills and crevices. Take your time and be thorough. Steam in closets, dressers (and under too), head boards, and bed side tables. Steam every single item, large and small, top and bottom, in and out. Then steam the bed again. Vacuum everything thoroughly again, and suck up some diatomaceous earth and then dispose of that vacuum cleaner bag.
Encase your mattress and boxspring in special mattress and bed covers. These are designed to completely seal in the bed. The zipper, fabric and seams have all been tested and proven that bed bugs can not get out if they are sealed in, and can not get in to your mattress if they are outside. If there are bed bugs left on the mattress they will be trapped without air and will die off. They also can not feed through the cover. Bed bugs will die when your bed is encased in our special mattress covers.
As an added bonus, bedbugs are easily detected if the appear after you encase your mattress. The encasement is a preventative method as well.
Use diatomaceous earth and pest duster and dust the perimeter of the room... base boards, window sills and window and door borders, outlets and any little cracks and crevices. Once you have dusted you can reassemble the bed, now protected with the covers. Dust cracks and crevices inside and underneath the dressers, drawers and night stands. Diatomaceous earth is abrasive. Bed bugs breathe or eat it and die.
Get some dresser drawer liners. As your freshly laundered clothes come out of the dryer, fold them and place them immediately into the drawer liners and zip them closed. It's a good idea to keep a few extra liners on hand to take with you when you travel. If you must unpack your clothing into hotel dressers make sure you use the liners.
Get the bed bug "climb cups" and place one under each bed leg and dresser leg. The climb cups have 2 rings inside that are kept slippery with talc. The outer ring catches any bugs that try to climb up the bed legs, and the inner ring catches bugs that climb down the bed legs.
A CO2 Bug trap will work for detection, and to kill bugs where there is early infestation. It attracts bugs with heat and CO2 and once inside the trap, they die. The trap is good for killing bed bugs, and it is also a good tool for prevention.
You will definitely need to employ more than one strategy to rid yourself of an infestation. In fact, it would be worthwhile to employ all 6 ways to rid your home of bed bugs.
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