When you discover a bed bugs infestation on your property the best thing you can do is call on pest control professionals to come in and get rid of it. However you can also try to get rid of it yourself, and in this article you will learn the best way that you can go about doing that if that's what you want to do.
Clean Very Thoroughly
If you've got a bed bug infestation to deal with, the way that you get rid of it is by cleaning the affected room very thoroughly. However that is not for the same reason as you would have to clean a property that has something like cockroaches in it. In that case you would be removing food sources, but you can't do that with bed bugs as they get what they need from us when we sleep.
In terms of bedbugs then, the reason that you have to clean so thoroughly is that you are trying to actually kill the little creatures. All that is necessary to do that is to squash them with a cloth since they are so small. However you are going to face a problem in actually finding them because they are so small as well.
Now, although you are cleaning with the intention of killing bedbugs, that does not mean that you should try to seek out each individual bed bug and then kill it. That's because they are so small that they will probably be hiding so well that you won't be able to visually identify each one. If you clean absolutely everywhere that you can though then you will end up killing them all.
You have to take the opposite attitude when you are trying to get rid of bedbugs with cleaning than you do when you are cleaning normally. Because normally what you are trying to do is make the place look nice, so you concentrate on those areas which are most visible. Those are the places that are least likely to contain bedbugs though, which is why you have to concentrate on the places that are least visible to get rid of them.
So when you're cleaning to kill bedbugs, remember to get to all of the small gaps as much as you can. These are the places that are most likely to contain a bed bug. As an indication of just how thorough you have to be, when it comes to dealing with the bed the first thing you are going to have to do is take the frame apart. That way you'll be able to get in to all of the little joints where they might be hiding.
The Cleaning Regime
The bed is not the place to start though. You should begin by removing everything from the room that you reasonably can. So first of all you should throw out any rubbish in the room. This might have bed bugs hiding in it so it should all go in a specific bin bag and then be taken directly outside so as to not risk contaminating the rest of the house.
After you've taken the rubbish out you should deal with the other things in the room that are easily portable. For example, your clothes, whether they are in the wardrobe or not, should all be washed. Also things like books, and other solid objects, should be cleaned thoroughly and then left outside the room so that the bedbugs can't hide there anymore.
Once that has been done you're going to be ready to tackle the features that are more permanent. This means things such as chests of drawers, wardrobes, and the bed of course. While you are cleaning these things it's crucial that you get to all of the little gaps if you are going to get rid of all the little critters.
In terms of cleaning the bed, that is something which you are going to have to give special attention to. We've already mentioned the necessity of taking the bed frame apart, but the mattress should also be cleaned very well. On top of vacuuming, steam cleaning it would also be a good idea.
You will probably come across some little gaps, between the skirting board and the wall for example, that you can't get a cloth in to. For those places you should sprinkle some Diatomaceous Earth, an powder insecticide. Or, as mentioned, leave it all to the professionals by calling in pest control.
Clean Very Thoroughly
If you've got a bed bug infestation to deal with, the way that you get rid of it is by cleaning the affected room very thoroughly. However that is not for the same reason as you would have to clean a property that has something like cockroaches in it. In that case you would be removing food sources, but you can't do that with bed bugs as they get what they need from us when we sleep.
In terms of bedbugs then, the reason that you have to clean so thoroughly is that you are trying to actually kill the little creatures. All that is necessary to do that is to squash them with a cloth since they are so small. However you are going to face a problem in actually finding them because they are so small as well.
Now, although you are cleaning with the intention of killing bedbugs, that does not mean that you should try to seek out each individual bed bug and then kill it. That's because they are so small that they will probably be hiding so well that you won't be able to visually identify each one. If you clean absolutely everywhere that you can though then you will end up killing them all.
You have to take the opposite attitude when you are trying to get rid of bedbugs with cleaning than you do when you are cleaning normally. Because normally what you are trying to do is make the place look nice, so you concentrate on those areas which are most visible. Those are the places that are least likely to contain bedbugs though, which is why you have to concentrate on the places that are least visible to get rid of them.
So when you're cleaning to kill bedbugs, remember to get to all of the small gaps as much as you can. These are the places that are most likely to contain a bed bug. As an indication of just how thorough you have to be, when it comes to dealing with the bed the first thing you are going to have to do is take the frame apart. That way you'll be able to get in to all of the little joints where they might be hiding.
The Cleaning Regime
The bed is not the place to start though. You should begin by removing everything from the room that you reasonably can. So first of all you should throw out any rubbish in the room. This might have bed bugs hiding in it so it should all go in a specific bin bag and then be taken directly outside so as to not risk contaminating the rest of the house.
After you've taken the rubbish out you should deal with the other things in the room that are easily portable. For example, your clothes, whether they are in the wardrobe or not, should all be washed. Also things like books, and other solid objects, should be cleaned thoroughly and then left outside the room so that the bedbugs can't hide there anymore.
Once that has been done you're going to be ready to tackle the features that are more permanent. This means things such as chests of drawers, wardrobes, and the bed of course. While you are cleaning these things it's crucial that you get to all of the little gaps if you are going to get rid of all the little critters.
In terms of cleaning the bed, that is something which you are going to have to give special attention to. We've already mentioned the necessity of taking the bed frame apart, but the mattress should also be cleaned very well. On top of vacuuming, steam cleaning it would also be a good idea.
You will probably come across some little gaps, between the skirting board and the wall for example, that you can't get a cloth in to. For those places you should sprinkle some Diatomaceous Earth, an powder insecticide. Or, as mentioned, leave it all to the professionals by calling in pest control.
About the Author:
Find out more about bed bugs treatmenttechniques from author William Donne at Bed Bugs.
