How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Fast
When thinking about how to get rid of bed bugs, it can feel like an impossible situation. After all, it’s just you against thousands of tiny little bugs. There are steps you can take, but your first one should be to remain calm. A common misperception about bed bugs is that they infest dirty or uncared for homes. However, bed bugs are only looking for one thing: warm blood. As long as they can find that, bed bugs will travel and drop themselves in just about any area of your home! So how can you get rid of them just as quickly as they welcomed themselves in? Here is some information that will help you get started.
How Did You Get Them?
First, try to think of how you might have gotten the bed bugs. Narrowing down the hot spot where they started is the best way to get rid of them faster. Were you recently traveling? Did you bring a suitcase home that you haven’t emptied out yet? Clothes and luggage are amongst the most common places bed bugs choose to begin spreading. Are there piles of laundry laying around your room? Have you not changed your bed sheets in a while? Their favorite place to “live” is in fabrics, but they aren’t exceptionally picky when it comes to places to hide.
Locating Bed Bugs
If you find bed bugs in one location, it is very possible that they are in other places as well. The best way to get rid of bed bugs fast is to start with the spot you first found them in, but also clean all other areas to be safe. The end goal is to move that the bed bugs may have touched, such as clothing, bedding, toys and stuffed animals, etc.. When moving all of these things, be very mindful that these bugs can quickly transfer over to the next room you move them to, even if you’re just moving them there for the time being. Be sure to put items in plastic bags to avoid the risk of them traveling to other places. Of course, there are some things you can’t necessarily move or shove into a plastic bag. Keep any stable furniture inside the room that you are disinfecting. Now is when you should remove dresser drawers, dismantle bed frames (if necessary) and move furniture away from walls. Remember, they will hide anywhere – even in electrical sockets. The more wide open your space is, the better. Plus, the less clutter there is around your house, the less likely it is that they will find another place to go.
Washing and Vacuuming
After sealing your exposed clothing and other materials in a plastic bag, it is recommended to wash everything in hot water. You can wash your clothes in the same way, however, a more effective and recommended option is to get them dry cleaned. You should then vacuum your bed and surrounding areas. This may not be the most effective way to eliminate all bed bugs, but it does help, especially before you go in to spray insecticides.
Heat Treatment
There are many benefits of using heat treatment to remove bed bugs. First, it usually only requires one treatment and is entirely eco-friendly compared to insecticides, which can contain toxins and chemicals. Although insecticides might seem appealing, bed bugs are able to form a resistance to them so they do not always work well. Heat treatment, however, does work well and even manages to radiate to spaces behind walls and in smaller cracks that bugs or eggs may be hiding in that you aren’t able to reach. High temperatures of around 120 degrees are enough to kill all life stages of bed bugs in 24 hours or less!
How to Avoid in the Future
No one wants to go through this process twice, so how can you avoid another infestation in the future? There are basics you can follow, such as vacuuming and cleaning your home frequently, decluttering anywhere you can and keeping your clothing in maintained areas – maybe even sealable bags. Other ways that you may not think of include covering power outlets, keeping a watchful eye in public settings and purchasing oils that act as a bed bug repellent. The process of bed bug removal can be exhausting, so any preventative measures are highly recommended.
Do You Need to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Fast?
If you think you have bed bugs or are interested in a home heat sanitation treatment, contact Bed Bug Barbeque, LLC in Lakewood, Ohio! We use heat treatment to eradicate bed bugs and we offer entire home sanitation heat treatments. This safe, effective treatment is completed in less than 12 hours, and Bed Bug Barbeque, LLC offers a 60-day warranty for you to verify for yourself that your bed bugs are fully eradicated. Contact Bed Bug Barbeque, LLC today for a FREE quote at (216) 221-1227 or through our website, and check out our other bed bug informational resources on identification, prevention, and eradication.
