are there any home remedies available for getting rid of bed bugs and mice?

Bedbugs are tough to control because most of the insecticides available today are repellent to bedbugs. This means bedbugs may respond to a chemical application by scattering away from the treated areas. In apartment settings or hotels, treatments can inadvertently spread the bedbug problem.

Because bedbugs are difficult to control, it may be most efficient to hire a pest control company rather than the do-it-yourself approach. Pest control professionals have a greater arsenal of products available and tools needed to get treatments into cracks and crevices where bedbugs hide.

But, people can help with control efforts to make the treatments more effective and eliminate an infestation more quickly:

Examine all items in infested rooms for bedbugs. Look for black or brown fecal spots to pinpoint hiding places. Kill bedbugs by dropping them in hot, soapy water and flushing. Remember that immature bedbugs are very tiny. Don’t forget to check under mattress buttons and between the mattress and box springs.

Launder bedding and dry in a hot dryer to kill all stages of bedbugs.

Thoroughly vacuum infested areas. This includes the mattress, box springs furniture, beds, headboards, sofas. Don’t forget the void area underneath box springs–tear away the cambric fabric and look for bedbugs there. After you are finished, bag the vacuum cleaner bag and take it to the trash. Bedbugs are very resistant to being killed and you don’t want them crawling out of the vacuum cleaner to re-infest the house. Vacuum every couple days until the infestation is gone.

Use a steamer on mattresses to kill eggs that might have been overlooked. Steaming is effective and safer than spraying mattresses with insecticides. Steam cleaning carpets is also a good idea, but work with the pest control company to make sure you are not interfering with the effectiveness of treatments.

Eliminate clutter in infested areas to reduce bedbug hiding places and make treatments more effective. Because these bugs like to hide in small cracks, stacks of clothing, paper items and corrugated cardboard are likely hiding places.
Some people recommend throwing mattresses away. If the mattress is in good condition, it may not be necessary to discard it. After vacuuming and steaming the mattress, cover it with a plastic zippered cover to trap bugs inside. Keep the mattress cover on the mattress for at least a year to make sure all the bugs are dead.

When considering pest control companies, ask about previous experience successfully treating bedbugs. The company should use a number of tactics to control these pests. These include dusts in wall voids, crack and crevice sprays and sticky traps to monitor bedbug movement and assess the effectiveness of treatments.

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