How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs at Home

Bed bugs are tiny insects with a flat, oval shaped body and are about one-fourth inch in size. They are mostly found in beds, mattresses, sofas and other such home furniture. Thus, they got the name 'bed bugs'. Basically, these are parasites and survive on warm blood from human and pets. They chose your bed and sofas for hiding themselves mainly because they can easily come out in the open at night and suck out blood from human body. They pierce a hole on the skin surface, inject their saliva through it to prevent clotting of the blood and then suck it out. The saliva thus injected in responsible for causing skin irritation. Excessive scratching of the skin at the sites of bug bites can even lead to severe skin infections. Therefore, getting rid of bed bugs in house is important for the sake of well-being of the humans and pets living in the house.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs at Home Without using Chemicals

Killing bed bugs becomes much easier when the infestation is less. However, most of the time, it cannot be detected at an early stage. This is because the bugs are active during nighttime but are rarely seen during the day. Moreover, they multiply in numbers very rapidly as the female bugs, on an average, lay 5 eggs on every single day. So, your house gets heavily infested by bed bugs in no time. Their presence can be detected from itchy bed bug rash on the skin surface and the blood spots, skin flakes and feces left behind by them on the bed mattresses and sheets. When there is a heavy infestation, then bed bugs can be found not just in sleeping areas but in every dark nook and cranny of the house. So, you have to eliminate them from every part of the house. Here are a few options that are available with you:

Vacuum Cleaning
You have to vacuum clean not just the mattresses but all the areas surrounding the bed like bed seams, headboards, bed stand, sofas, floors, upholstery everything. You have to continue to thoroughly vacuum clean all these areas daily until all the bugs are removed completely. After every use, seal up the vacuum bag in a packet and dispose off.

Washing
All the washable garments, bed linens, cushion covers, pillow cases should be thoroughly washed in hot water. Put them in a washer, set it at the highest setting and wash at least twice. After the wash, put the fabrics into the dryer and let them dry at highest temperature. You can also dry them in sun.

Freezing
Bed bugs cannot survive at an extremely low temperature. Those fabrics and clothing which cannot be washed can be frozen. Put them in plastic bags and seal up the bags properly. Keep these sealed bags inside the freezer for at least two weeks for best results.

Steam Cleaning
This is another excellent option for cleaning up the carpets, rugs, furniture and beds. As the bed bugs cannot tolerate high temperature, the heat of the steam cleaner can kill both the adult bugs as well as their eggs. You have to use the steam cleaner two times on all these items in order to ensure that they are eradicated completely.

Sun Exposure
A simple way of exposing bed bugs to heat is by placing the bug infested items directly under the sun. Place the pillows, cushions, curtains and carpets of the house inside plastic bags and keep them in sunny outdoors throughout the day. As the temperature rises, the bugs will be destroyed. You can keep the furniture outside for same results in the similar manner.

Seal up Cracks and Crevices
Small cracks and gaps in walls, floors, old furniture are ideal breeding ground for the bed bugs. The worst part is that cleaning equipment like vacuum cleaner cannot access deeper into these spots. So, they grow in numbers there and spread to other areas of house. The best solution to this problem is to identify all such holes in the house and close them up with speckling compound.

Use White Vinegar
A safe yet effective home remedy for getting rid of bed bugs is application of white vinegar. Scrub down bed bug infested hard surfaces like cabinets, drawers, dressers, etc. with the help of a hard bristled brush. Then spray undiluted form of white vinegar generously on all those surfaces. This treatment will help you to remove all traces of bugs and their eggs.

Apply Diatomaceous Earth
There are commercial products available in the market that can kill bed bugs. Most people avoid using them get rid bed bugs in house because they contain harsh chemical that could be harmful for both pets and humans. A naturally occurring substance that can help you in this regard is diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth at every corner of the house. When the bed bugs are exposed to this powder, their body get dehydrated and eventually they die.

Hopefully, the tips given in this Buzzle article on how to get rid of bed bugs at home will help you to eradicate the harmful insects forever. The next course of action is prevention of their return. Keep your house clean, uncluttered and organized so that the bugs do not get the scope to flourish in some dirty, dark corners. Bugs often get into your house with your luggage. Treat the luggage and the clothing properly to kill the bugs before you put them back. Similarly, bed bug treatment should be given to any secondhand household items that you buy.