Bed bugs are very hard to get rid of as they are small, can live anywhere, and multiply super-fast. And most people rely on an exterminator to get rid of these pesty bugs and cause you hundred if not thousands of dollars, depending on the level of infestation. But you can get rid of bed bugs without an exterminator. With patience, time and effort, you will be able to say goodbye to the pesky pests.
Quick Overview
- How do bed bugs infiltrate my home?
- Prevention is better than cure.
- Bed bugs and their diet
- Managing expectations
- Steps on getting rid of bed bugs on your own
- Look for bed bugs
- Laundry everything
- Vacuum your mattress
- Sundry your mattress
- Use DE (Diatomaceous Earth)
How do bed bugs infiltrate my home?
Bed bugs cannot travel far. There are so small, about five millimeters, that they cannot travel to places without your help. It could be you or a member of your family that unsuspectingly let them in. If you stay at a hotel and there is a bed bug infestation in the room, you could bring along the bed bugs into your home without you even realizing it. They are so small that you will not see them crawling into your luggage.
Prevention is better than cure.
As the saying goes, there is no better way than to prevent something from happening rather than cure it. And this is true for everything. And for bed bugs, you need to stay alert when you travel.
- Put all your luggage in an individual plastic container. Doing this will prevent bed bugs from gaining access to your clothes.
- Do not put your clothes into the bed where bed bugs reside. Bed bugs may crawl into it.
- Hang your clothes into the clothes rack but do not take them out of their plastic containers.
- Put back used clothes into the plastic containers as well.
- Wash your clothes once home, including the unused ones.
- If you have kids at home that love sleepovers, ask them to change into a fresh set of clothes and wash their used clothes as well.
Bed bugs and their diet
Bed bugs are like mosquitoes in the sense that they feast on blood. They are parasites that need a host for them to survive. They can live anywhere, but they tend to stay close to their meal, which is you. At first, it is easy to see why you could have mistaken the angry red marks on your skin as mosquito bites. But if you are staying in an air-conditioned room that mosquitoes do not have access to, it could be bed bugs that are feasting on you every night. There are also cases where husband and wife are sleeping in the same room, but only one gets bitten by bed bugs. The reason is that bed bugs prefer your blood type.
Managing expectations
Bed bugs are not easy to get rid of, but it doesn’t mean the feat is impossible without an exterminator. If you suspect you have bed bugs in your house, it would be best to deal with it as soon as possible. Bed bugs can spread rapidly.
But before you call an exterminator, or throw away your mattress, try removing them on your own. It will not be easy. But with some effort, you will be able to get rid of bed bugs without an exterminator and save money in the process.
Steps on getting rid of bed bugs on your own
Before you start planning your battle against bed bugs, keep in mind a few things:
- You cannot completely get rid of bed bugs at the first treatment
- You need to stay alert and focused on the task at hand.
- You need to repeat everything every week.
Look for bed bugs
Before diving into the treatment, you need to check where do they reside. Unlike ants and rats, they do not have a nest to call their own. They wander around, so it is not that easy to spot them. Although they tend to stay close to their food source, they also reside in areas like cracks in your walls, your bedside table, or the back of your picture frame. Look for small black dots that look like dirt. It’s their feces. Take note of these places. Once you know where they reside, it is time for payback.
Laundry everything
You can kill bed bugs by using the heat of more than 120°F. First, take off your beddings and sheets and put them inside a plastic container to prevent them from getting into a different room. Wash them and put the heat of your dryer into the highest settings. This process should kill the bed bugs and eggs that are clinging to it.
Vacuum your mattress
Vacuum is one of your best weapons against bed bugs. Vacuum the entire mattress and try reaching into every nook it has. Turn it inside out for the best result. After vacuuming, put the insects and dirt into a plastic bag with a ziplock. Make sure you zip it tight to prevent bed bugs from crawling out. You can also dose the inside with rubbing alcohol to kill them but do not expose it to sunlight afterward.
After the mattress, vacuum the cracks of your walls, the carpet, your furniture, picture frames, and all places you think they reside.
Sundry your mattress
If the weather is hot, as in scorching hot, it could work in your favor. After vacuuming, put the mattress out, exposing it to the sun. The heat from the sun will kill the bed bugs and eggs in it. If not, the heat will irritate them and will leave your mattress alone. Turn your mattress around every hour.
Use DE (Diatomaceous Earth)
DE or diatomaceous earth is fossilized remains of tiny atomic organisms called diatoms. This substance has glass-like particles and can cut through bed bugs, effectively dehydrating the insects and killing them. But it will take a week before you see results, as bed bugs need to walk through it first. Sprinkle some of DE in places where you think bed bugs reside. Leave the substance for a week before retreating it.
Repeat the steps every week until all bed bugs are gone, and you can sleep peacefully again.
