Bed bugs are nasty little critters that can take up residence in your house, and make your life quite unpleasant. While they say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” it doesn’t help when you’re facing the distressing effects of a bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs are found in beds, box springs, bed frames, curtains, corners of dressers, or in wallpaper cracks. Once you’ve confirmed an infestation, it’s time to get cracking!
Reduce Clutter
Get rid of all personal things like blankets, soft toys, electronics and stuffed animals or/and anything else that doesn’t belong in the room for good. Be conscious that things from the pest-ridden area can pass on critters to other areas.
Launder Infested Linen and Garments
Laundering infested bed linens and garments is a cheap and simple method of killing all bed bugs (launder in hot water). Alternatively, you can heat the bed linens or garments in your dryer for some minutes. Washing will kill some of the bed bugs, but it’s the heat of drying that will kill any remaining bed bugs.
Empty Your Dresser and Closet Drawers
Empty your dresser and closet drawers since bed bugs like to go into hiding in these areas. Empty all clothes from these areas and transfer them into a plastic bag to be laundered (always seal the plastic bag when you’ve collected all your clothes). Turn furniture over to examine and vacuum all hiding sites. Remember to move all your furniture away from the wall.
Thoroughly Clean Infested Areas
Bed bugs reproduce by laying eggs, so clean infested exteriors with a firm brush to remove the eggs. Vacuum the room extensively. Use a vacuum hose attachment to thoroughly vacuum crevices and cracks which are their common hiding places.
Consider planning one or two days weekly to vacuum, dust, wash and scrub to keep your bedroom clean. In case your bedroom is fitted with a carpet, consider vacuuming it. If the room has laminate flooring, consider mopping and sweeping it up.
Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!
You must repeat the cleaning and vacuuming process until there is no further evidence such as fresh blood spots, cast skins, and live bugs. This is absolutely crucial! Depending on the nature of infestation it can take at least eight weeks to get rid of bed bugs completely and permanently.
A dirty bedroom attracts all forms of creepy crawlies, with the most common of them being the bed bugs. On the flip side, a clean bedroom gives the owner a restful night and a peace of mind. Consequently, taking care of your bedroom is very important.