Remedies to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs hide in the crevices of your furniture, waiting to feed on your blood. Their bite leaves red bumps, and causes itching and allergic skin reactions in some people. If you discover the apple-seed sized bugs in your furnishings, take action immediately to control the infestation. There are several, non-toxic remedies to get rid of bed bugs.

Do Laundry

• If you find bed bugs, the first step is to remove all bedding, including pillows and slip covers from your furniture. Wash the items in 140 degree Fahrenheit water with detergent and then dry them on high heat. If you discover bed bugs in your suitcase after staying in a hotel, wash all clothes that were in the suitcase as soon as you can. You also will want to vacuum out the suitcase. Until you have finished thoroughly cleaning your home, keep the cleaned items in sealed plastic bags to keep the bugs out.

Vacuum Everything

• To clear away and kill a good portion of your bed bugs, pour 1/2 cup of borax powder onto the floor and vacuum it up. This gets the borax in the vacuum bag so the borax can kill the bugs when you vacuum. Now, vacuum thoroughly. Don't just do your floors; use your attachments to get into crevices, behind picture frames and outlets, inside drawers and along window frames. Once you're done, burn the vacuum bag to ensure the bed bugs and their eggs are destroyed.

Steam Cleaning

• Since you can't wash large items like mattresses and upholstered chairs, a steam cleaner is needed. The heat kills the bugs and their eggs. Use the steam cleaner on the most powerful setting and go over your bed, carpets, sofa and chairs. It also doesn't hurt to take a pass over your curtains and blinds.

Seek and Destroy

• It's time to go after the last holdouts. You'll need a sticky trap, paper towels, a blow dryer and some playing cards. Place the sticky trap below where you are working and keep a paper towel in hand as you go along windowsills, wall and ceiling molding, bed frames and any other crevices where bed bugs could hide with the edge of the playing card. As the playing card pushes out the bugs, catch them in the paper towel and let any extras fall to the sticky trap. Once you've got several bed bugs in your paper towel, use the hair dryer on the paper towel to kill the bugs. The ones on the sticky trap will die without any extra help from you.

Prevention

• Purchase a mattress cover designed to keep out bed bugs. The cover seals your mattress so the bed bugs can't find a place to hide. Use caulking to seal any crevices and fix any wall cracks so the bugs can't get in. Bed bugs don't like the scent of cedar oil, so wiping a thin layer of the oil around your home and furnishings can help deter the bugs. Giving your home a thorough vacuuming on a regular basis also helps.