Ways to Eliminate Bed Bugs

Blood-sucking bed bugs can attack anytime. They are attracted to body heat, blood and your breath, not dirt and grime. Climbing onto your face and skin as you sleep, they pierce you with two hollow tubes, causing swollen and itchy welts. In some cases, extreme allergic reactions have occurred, resulting in a trip to a hospital emergency room. Eliminating them is difficult, but necessary.

Locate Bed Bugs

• Bed bugs are very small and mobile squatters. Traveling from an infested area or item, they quickly and quietly invade everything, including furniture, bedding, clothing, baggage, boxes and more. Secondhand furniture, beds, couches and suitcases are the biggest sources of bed bugs. Look for black or brown spots of fecal matter on various surfaces, both hidden and in plain sight. You may also smell a putrid odor. The eggs laid are almost impossible to see. They resemble a flake of dust. Eliminate all clutter to reduce places bugs can hide.

Wash, Steam and Clean

• Discard old mattresses, which are a breeding ground for mites and bed bugs. Launder bedding and garments that have been exposed in water, heated to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

  Rent a commercial vacuum cleaner, or hire a professional cleaning service, to thoroughly clean every nook, crevice and crack in your home. Bed bugs can hide anywhere, so you must clean and vacuum everywhere. Then use airtight mattress, box spring and pillow slips to trap any missed bed bugs. This will starve them to death since they can't get out to feed on you. In addition, use an ultraviolet hand-held wand to eliminate bed bugs and other pathogens, including dust mites, which don't survive the ultraviolet rays.

Steam, Heat and Freeze

• Steam furniture, carpets and rugs. Rent a commercial steam cleaner and steam every available surface, fabric and piece of furniture in all areas of your home. Put bedding, clothing and linens in a dryer set to highest heat and dry for 20 to 30 minutes. "Dry-clean only" clothes that are are already clean and completely dry can be heated to moderate heat of less than 160 degrees for an hour.

  Exposing your articles to cold works, too, but they must freeze in 0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower for a minimum of four days.

Pesticides and Other Chemicals

• Pesticides are only one component of a comprehensive strategy to eliminate bed bugs. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are more than 300 products registered for use to kill bed bugs. Unfortunately, bed bugs in different parts of the country have developed resistance to many chemicals. If you decide to use pesticides yourself, make sure it is specifically labeled for bed bug elimination. Apply to base boards, electrical outlets, door and wall moldings, floor boards and cracks. Pesticides cannot be used on mattresses.

  A solution of rubbing alcohol is minimally effective and not a long-term solution. It may help contain the problem by killing some on contact. Mix one part alcohol with one part water and put the mixture into a spray bottle.

Professional Exterminators

• Hire a professional pest control company that is bonded and licensed to handle chemicals, insecticides and ultraviolet devices. Request a weekly monitoring and reapplication regiment if necessary. If you have pets or sensitivity to certain chemicals, a company can adjust its methods to reduce exposure.