Sleep is that time of the day-to-day life when our system repairs the damaged cells in the body. It is imperative to have a sound sleep. A good sleep will make you feel fresh in the morning and your performance at work will be up to the mark. But what if your sleep gets disturbed by the bed bugs? Bed bugs are such pests that you cannot eradicate easily. At the same time, you cannot see your children and other family members suffering. So you are constantly in a panic about – How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs Yourself? You don’t have to worry anymore. We have stated some useful tips in this article, which you can use to make your home free from bed bugs.
How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs?
1. Analyze Which Rooms Are Infested
The bed bugs expand their population in the bedrooms, mostly. But this doesn’t mean that other areas of your house are not infested. Their second favorite place is the living room. They hide inside the sofas and other furniture. If the bed bugs are not eradicated at a proper time, they may spread throughout your home. The sooner you get rid of them, the easier it is. It is very essential to identify the areas infested with bed bugs, so that you can take precautions they do not spread to other spaces.
2. Make Sure That They Are Really Bed Bugs
Sometimes we mistake fleas and other insects to be bed bugs. For that, it is necessary to know about the appearance of bed bugs. They are small insects with no wings. Their size is almost similar to the size of a rice grain. The color of their body is dark brown or reddish. They are very difficult to spot with a naked eye. So look out for spots on your bed-sheets. These spots are red or black in color.
3. Clean The Clutter Around
Spaces full of clutter are the most favorable for breeding and hiding of bed bugs. To make the treatment for bed bugs more efficient, you have to keep your house clean and organized. Throw away all the items that you do not need. Organize the usable items in piles or boxes or closets. This will limit the area for the bed bugs to hide and make vacuuming and cleaning a lot easier for you.
4. Vacuum Your House
Vacuuming is a very effective step in the process of eradicating bed bugs. You should vacuum each room and each corner of your house thoroughly, as you may not know the actual extent of spread of the bed bugs. Vacuuming reduces the hiding places for the bed bugs. You should vacuum furniture, mattresses, bed frames, flooring, box springs, curtains, baseboards etc. especially. It is very important to use a bag type vacuum. After vacuuming, dispose of the bag far away from your residential area.
5. Heat Treatment
Bed bugs are very sensitive to heat. Hence, they cannot survive in high temperatures. The best practice is to wrap all the infested items in black plastic bags and leave them in the open where they can be exposed to a scorching sunlight. If you cannot shift the items in the sunlight, heat the room with special equipments available. Also, note that simple room heaters will not help in this process as the bed bugs need a temperature higher than 45 degrees Celsius to get destroyed.
6. Wash And Dry
Wash your clothes, bed sheets, sofa covers, curtains, blankets and all the washable fabrics at regular intervals of time. After washing, air-dry them in proper sunlight. Bed bugs and their eggs hide in the laundry hampers many times. So do not forget to clean such hampers/containers too.
7. Spray Insecticides
Spray insecticides thoroughly on each and every household item where the bed bugs can hide. Do not miss out the complex places in kitchen furniture, dressing table, wardrobes, bed frames, hinges of the doors etc. Bed bugs can hide behind electrical sockets and switch covers too. So remove such items carefully. Spray some insecticides and fix them back. In short, spray it at every possible place where people can come in contact. If there are any cracks in the flooring or walls of your home, pay special attention to such areas while spraying insecticides. Repeat this process every few weeks, initially. Later on, repeat the spray treatment every month.
8. Fill Up The Crevices And Cracks
You cannot just rely on cleaning and spraying insecticides for getting rid of the bed bugs. It is essential that all the crevices and cracks in flooring, walls or furniture should be filled with proper materials. This will prevent the infestation of bed bugs in the future.
9. Do Not Spread The Bed Bugs
It might happen that after all precautions and efforts, the infested items may not be entirely free from bed bugs. In that case, if you want to throw away such articles, dispose of them properly. Some people may take your discarded things at home and may infest them too. The best way to dispose of such items is by burning them.
10. Take Help From Professionals
Sometimes the intensity of the spread of bed bugs is so much that all your efforts may fail. So do not postpone the treatment any longer and contact a reputed company that will provide you with some professionals for clearing your house from the bed bugs.
Some Facts About Bed Bugs
- Bed bugs feed on warm blooded animals like humans, dogs, cats etc.
- They tend to bite more before one hour of sunrise.
- They bite three to four times in a row.
- It is a myth that freezing the infested items kills bed bugs.
- Bed bugs can live up to 11 months without feeding, under normal conditions.
- There are no evidences of any disease spreading due to bed bugs.
- In comparison to other insects, bed bugs reproduce slowly.
These were few tips on how do you get rid of bed bugs naturally. If you have any query or suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comment box.
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