How to Get Rid of Bedbugs Without Professional Help

Bedbugs are tiny insects that can live just about anywhere, such as in hotels, business offices, apartments and hospitals. Bedbugs can infect a home by traveling on clothes from one place to another or crawling through cracks in your home. A bedbug often hides under mattresses, behind headboards, in couches, carpets and pictures, coming out mainly at night to feed on human blood. Signs of bedbug bites include itching at night as well as tiny red bumps or rashes. There are several steps that you can take at home to rid yourself of a bedbug infestation.

Things You'll Need

• Washer and dryer
• Vacuum with attachments
• Hypoallergenic mattress cover
• Bucket of hot water
• Sponge
• Cleaner such as Pine-Sol
• Sticky boards and tape

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Instructions

Steps to Get Rid of Bedbugs

• 1

  Remove all bedding from every bedroom in your home and wash it in hot water. Dry the bedding in your clothes dryer on high heat for at least 20 minutes. Wash any clothing that was exposed to bedbugs.

• 2

  Vacuum the tops of the mattresses, in between the mattresses and the box springs. Vacuum your headboards as well. Vacuum all carpets and behind pictures. Dispose of the vacuum bag by wrapping it in a plastic bag and taking it outside of the house.

• 3

  Fill a bucket with hot water and drop two capfuls of Pine-Sol into the water. Wash behind the headboards and pictures to remove fecal matter left by bedbugs. Throw the sponge away after using.

• 4

  Cover all bedding and pillows with a mattress and pillow cover to prevent any remaining bedbugs from escaping, and make up the beds again.

• 5

  Place sticky boards around the bed to capture any remaining bedbugs, and hook sticky tape behind the headboard.