4 DIY Tips For Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are a problem that can infest any household, regardless of how careful you are about bringing them into your home. When this happens you'll want to find a way to get rid of them as soon as possible. Rather than contact a professional, you can try these DIY techniques early on to prevent those few bed bugs you see from turning into a huge infestation.
Wash All Linens On Very High Heat
The first thing you'll want to do is wash all of the linen where the bed bugs could be hiding. However, you don't want to take them to your washing machine by dragging them through the house. It is always a good idea to bag your linens first and tie off the top of the bag so that the bed bugs will not get out when you're taking them through your home. You'll then want to wash the linens on the highest heat setting possible and dry them in high heat as well. This will do the best possible job of eliminating the bed bugs that were hiding in your linens.
Spray A Bed Bug Pesticide
You can kill the remaining bed bugs in the room by using a spray pesticide. If the bed bugs are in your bedroom, focus on the bed and make sure to spray the pesticide into the seams of the mattress, the box spring, and other places around the bed where bed bugs can hide. This includes between the pieces of a wood bed frame where two pieces of wood come together.
You should then focus on other areas of the room, such as chairs, carpeting, rugs, picture frames, and basically any place that has a small crack or crevice that bugs can get into. The spray pesticide will need to completely dry according to the directions before you can enter the room again.
Apply A Powder Pesticide
There is also a powder pesticide that you can purchase that will get into hard-to-reach areas where the spray cannot reach. For example, you would want to use a powder pesticide to get inside electrical outlets after you've removed the cover. The powder can be applied to flat surfaces that you didn't spray as well, such as the rear side of a picture frame.
Treat Adjoining Rooms
If bed bugs are in one room of your home, they are likely in the rooms directly next to them as well. You should repeat the treatment process for those adjoining rooms to make sure that they didn't travel and start infesting other rooms of your home.
Talk to a bed bug control professional for more help.