Getting rid of bedbugs can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. With the right steps and guidance, you can eliminate bedbugs from your home and prevent them from coming back. It’s important to take bedbugs seriously and not ignore them until you become their victim.
To treat bedbugs, you need to understand that it’s a lengthy process that can take anywhere from one to three months to eliminate them.
The most effective methods to get rid of bedbugs are high steam and high heat. The only product that has proven effective against bedbugs is diatomaceous earth food grade.
Now, let's go through the steps to get rid of bedbugs:
Step 1:
If you spot bedbugs in your house, try to locate their nest. It could be under the mattress, bed frame, sofa, baseboard, or any wooden furniture. Bedbugs are often found under the mattress since it’s the closest point for them to feed on a host during the night.
Once you find the nest, take that room seriously. Seal all the holes and escape routes in the room as best as you can.
Step 2:
Use diatomaceous earth to create a barrier in the room where the bedbugs have made a nest. After sealing the area, separate the mattress and bed frame or sofa. Use a portable hand steamer to steam the bed or sofa thoroughly. Then, vacuum all the possible areas and dispose of the dust from the vacuum immediately.
Step 3:
Heat treatment is one and only effective method to kill bedbugs, including their eggs. Once you have vacuumed and sealed the room, prepare it for heat treatment. If the room has many unsealed or open areas, heat treatment may not be completely effective, as adult bugs can run to other rooms. You can rent a portable heater for heat treatment. Make sure to prepare the room properly before starting the heater. Keep all items that touch the wall or baseboard at least 2 feet away. we have separate detailed blogs available for room preparation and heat treatment. It’s best to perform heat treatment in all rooms suspected of having bedbugs.
Step 4:
After treating the room with heat, it’s time to use a bedbug mattress cover and interceptors. These two things will help prevent bedbug bites. The mattress cover should remain on the mattress for one year, as it will kill any bedbugs inside during that time. Place bedbug interceptors on the legs of the bed, and sprinkle a little diatomaceous earth on them. If your bed doesn’t have a leg frame, consider getting a new bed frame with legs.
Step 5:
Start collecting your clothes and put them in zip-tight bags. Wash the clothes with hot water and dry them on high heat. Do this one bag at a time. If you find any bedbugs in your closet or the area where you store your clothes, use steam or a heater with high temperature to treat that area. Spray diatomaceous earth in all the hiding places of bedbugs, such as baseboards and door frames.
By following these steps, you will greatly reduce the chances of future bedbug bites and irritation as well as limiting them. It’s important not to move to a different room or location after performing these steps. Stay in the same place so that the bedbugs are lured to attack you at night, when the diatomaceous earth and interceptors can take effect.
Keep in mind that you may need to repeat these steps depending on the level of infestation. Regular vacuuming, steaming, and heating are the best available options to kill bedbugs.
What about sprays?
Regular sprays from local hardware stores are not very effective against bedbugs. Contact sprays are used to kill visible bedbugs, but most bedbugs have developed resistance to these sprays. It’s more effective to manually kill bedbugs using gloves or paper. Residual sprays are not strong enough and do not last as long as they claim.
According to the latest research by Mark Rober, diatomaceous earth food grade has been found to be 98% more effective than all other sprays. The only downside is that diatomaceous earth can take three to six weeks to kill bedbugs.