Beat the Bloodsuckers: A Guide to Controlling Bedbugs at Your Home

Have you ever woken up from a good night’s sleep to find a mysterious, itchy bug bite on your skin? Even worse, have you ever woken up to a strange bug crawling on you? If so, you could have bed bugs.

If you have bed bugs, it’s important to take care of the issue right away. Here are some of the best bedbug remedies for exterminating and controlling the little pests.

Control Bedbugs

If you suspect you have bedbugs, you should take some steps to control them. The last thing you want is for the infestation to spread. Here are some simple things you can do.

Clean Your Room, Do Laundry

The first step is cleaning all the clutter from your room and keeping it tidy. That means all personal items, from clothes to stuffed animals, to blankets and electronics.

Once you’ve got all your clothes, sheets, and fabrics together, throw them in the laundry. Make sure the water is hot, at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will ensure that all bedbugs and eggs that may be on the material will die.

Throwing them in the dryer afterward will ensure you’ve killed the pests. Keep your room decluttered and do laundry regularly to stay on top of the problem.

Vacuum

Take a vacuum and thoroughly clean your bedroom. Some key areas that bedbugs like to hide and lay their eggs in include:

• Any windowsills
• The corners of your mattress (vacuum the whole thing to be safe)
• Baseboards
• Carpets
• All corners of your room
• Bed frame
• Curtains

Go over each area a few times with the vacuum. After you’re done, throw the vacuum bag out far from your home. Go to an outside dumpster or throw it down the garbage chute if you’re in an apartment.

Seal All Cracks

If there are any holes or cracks in your room, caulk them over.

Bedbugs, like other pests, love hiding in any crevice they can. They choose these spots to lay their eggs and multiply in peace. The more sealed up your room is, the less chance you have of getting pests.

Plus, any eggs or bugs that happen to be in the hole when you caulk it won’t be able to escape. They won’t be able to access food or water, and they’ll die.

The Best Bedbug Remedies

Once you’ve determined that you have bed bugs, it’s time to get rid of them fast. There are a number of remedies you can try from home before resorting to an exterminator.

Seal Infected Items

Any item can become a home for bedbugs. For clothes and sheets, a simple laundry job will take care of most bugs. But for more solid objects, you face an issue.

If you’ve got an item that’s filled with bed bugs, you can seal it in a bag for a few months. The bugs will suffocate and die. This isn’t the most practical answer, but it works in a jiffy.

Just make sure you keep these items in the infested room only. Don’t bring anything that may have bedbugs in it to other rooms of the house. If you do, you might end up with a housewide infestation.

Get a Mattress Protector

A mattress protector is basically just a big bag that you put your mattress in. You can buy mattress protectors specifically made for killing bedbugs.

A mattress protector lets you continue to sleep in your bed, even if there are bedbugs in it. The protector will put an extra layer between you and the bugs. It’ll keep the bugs from escaping, and suffocate them at the same time.

Before doing this, make sure to clean and vacuum your room as described above. Otherwise, bedbugs might still make their way to you from other areas of the room.

Invest in a Good Bedbug Poison

A lot of people go with the traditional pest control method to control bedbugs: poison.

One popular choice is desiccant dust. Sprinkle this around the corners and crevices in your room. It’ll attract the bed bugs, then dry them up. They’ll dehydrate and die.

You can also get bedbug spray. The most common bedbug spray is made of Pyrethrins, and it’s very lethal to the little invaders. Just spray it where bedbugs might hang out, or spray it directly on a bug when you see one, and they’ll die.

Poisons are a bit of a gamble, though, especially for late-stage infestations. Some bed bugs grow resistant to poisons, making them ineffective. Beyond that, it’s hard to wipe out an entire colony using spray or dust alone.

Try a Bedbug Heater

You might want to invest in a bedbug heater if all else fails.

A bedbug heater is like a microwave made specifically to kill bedbugs. Just throw any infected item into the bag, and the heater will reach a perfect 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It’ll kill any bedbugs and eggs on the item.

A bedbug heater is perfect if you’re looking for a way to kill bedbugs without having to do a ton of laundry. It also works for non-clothing items, another plus. If you have consistent bedbug fears, this is the product for you.

Call an Exterminator

If you’ve exhausted every option and still have bedbugs, it’s time to call an exterminator. The best extermination companies offer free inspections.

There’s no shame in hiring an exterminator for your bedbug issue. Most bedbug problems require an exterminator to fully resolve. The infestations are hard to control, and bedbugs tend to multiply quickly.

An exterminator will get rid of the bugs for good, and tell you how to keep them away. They may even come for follow-up visits to make sure the issue is dealt with. If you fear a serious infestation, call an exterminator as soon as you can.

Take Back Your Bedroom

Hopefully, the bedbug remedies above help you find relief. There’s nothing worse than living in fear in your own bedroom. So, get on top of that bedbug infestation and take back your bedroom today.

If you’re looking for a reliable extermination service, click here to see what Green Pest Services can do for you.