How to get rid of bed bugs?

Bed Bugs are oval shape insects that suck blood from the human body or any other warm-blooded animal. They can live anywhere in your house and can they are also one of the greatest travelers, yes! You heard it right. They can travel anywhere in the world through luggage, clothes, or any other mode.

Bed Bugs can live in cracks, furniture, or any type of textile. Mostly they are found in bed, bed frames, and mattresses. They are most active at night and can bite you anywhere on the skin which is exposed while you are sleeping. The most commonplace of their bites are neck and arms.

Their bite is often painless, a raised bump on the skin is the most common sign of a bite from the bed bug. Generally, no one notices them and they are misunderstood as rashes. 

In this blog, I am going to tell you how you can deal with these small monsters in an effective way.

Ways to Get rid of Bed Bugs

Following are the ways in which you can get rid of bed bugs:

1. By heat

When bed bugs are subjected to excessive heat they die, don’t worry! You don’t need to put your house on fire for this purpose. Bed Bugs will die when their body temperature will reach more than 45 degrees Celsius or 113 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Wash your clothes or any fabric in hot water can easily kill those bed bugs easily. You just need to expose them to temperature over 45 degrees Celsius for an hour and the bed bugs will be killed.

If you think that heating the room can be the option then I will say it is not a good option as it will require a high temperature. If you will try to heat up your room then those bed bugs will find a cooler place and will hide.

2. By pointing steam 

Steam has much greater latent heat as compared to fire. If you can use steam then it can kill bed bugs more easily. You can use your electric kettle for this purpose or you can purchase a device that is capable of generating steam from any hardware shop. Spray steam in all corners and cracks it will kill all bed bugs and their eggs.

3. By Vacuum machine

You can also use a vacuum machine for removing bed bugs. It will remove all bed bugs and their eggs from carpets, walls, mattresses, or any other surface. Make sure to dispose of the contents in a sealed trash bag. 

4. By repairing cracks in plaster and gluing wallpapers

Cracks in the walls and old torn wallpapers are the favorite place to stay for bed bugs.  Clear the walls with a vacuum pump and glue the wallpaper. Once you will repair the wall cracks with plaster, bed bugs will have to find another place.

5. Applying silica gel

You can use silica gel to get rid of bed bugs. Just grind some silica and apply it carefully all over your bedroom. Put some around the bed, along the walls, corners, and mattresses. It will dehydrate the bug and eventually make them die. Be careful while using silica gel and do not inhale it.

If you do not want to use silica gel you can also use diatomaceous earth, it has similar effects as that of silica gel. Just put it around the corners and along the bed. It will bake the bed bug bleed.

6. Use insecticides

Before using insecticides make sure you first clean the dirt from the cracks in the walls so that it can work more efficiently. Insecticides are one of the best methods to get rid of bed bugs.

After the initial treatment of insecticides if you still notice bed bugs in your house, then repeat treating your house with insecticides. As it is difficult to find the hiding sites of the bed bug and hidden eggs may have hatched so repeat this process until you are free from bed bugs.

7. Discard affected items

Bed Bugs might have infested, in this case, you have to make sure that you discard those items. As mentioned in the above points that bed bugs can disperse anywhere, so they can also move throughout the building. There is a possibility that bed bugs are coming from somewhere else maybe from the adjoining room. 

Destroy the items which are affected by the bed bugs and you can burn few items as well.

8. Use tea-tree oil

First, clean your house thoroughly, add some tree oil in water, and clean all your mattresses and clothes with this water. Dismantle your beds and apply tree oil to all its parts. You can use a homemade spray by adding 18 drops of tree oil in water and spray it all over your house. Don’t forget to spray it on your carpet and mattresses. 

9. Use Wintergreen Alcohol

To instantly kill bed bugs and their eggs you can use wintergreen alcohol too. It is easily available and is very cheap. Use a spray bottle and pour wintergreen alcohol into it and then spray it directly over the bed bugs and their nests, It will burn bed bugs. 

10. Integrated pest management

This is a wise option as it involves various other things like preventive measures, sanitation, and the use of chemicals. It is more a preventive measure to counter bed bugs. Prevention is better than cure this statement is true in the case of bed bugs also.

If your house is infested by bed bugs then no need to get panic just follow any of the above methods. Please do not use any agriculture insecticides or pesticides as they can be very harmful to you and others. Using agriculture pesticides will make the situation worse. Do not use inflammable substances like rubbing alcohol, kerosene, or gasoline as they can catch fire. 

Read more, Home Remedies to Get Rid of Lice Permanently at Home

You can also check second-hand furniture and other wooden things for bed bugs. Find them and kill them. Remember that your house can also have bed bugs even if it is clean and hygienic.

“Keep Calm and kill Bed Bugs”