DIY-how to get rid of bed bug infestation by yourself for cheap?
All the travelling we did this summer had an unexpected impact this summer. Our bedroom got infested with bed bugs. My wife found it first close to the crib where my toddler sleeps and from there on the war on bed bugs started. Initially we took it easy thinking it is few of them. We put some of the blankets for wash, used steamer to clean the bed and thought it should be ok. However, it coming back and again and my wife started to get the bite marks every day and after a period of time it just got crazy. It gets hard to sleep when you know some insect is going to feast on you when you are sleeping. Apparently, bed bugs don't spread disease but still it sucks your blood and for some causes allergy. Well and who wants to visit a house with bed bugs. yuck yuck.
Calling a professional to deal with it is going to cost atleast few hundred dollars. Though it is a better way to deal with this problem something makes me think even professionals cannot guarantee 100% that this issue will be dealt once for all. Anyhow I had some time to deal with it so thought I will do it myself and see how it goes.
This is what I have done so far:
All the initial washing of blankets, vacuuming , steaming did not work. Also we bought a mattress cover but still the bed bugs came back and nested on the mattress cover. Those bug sprays are totally useless. So dealing with these creatures is not an easy thing. One or two approaches is not going to work. You just need to do it 100% and don't take any chances. Do all of the below:
1) First remove all the blankets and wash and dry it in warm water.
2) If possible dismantle your bed frame and keep it out in sun. Keep any furniture you think is infested out in the sun too. Also you can cover them in black garbage bags and then keep it in the sun so that temperature is more inside those bags.
3) Buy rubbing alchohol and mix not less than 50:50 water and spray it on the bed, all the edges, corners, any cracks, etc. It is probably better to not mix water at all. Just spray it everywhere you can. Since it is not insecticide it probably wont harm you. Rubbing alchohol shown in pic was bought from dollar store.
4) Now even go back to those bed frames that you kept outside and spray the alchohol on it too. If you can get some long lasting time bed bug spray then spray that too.Also you can try bed bug spot treatment solutions like the one shown in pic below: I got this blaze pro bed bug killer from canadian tire for 10$.
5) Apparently salt and baking soda also kills bed bugs. I mixed them both and sprinkled it around my bed and all corners. Don't know how much impact it had but have read this helps too. Why not try since it is not going to cost much.
6) The biggest impact made was by using dichotomous earth powder that was present in a product called insectigon. I sprayed that powder on all room corners, on the carpet, and wherever bed bug will roam and be present. It kills bed bugs in a while.
7) Now do use a mattress case since it is going to protect your mattress and you will not have to throw it away. Keep the mattress cover for atleast one year since bed bugs can leave without food for one year.
8) Other know technique is to heat the room to 113 Degrees or 118 degress atleast to kill bed bugs. I don't know how to do this at home. On a sunny day I just took my winter portable heater and turned it on High. Atleast it would have made life tough for those bed bugs.
8) We moved out of the room for couple of weeks to the basement room making sure we did not take anything from our infested room. Atleast to starve those creatures from food. I have read this is not a good thing to do but we did not want to bitten by it and I wanted the room for myself to do whatever I want to kill those bed bugs.
9) I bought some carpet tape that you can find in home depot. It costs couple of dollars. It put on the legs of the bed frame to trap bed bugs from entering bed frame. You can even stick it around your bed or put it any where you thing bed bugs can nest. It will for sure trap the baby bed bugs.
10) I got in those vacuum cleaner which have those hose that can go to corners. I used it to clean all the corners and cracks. vacuum any bed bugs in those corners. Also, steamer is good to use on the bed to kill eggs and the bed bugs itself. The temperature has to be 150 or 180 degrees to kill them.
11) Keep inspecting the room every now and then to see if any has come back. Keep vacuuming and steaming the room every week or now and then to kill if any remaining.
12) Cover any cracks or any gaps where bed bugs can nest with scotch tapes so that they go inside those holes.
Hopefully with all the above listed techniques you can deal with your bed bug infestation. Share your experience. If it does not work then better call a professional :)
All the travelling we did this summer had an unexpected impact this summer. Our bedroom got infested with bed bugs. My wife found it first close to the crib where my toddler sleeps and from there on the war on bed bugs started. Initially we took it easy thinking it is few of them. We put some of the blankets for wash, used steamer to clean the bed and thought it should be ok. However, it coming back and again and my wife started to get the bite marks every day and after a period of time it just got crazy. It gets hard to sleep when you know some insect is going to feast on you when you are sleeping. Apparently, bed bugs don't spread disease but still it sucks your blood and for some causes allergy. Well and who wants to visit a house with bed bugs. yuck yuck.
Calling a professional to deal with it is going to cost atleast few hundred dollars. Though it is a better way to deal with this problem something makes me think even professionals cannot guarantee 100% that this issue will be dealt once for all. Anyhow I had some time to deal with it so thought I will do it myself and see how it goes.
This is what I have done so far:
All the initial washing of blankets, vacuuming , steaming did not work. Also we bought a mattress cover but still the bed bugs came back and nested on the mattress cover. Those bug sprays are totally useless. So dealing with these creatures is not an easy thing. One or two approaches is not going to work. You just need to do it 100% and don't take any chances. Do all of the below:
1) First remove all the blankets and wash and dry it in warm water.
2) If possible dismantle your bed frame and keep it out in sun. Keep any furniture you think is infested out in the sun too. Also you can cover them in black garbage bags and then keep it in the sun so that temperature is more inside those bags.
3) Buy rubbing alchohol and mix not less than 50:50 water and spray it on the bed, all the edges, corners, any cracks, etc. It is probably better to not mix water at all. Just spray it everywhere you can. Since it is not insecticide it probably wont harm you. Rubbing alchohol shown in pic was bought from dollar store.
4) Now even go back to those bed frames that you kept outside and spray the alchohol on it too. If you can get some long lasting time bed bug spray then spray that too.Also you can try bed bug spot treatment solutions like the one shown in pic below: I got this blaze pro bed bug killer from canadian tire for 10$.
5) Apparently salt and baking soda also kills bed bugs. I mixed them both and sprinkled it around my bed and all corners. Don't know how much impact it had but have read this helps too. Why not try since it is not going to cost much.
6) The biggest impact made was by using dichotomous earth powder that was present in a product called insectigon. I sprayed that powder on all room corners, on the carpet, and wherever bed bug will roam and be present. It kills bed bugs in a while.
7) Now do use a mattress case since it is going to protect your mattress and you will not have to throw it away. Keep the mattress cover for atleast one year since bed bugs can leave without food for one year.
8) Other know technique is to heat the room to 113 Degrees or 118 degress atleast to kill bed bugs. I don't know how to do this at home. On a sunny day I just took my winter portable heater and turned it on High. Atleast it would have made life tough for those bed bugs.
8) We moved out of the room for couple of weeks to the basement room making sure we did not take anything from our infested room. Atleast to starve those creatures from food. I have read this is not a good thing to do but we did not want to bitten by it and I wanted the room for myself to do whatever I want to kill those bed bugs.
9) I bought some carpet tape that you can find in home depot. It costs couple of dollars. It put on the legs of the bed frame to trap bed bugs from entering bed frame. You can even stick it around your bed or put it any where you thing bed bugs can nest. It will for sure trap the baby bed bugs.
10) I got in those vacuum cleaner which have those hose that can go to corners. I used it to clean all the corners and cracks. vacuum any bed bugs in those corners. Also, steamer is good to use on the bed to kill eggs and the bed bugs itself. The temperature has to be 150 or 180 degrees to kill them.
11) Keep inspecting the room every now and then to see if any has come back. Keep vacuuming and steaming the room every week or now and then to kill if any remaining.
12) Cover any cracks or any gaps where bed bugs can nest with scotch tapes so that they go inside those holes.
Hopefully with all the above listed techniques you can deal with your bed bug infestation. Share your experience. If it does not work then better call a professional :)
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