If it turns out that you do have bed bugs the best thing to do is call a professional exterminator as quickly as possible. If a professional exterminator is out of your budget there still might be hope depending on how large the infestation is. No matter is if you hire a pest control specialist or if you decide to do it yourself it will take weeks and possibly months to make sure your home is properly cleansed.
For those of you living in an apartment complex it will be necessary for you to have full cooperation from the surrounding tenants. It’s no use to clean your apartment if you are going to be re-infested from your neighbors shortly after spending money and time on treatments.
The first step to eliminating a bed bug infestation is to stop the spread of the bed bugs. This includes quickly putting all your items in sealed bags. You will also need to vacuum as much as you possibly can and make sure to remove the vacuum bag and throw it away in an outside trash receptacle. This is also a good time to de-clutter your house by throwing away things you don’t actually need or use.
Now it’s to time to actually start the actual treatment. Brace yourself; this isn’t going to be easy. Below is a list of all the things you need to do.
You need to remove clutter from your house. It’s time to get organized and minimize the junk you have collected over the years.
Time to get rid of any cardboard boxes you have laying around your home. Cardboard boxes are another favorite place for bed bugs to hide and multiply.
Make sure your bed is isolated from everything even the walls. Nothing should be close to your bed. This also includes eliminating dust ruffles and storing items under your bed.
Putting traps next to your bed post is also important for two reasons. First, it will help prevent bed bugs from crawling into bed with you. Second, it will help you monitor how well your treatment worked. Make sure to check the traps every so often to see if you are experiencing another resurgence of bed bugs.
All of your sturdy clothes, sheets, and blankets need to be treated with heat; any delicate clothes probably won’t survive the extreme heat needed to kill bed bugs and bed bug eggs. The desired heat is around 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
After you have vacuumed and removed the clutter from your home you will need to steam clean you furniture and carpet. Make sure to get in the hard to reach places that bed bugs love so much.
Remember all of those cracks in wooden surfaces that you checked earlier; now its time to seal all of them up. I would recommend using caulk when sealing around door and window frames. For crack in furniture such as tables and other flat surfaces without cloth of any kind you will need to travel to your local hardware store and grab some wood filler.
Also, make sure that your wallpaper is flat and smooth against the wall. Bed bugs will also hide in loose wallpaper. If you have any loose wallpaper in your home you will need to remove it.
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