Despite of their name, bed bugs can nest in other places other than your bed. They can hide in many other places too - furniture corners, underneath the carpet, behind the headboard and even in wall or floor cracks. They also like feeding on your blood. If you believe your room's got these creepy crawlers somewhere, read on. The following are some ways on how to get rid of bed bugs.
Eliminate clutter found in your room, so they will have less areas to hide in. Place everything inside plastic bags and seal them completely to keep the bugs from spreading to other areas of the house. Using a flashlight, carefully inspect spots in the room where you believe they're hiding in. Make sure you go through every nook and cranny. A magnifying glass can come in handy as these insects are very small.
When you spot one, the rest may not be far behind. Put isopropyl alcohol or bleach in a spray bottle. Use this on the bugs you can find to kill them. There may be others already nestingg in the room somewhere. For this, start placing your clothes, curtains, pillow cases, bed linens, etc., inside plastic bags. Seal them carefully and take them to where the washing machine is.
Using hot water in laundering them is effective in killing both adults and eggs. Later, stash them in the dryer. Place the dryer in the highest possible setting allowed for the fabric type you have inside. You may also choose to hang the items you just washed under the intense heat of the sun. Once completely dried, get new plastic bags and place them inside. Tightly seal the bags to keep new bed bugs from getting into them.
Plug in your vacuum cleaner and start using it in places where bed bugs may be nestingg. Pay extra attention to hard-to-reach spots, underneath furnishings, around the box-spring and mattress. Place the brush attachment on the nozzle when vacuuming tight corners or areas. It's a good move to start from the top of the room to the floor.
Take out your steam cleaner from storage and follow manufacturer's direction in setting it up. Remember to put it in the highest possible setting. Go over everything that you had just vacuumed, except for electronics or near electrical outlets. Do it slowly to ensure that the insects and their eggs are killed off by the steam. A dry vapor cleaner is ideal for use on a box-spring, mattress or upholstered furnishings.
Wrap upholstered furnishings, box spring and mattress in thick plastic, sealing it with masking tape. This procedure will keep bugs from touching them again. Also, it will trap those that are inside until they die in there. For the days to follow, simply repeat the vacuuming and steam cleaning for the rest of the room.
Always inspect for telltale signs of their presence, such as tiny dark fecal or blood stains. If the steps above prove to be ineffective after a few days, it's time to call professional exterminators. They will inspect your room or the rest of your house, and decide on the next few steps necessary to get rid of bed bugs for good.
More Information:
Getting rid of bed bugs need not be an endless process. Performing a few easy tasks will allow you to learn
how to kill bed bugs on your own. Naturally if your efforts fail, then you should hire a professional exterminator with bed bug experience.
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