Bed bugs are pests that no one wants in their home. They breed very quickly, and can cause all of your furniture to become destroyed. Getting rid of bed bugs is important because if they are not out of the home, they can take over and you may have to pay a large amount of money for a professional. You may also have to leave your home for an extended period of time. Getting rid of bed bugs takes time and patience. It is worth taking the time to thoroughly go through your home and find where the bugs are, and ensure that they are gone. Otherwise, you and your family could continue to get bites, and everything in your home could become the property of the bed bugs.
You will first want to find the source of the bed bugs. There may be one room or area in particular where the infestation started. Look for places that have a lot of clutter, or a room that is particularly dirty. These are places where bed bugs thrive. Look at any pieces of furniture that you may have brought in recently. The infestation may have come in from that item if it was not thoroughly cleaned.
After finding where the infestation originated, you need to quarantine that area. Make sure that you close if off from other areas of the house, and do not put any other furniture, clothing items, or other personal items near the infestation. You need to start cleaning that area out. Put any items in the room into a sealed bag. You can then take them out of the room so they can be treated and cleaned. If an item is too big to be moved, or it cannot be cleaned and treated, make sure to keep in a sealed bag for a long period of time. This will ensure that all of the bugs inside have no oxygen, and they will die.
You will want to bring in a vacuum to start cleaning up the rest of the infested area. You will want to vacuum every surface area, including ceiling fans, walls, vents, and large pieces of furniture. This will vacuum up bugs and any dust particles that they may be living in. Make sure that the contents that are inside the vacuum go into a sealed bag and are put outside as close to your trash day as possible. This will ensure that the bugs do not find their way back inside.
The next thing you should do is use heat. You can put sheets or clothes that were in the room in the dryer on the highest heat setting possible. This will kill the bugs. After you put them in the dryer, wash the sheets or clothing again using heat to ensure that they are dead and off of the item.
In extreme cases, you may need to use chemicals to kill the bed bugs. In this case, you will want to make sure that any of the pesticides or insecticides are EPA-registered. Bed bugs should also be listed on the label. You may want to hire a professional if you do not feel comfortable using these chemicals inside your home.
Taking these steps to get rid of bed bugs should ensure that your home is bed bug free. Make sure to keep an eye around your house for any evidence that the bed bugs have returned. Look for eggs, bites on family members, or any evidence on mattresses or furniture. Keep your house clean so the bugs have nowhere to nest, and you should not have a bed bug problem anymore.