Wednesday, February 13, 2013

How to Kill Bed Bugs

Learning how to kill bed bugs is necessary as these creatures are becoming a common problem to many people. Bed bugs are nocturnal insects that live in bedding and suck human blood. They are disastrous as they can infest any place but love box spring, blankets, mattresses, or mattress covers. They usually feed in the dawn hours and you won't have any idea of them other than the itchy, red bites left behind. It is important to note that infestations can be tough to eliminate and require dedication.

The following are the steps you can follow to learn how to kill bed bugs:

Bed bug treatments
First you need to ensure there are bed bugs that have infested in your bedding. This is important to be sure that the treatments are going to work effectively. Some nocturnal parasites such as bird mites also suck blood. You can check whether there are dark spots on the mattress as this is an indicator for bed bug waste.

Use a mattress encasement
A mattress encasement is quite different from a mattress pad. It encloses the whole mattress and can be zipped around it. The zipping will ensure that your bed bugs are trapped inside and will be starved to death since they will not be able to feed on you. This is a long term solution as bed bugs can live for a couple of months without feeding.

Vacuum often and thoroughly
This is another method used in killing bed bugs. This method is used when one is in middle of infestation. You can use a crevice tool to get every nook and cranny of your bed and the surrounding fabrics and furniture. You need to empty the vacuum away from your house and the clean the hoses and filter. If this is not possible, you can vacuum up with a flea powder containing Pyre-thrum. This will ensure the bed bugs will die rather than crawling out of the vacuum.

Use steam
You can rent or buy a commercial steam cleaner. It works on the same principle as the vacuum. You need to steam every piece of furniture and fabric in the bedroom and the immediate rooms. The heat will kill the eggs and bed bugs themselves.

Wash bedding and clothing
In this case you should use a washing machine with detergent and hot water. The items should then be dried by using the hottest dryer setting for more than 30 minutes to kill the eggs and bed bugs. The clothing and bedding should be placed in plastic bags when they are not in use. The infested room should then be heat treated for four hours.

Call an exterminator
If you have no knowledge on how to kill bed bugs, this will be your best option. It is a costly method but can make a great difference between buying new bedding or not. You should call an exterminator with lots of experience in dealing with bed bug infestations and should clean your house carefully before they arrive.

1 comment:

  1. Useful information on killing bed bugs. Earlier never found any bed bugs in my home but felling unhappy as found bugs symptoms in store room. My friend suggested to try heat treatment for bed bugs. So looking tips online for heat treatment method! Any help?

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