Question by It’s Easy:
How do you get rid of bed bugs?
I brought bed bugs back with my blanket from Amsterdam and they’ve been BITING me 🙁 Do I need to wash my bedding with special soap? Do I need to wash anything else? I’ve been sleeping on the couch and I don’t get bitten there.
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Answer by Lizzy
Exterminator
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I would suggest buying a can of lysol and spraying your bed down with it.
Lysol kills bacteria, bugs are attracted to bateria.
The other responses to your question are incorrect. Lysol will have no effect on bed bugs.
Now to your answer. You have two problems – 1) bed bugs may have gotten into your home and bed and 2) removing bed bugs from the blanket.
First for the blanket and other washables including any linen that may have come in contact or near the blanket. Wash them in the washing machine on the hot setting. A special soap or any soap is needed. It is the heat that kills bed bugs and their eggs. Follow this by about 20 minutes on the heat setting in the dryer. If the blanket is not machine washable, then place in dryer for about 30 minutes and that will kill the bed bugs and eggs.
Don’t carry any bed bug infested object from room to room. Place it in a plastic bag or plastic bin with a snap tight lid. Then carry to washing machine.
In terms of your bed, I’d take some aggressive action before the infestation gets too large. Of course, the best approach is to immediately call in an exterminator. I’d suggest Terminix since they don’t charge for an on site inspection (# 877-291-4849). If it is expensive you can call in other firms for a quote.
If you caught the infestation early, you can try treating it yourself, although this requires a good amount of work:
1. Wash all linen as mentioned above.
2. Vacuum all mattress, box spring seams. Bed frame., around perimeter of room etc.
3. Steam seams of mattress and box spring (if you have a hand steamer)
4. Treat mattress and box spring with a mattress safe spray (recommendations in resource)
5. Treat surrounding furniture with a good bed bug crack and crevice spray
6. Place mattress and box spring in zippered bed bug proof zippered covers
7. Place bed bug dust into cracks and crevices (and also put some in bottom of box spring
Details are in source provided. Be aggressive in your treatment as bed bugs can multiply quickly. You can see bed bugs with the naked eye, so be sure to look at some of the pictures in the second resource as well.
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There is not one specific way of getting rid of bed bugs. Bombs and bug foggers will not work. There are other successful methods you can use.
1.Vacuum rugs, bedding and bed frames thoroughly and once done, remove bag and replace vacuum bag and repeat. It the infestation is very bad, you may want to consider discarding the mattress all together.
2. Remove all bedding, drapes or curtains and wash on the hottest temperature and dry in dryer. During hot day, you can put bedding in a plastic bag and leave out for a few days. Bed bug dry up in temperatures of 120F degrees.
3 .There is a process called thermacure, that will rid your home of bed bugs. You must hire a profession company who specialized in the treatment. The home is threaded with ducts and extremely hot air is pumped into your home, about 112 F, which will kill the insects.
4. Steam clean anything and everywhere parasites tend to hide. This will kill both adult bugs and their eggs.
5. Sprinkle diatomaceous dirt in areas where bug tend to hide. This will kill bugs with its microscopically sharp edges as they walk across.
6. Sprays, there are a lot of bed bug spays on the market, such as PureClean, Sleep Tight, Bug Patrol. Find a product that is the most effective and the safest to use.
Types of Spays
Some product in sprays contain pyrethrum, which attack the nervous system of the insect and kill it. Other products to choose from, contain oil of clove or winter green others alcohol and some enzymes. Enzymes kill on contact, are non-toxic to humans and pets and does not irritate when it come in contact with skin.
Where to Spray
What ever you decide to use, remember to treat the head board, bed frames, the base boards around the bed and any furniture in the room . Concentrate under tables and cracks and at leg joints. Constantly monitor for bugs re-treating areas as necessary.
When to Hire a Professional – If you have a major infestation, you may have not other choice but to hired a professional exterminator. When seeking an exterminator, make sure they are licensed and experienced in the treatment of bed bugs.