Bedbugs are the one pest you don’t want in your home. Although bed bug incidents aren't as high as they have been in the past, they are still a common problem. They can easily be transported via luggage, clothing, bedding, and furniture. Even if you are a clean individual, you may get them accidentally. If you buy a new bed, they could be on a truck that carried an old bed that was infested with bed bugs. Now your new bed comes with extra tenants (and they don’t even help with rent). But you don’t have the fret, there are solutions to make your home bed bug free.
Recognize the signs
There are some warning signs that would indicate an infestation. Here are some factors to look for to tell if you have bed bugs.
- Bites. Bed bugs tend to bite near your feet and often come out at night when you’re sleeping. The bites will swell and spread out. They also commonly come in lines and burn slightly.
- Look for the bugs. Bed bugs are small but you can still see them with the naked eye. You'll see the light-brown, molted skins of the young bugs.
Clothing and bedding
If it’s confirmed that you have bed bugs, it’s time to do some laundry. A lot of laundry. First, you’ll want to clean your bedding. Also, examine any other clothing that you think may have been infested. If you’re hesitant, we recommend cleaning all your clothes. First, clean your clothes in the washing machine on the highest heat. Then dry them in the
dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes. If you feel like your items aren’t infested but you don’t want to take any chances, you can put your clothes in the dryer only (still on the highest heat). Bed bugs cannot survive in a hot dryer for more than 30 minutes. Also, make sure to put your clean clothes in plastic bags until your house has been clean. Bed bugs can’t walk on plastic.
Call in the professionals
Yes, you can tackle bed bugs yourself but it is not an easy job. To save you the headache, you should hire a
professional company. They will ensure that your bed bugs will be gone the right way. Typically, after the initial cleaning, the exterminators will need to come back in two weeks. Any eggs that were left will hatch after two weeks. The eggs are not affected by the chemicals the same way the bugs are. You will have to stay out of the house for a few hours while they fumigate. This also includes any pets.
Vacuum and clean
After the treatments are done, you should vacuum everywhere you think the bed bugs could’ve been. This means your mattress, under your bed, cracks, and crevices. The bugs are all dead now so vacuuming them will get rid of the carcasses. Do a final wipe-down of any surfaces so you'll have the peace of mind that everything is
clean. Once everything is clean, you can put all your clothes back and get your life back to normal, now free of bed bugs.