Bed Bugs, Bed Bugs, Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs, Bed Bugs, Bed Bugs
Waking up with mosquito-like dots all over your body is a pretty good clue that
you should check your bed for bed bugs. The bites are very itchy just as
mosquito bites but can cause an allergic reaction from their saliva. The
inflamed patch of skin is extremely uncomfortable and may even need a doctor’s
treatment with steroids or antibiotics if the spots are scratched too much and
become infected.
Your first question is probably, “What do I do?” The most important thing to do
after you have identified the tiny insects as bed bugs is work fast so other
rooms aren’t infected. Of course, take all your sheets and blankets off your
bed. But, and this is extremely important to keep the bugs from getting into
other places in your house and causing an infestation, put your bed sheets and
blankets in plastic bags to seal them shut. When you wash your bedroom items use
hot water. If you have things that can’t be washed then you can keep them sealed
in a plastic bag and put them in the sun for a few days to make sure the bugs
are dead. You can even put things in your dryer on hot for about ten minutes.
You must remember to disinfect any table, counter, or anything you use as a
working area. When you have finished this first step, put your clean items into
new plastic bags and reseal them until you are ready to use them again. One
thing bed bugs cannot tolerate is the cold. Putting your sealed plastic bags
outside for several days if the weather is cold will also do the trick.
The next step is to remove everything from the bedroom. Anything that is lying
around like newspapers, paperback books, or magazines, and of course, seal them
in a plastic bag before moving them. Then there is the carpet. This can be steam
cleaned and will kill the bed bugs. Use it on your curtains, furniture, and
everything you can think of. A steam cleaner is actually a very good appliance
to use right on bed bugs.
In the past, insecticide sprays where used to treat the area. These insects have
built up immunities to some chemicals and some chemicals are not safe for your
family or four legged friends.
Recently, however, sprays that are safe for all surfaces and free of toxins are
on the market and wipe out bed bug populations. So instead of going the route
and paying big bucks for an exterminator, find a green product containing
diatomaceous earth or sodium lauryl sulfate and kill bed bugs just as quickly
and for good.
By: Bradley Skierkowski