You definitely have a challenging task ahead when you find out that bed bugs have infested your home. You can suspect bed bugs when you wake up with itchy spots on exposed parts of your body, which you did not have before going to sleep. Bed bugs are small and brownish insects that resemble the shape of an apple seed. They live on blood by biting their victims while they are sleeping mostly at night.
Female bed bugs can lay hundreds of eggs at one time. When the infestation goes undetected, they can multiply swiftly over time. They hide in mattresses, headboards, and bed frames, which allow them easy access to you when you sleep.
Bed bugs usually enter your home through luggage and clothing or items like furniture and bedding. They can also pass through crevices on walls. So if you live in a row of apartments or in a condominium, you have a big chance of bed bug infestation if you have a neighbor whose unit is infested with this blood-sucking insect.
Indeed, nobody would feel comfortable in a home with bed bugs. So when you have proven that your home has been a host to bed bugs, the following tips will surely help you.
Clean All Bedding, Clothing, and Other Fabrics
Remove bedding and linens from the bed and pile your curtains, clothing, stuffed toys, shoes, and bags for washing. Use hot water and dry them using the highest dryer setting. This will ensure that all bed bugs are dead. You should also get rid of clutter inside the bedrooms.
Close up Crevices on Walls, Cabinets, and Beds
Cracks provide hiding places for bed bugs. By plastering these cracks, you are eliminating some of the breeding and hiding places of these insects. You should also scrub mattress seams to remove the eggs.
Vacuum Mattresses and Furniture Regularly
By vacuuming your mattress, sofa, and carpet, bed bugs can be sucked from their hiding places. Be sure to bring the vacuum cleaner bag outdoors. To ensure that the trapped bed bugs will not travel back to your home, you can pour hot water or apply bed bug treatment on the garbage can.
After vacuuming the mattress, you can encase it with a zippered cover to trap bed bugs. Bed bugs can live for a year without sucking on blood. Keeping the cover for a year will ensure that all bugs are dead. When your mattress is heavily infested, you should consider replacing your mattress, but make sure that all bugs are eliminated or your new mattress will provide a new breeding place.
Apply Safe Chemical Treatments
Bed bugs cannot be fully exterminated without the use of chemicals. You should choose safe products because they can be harmful to your health.
Exterminating bed bugs can really be physically exhausting. While a DIY procedure can be effective, hiring a professional Miami bed bugs exterminator can be the best solution, especially when the infestation has become widespread.