Sneaky Hitchhikers
Bed bugs are good at spreading from one household to another. They don’t necessarily travel themselves from one place to another, but rely on humans to spread. These critters can spread by sticking on your luggage, bags, shoes, toys and other stuff you may bring home. Other than having to deal with the frustration of a bed bug infestation, efficient bed bug removal by professional exterminators can be so costly. That’s why we’ve got just the right tips for you to protect your home from these nasty hitchhikers.
1. Manual Measures
- Installing encasements. Mattress encasements not only keep your mattress safe from bed bugs, but they protect against dust mites, spills, stains, and molds.
- Routine vacuuming of your home can help reduce the number or chances of getting bed bugs into your home. Beds, rugs, carpets, curtains, furniture, and cracks are ideal to repeatedly vacuum because they can be hotspots for bed bugs.
- Hot cycling. To lessen your vacuuming load, you can cycle your sheets, rugs, and curtains.
- Passive trapping works well if your bed frame is held up by legs, which is where you set the traps. These are coating the legs with vaseline or sticking double sided tapes around them so the bugs stick to them and are prevented from reaching your mattress. You may also buy interceptors that surround the legs of your bed frame. These are specifically made for trapping bed bugs and can usually be found in your local department store.
- Checking second hand furniture.
- Get minimal. Having less stuff means easier organizing and cleaning; and lesser chances for pests to thrive by hiding in clutter.
2. Chemicals For Home Use
Before you opt for chemicals as a preventive measure for bed bugs, make sure you’ve tried out other better and safer options. While these chemicals may not be toxic to you, it’s still better to avoid using chemical products when there are other safer and efficient ways to tackle the same problem.
Should you be out of options, EcoRaider has proven to be a good resort. According to a study from Rutgers University, the EcoRaider Bed Bug Killer is the most efficient bed bug spray which claims to be made out of botanical, natural ingredients.
3. Heat Application
You can opt to do a heat treatment yourself by using a professional steamer/dryer or you can call in professionals. As for prevention, you can apply heat frequently on your beddings, carpets, furniture, and etc.
On the topic of resorting to extreme temperature, the cold can also be efficient in exterminating bed bugs. However, a more house-friendly method would be to seal up your vacuumed contents inside a plastic bag and put them in the freezer for at least three days in 0°F.
Heat Treatment Is The Way To Go
Out of all the methods of bed bug removal, bed bug heat treatments are the most efficient. Because other than killing live bed bugs, all life stages, including eggs and nymphs, can be exterminated.
And while heat is the the most efficient way to get rid of these pests, you can still practice the tips in #1 to ensure protection.