Guest Post: How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Fast
I've been watching a lot of Hoaders recently, and one of the episodes I saw involved a family whose entire home was over run by bed bugs. This really freaked me out. It was so bad, the parents were in danger of losing their children if they didn't get the problem fixed. So it got me thinking... how do you keep bed bugs from wreaking havoc in your home? What if you find out you already have them?
Then, I met Jenny from Ohio online. And she had 2 bed bugs outbreaks within 6 months. Her experience dealing with this problem led her to start her own website and even write a free e-book to help other moms out. I asked her to share what she learned with you so we could all take advantage of her experience.
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For anyone unfortunate enough to have bed bugs in their home, it's essential that you know how to check for bed bugs in the correct manner. Not only to find all the most obvious places that bed bugs hide, but also to check all the less obvious places too.
For most people, the first indication that you have bed bugs is usually because of bed bug bites. And because these bites nearly always occur whilst in bed, the bed is the very first place to check.
Bed bugs do not differentiate between clean and unclean homes, as the presence of dirt or discarded food makes no difference to them. They have no chewing mouthparts. Remember their only source of food is blood. Nevertheless, a cluttered home affords them many more places to hide. If bedrooms are cluttered with clothes and other stuff lying about, especially under the bed, then bed bugs are going to find an abundance of hiding places.
So the first thing that needs to be done is to remove the clutter and make some space. It's important to set up what l like to call a 'decontamination area'. This is an open space in the bedroom (or other infected area) with a large plastic sheet (preferably white) on the floor. This is where you can examine individual items, and if any bed bugs drop out they can be easily seen on the plastic sheet.
Initially, because you will not be familiar the extent of the infestation, you'll need to take away all infested and infestation prone bedding and garments, and put them on the plastic sheet for examination. All of these items will need to be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum) since most of these type of items cannot be treated with sprays or other methods of de-infestation.
Another quite effective and efficient option is to place all clothing, toys, shoes, backpacks, etc. in a clothes dryer set at medium to high heat for 10 to 20 minutes. This should kill all bed bug life stages and can be done separately, or with your normal laundering. Things that cannot be put in a washer or dryer can oftentimes be de-infested by wrapping in plastic and placing them outdoors in a hot, sunny location, or a closed vehicle, etc. for at least 24 hours. If this method is tried, packing less items in each bag makes it harder for the bugs to find cooler places inside the bags to hide. Use a thermometer if you can, and ensure that the internal temperature reaches at least 120°F.
When all bedding and clothing and all the other items are removed, including from wardrobes and other storage areas, its time to inspect all bedroom furnishings including the bed, seats, wardrobes, nightstands, and all wall the fixtures including the electrical sockets, wall lighting, any hanging pictures and paintings, and even the wallpaper, if there are loose sections.
Bed bugs can live in almost any crevice, crack or protected place. The most usual location to find them is the bed. Bed bugs will often hide within seams, tufts and crevices of the mattress, the box springs, the bed frame and also the headboard. The headboard, if secured to walls, should also be removed and thoroughly inspected. This can sometimes require taking the bed apart, so that the upper and lower surfaces can be examined.
Obviously, the most important things to look for, are the bugs themselves, but also the light-brown molted skins of the nymphs (young bed bugs). In addition, dark spots of dried bed bug excrement (digested blood) can often be noticed along mattress seams or wherever the bugs have stayed. Usually when bed bug infestations grow bigger, the bugs tend to move beyond beds and into other locations.
Upholstered chairs and sofas should be examined above and beneath, especially seams, tufts, skirts and crevices.
Night-stands and dressers should be emptied and examined inside and out, then turned upside down to inspect the joinery underneath. Oftentimes the bugs will be hiding in cracks, corners, and recesses.
Other places you are likely to find bed bugs include: along and under the edge of wall-to-wall carpeting (especially behind beds and furniture), cracks in wood molding, ceiling-wall junctures, behind wall-mounted picture frames, mirrors, switch plates and outlets;. Also, under loose wallpaper, amongst clothing and clutter stored in closets, and believe it or not, even inside clocks, phones, televisions, radio’s and smoke detectors.
If you are worried about the possibilities of bed bugs in your home, then visit www.howtogetridofbedbugsfast.org for a comprehensive Free Guide+CD, showing you all you will ever need to do, to quickly rid your home of these unpleasant insects.
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How to Check for Bed Bugs
For anyone unfortunate enough to have bed bugs in their home, it's essential that you know how to check for bed bugs in the correct manner. Not only to find all the most obvious places that bed bugs hide, but also to check all the less obvious places too.
For most people, the first indication that you have bed bugs is usually because of bed bug bites. And because these bites nearly always occur whilst in bed, the bed is the very first place to check.
Bed bugs do not differentiate between clean and unclean homes, as the presence of dirt or discarded food makes no difference to them. They have no chewing mouthparts. Remember their only source of food is blood. Nevertheless, a cluttered home affords them many more places to hide. If bedrooms are cluttered with clothes and other stuff lying about, especially under the bed, then bed bugs are going to find an abundance of hiding places.
So the first thing that needs to be done is to remove the clutter and make some space. It's important to set up what l like to call a 'decontamination area'. This is an open space in the bedroom (or other infected area) with a large plastic sheet (preferably white) on the floor. This is where you can examine individual items, and if any bed bugs drop out they can be easily seen on the plastic sheet.
Initially, because you will not be familiar the extent of the infestation, you'll need to take away all infested and infestation prone bedding and garments, and put them on the plastic sheet for examination. All of these items will need to be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum) since most of these type of items cannot be treated with sprays or other methods of de-infestation.
Another quite effective and efficient option is to place all clothing, toys, shoes, backpacks, etc. in a clothes dryer set at medium to high heat for 10 to 20 minutes. This should kill all bed bug life stages and can be done separately, or with your normal laundering. Things that cannot be put in a washer or dryer can oftentimes be de-infested by wrapping in plastic and placing them outdoors in a hot, sunny location, or a closed vehicle, etc. for at least 24 hours. If this method is tried, packing less items in each bag makes it harder for the bugs to find cooler places inside the bags to hide. Use a thermometer if you can, and ensure that the internal temperature reaches at least 120°F.
When all bedding and clothing and all the other items are removed, including from wardrobes and other storage areas, its time to inspect all bedroom furnishings including the bed, seats, wardrobes, nightstands, and all wall the fixtures including the electrical sockets, wall lighting, any hanging pictures and paintings, and even the wallpaper, if there are loose sections.
Bed bugs can live in almost any crevice, crack or protected place. The most usual location to find them is the bed. Bed bugs will often hide within seams, tufts and crevices of the mattress, the box springs, the bed frame and also the headboard. The headboard, if secured to walls, should also be removed and thoroughly inspected. This can sometimes require taking the bed apart, so that the upper and lower surfaces can be examined.
Obviously, the most important things to look for, are the bugs themselves, but also the light-brown molted skins of the nymphs (young bed bugs). In addition, dark spots of dried bed bug excrement (digested blood) can often be noticed along mattress seams or wherever the bugs have stayed. Usually when bed bug infestations grow bigger, the bugs tend to move beyond beds and into other locations.
Upholstered chairs and sofas should be examined above and beneath, especially seams, tufts, skirts and crevices.
Night-stands and dressers should be emptied and examined inside and out, then turned upside down to inspect the joinery underneath. Oftentimes the bugs will be hiding in cracks, corners, and recesses.
Other places you are likely to find bed bugs include: along and under the edge of wall-to-wall carpeting (especially behind beds and furniture), cracks in wood molding, ceiling-wall junctures, behind wall-mounted picture frames, mirrors, switch plates and outlets;. Also, under loose wallpaper, amongst clothing and clutter stored in closets, and believe it or not, even inside clocks, phones, televisions, radio’s and smoke detectors.
If you are worried about the possibilities of bed bugs in your home, then visit www.howtogetridofbedbugsfast.org for a comprehensive Free Guide+CD, showing you all you will ever need to do, to quickly rid your home of these unpleasant insects.
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I hope you never have to deal with bed bugs, but if you do, I hope you'll come back and use the helpful information Jenny shared.
This post was sponsored by HotToGetRidofBedBugsFast.com, via Fiverr.
This is a problem that effects a lot of people from all walks of life, bugs, all bugs can invade someones home and more or less take over without intervention.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. They are all pest. Thanks for the tips I'm gonna list down the tips so that I can apply it at home.
ReplyDelete