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No one needs an introduction as to what bed bugs are. We have all seen them and have been pestered by this parasite at some point of our lives. Bed bugs are extremely troublesome and are very difficult to remove once a serious infestation sets in. The very fact that they can live on your clothes and upholstery, easily hidden from the naked eyes is proof enough that they must be dealt with carefully.
Treating bed bugs require complete destruction of the eggs and the bugs. Bed bugs are small and mostly red or dark brown in colour. They hide in dark corners of beds and other furniture and are mostly active at night. To treat bed bugs, one has to sanitise the house completely including disinfecting of all the furniture, clothes and mattresses in order to attain complete success.
Before you head to the pest control service, let’s take a look at the home remedies that are available for removing bed bugs. They could be as good as the insecticide that you claim to give best results Home remedies are not only safe for your house, but also give 100% results, which may not be a possibility with chemicals, apart from the danger it poses on your health.
Home Remedies For Bed Bugs
Vacuum Cleaners
Well, this is the most obvious solution when you have a bed bug infestation at home. Many people panic at the first sight of a bed bug at home. It you have caught them young and fresh before they multiply too much, vacuum cleaning could be all you need for complete removal of the problem. For severe bed bug infestation, vacuuming may not offer complete removal of bugs.
Bugs can hide inside the upholstery where the strong air from vacuum cleaners may not reach. Use a powerful vacuum cleaner for vacuuming all the upholstery, mattress, furniture, curtains and other areas. Vacuuming is also good in that it removes all the dirt and dry flakes of skin that are present in the mattress and upholstery which they feed on for nourishment. Constant vacuum cleaning for a week will leave the bed bugs with nothing to feed on for nourishing their bodies, thereby allowing them to die.
Neem
Neem leaves are known for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and can safely remove bed bugs from the upholstery which cannot be removed from the furniture. If you have a neem tree at home, you are in luck. Pluck fresh neem leaves and crumble them with your hands just enough so that the aromatic smell of neem come through.
Spread the leaves on the upholstery and mattresses and anything else where you suspect infestation. You can leave them under the beds and sofa sets too where the bugs could be hiding. Leave it there until the neem leaves are dry and do not have much effect. Replace with fresh leaves. Do not crush the leaves if you have light coloured upholstery as it could stain the surface.
For disinfecting the clothes and bed sheets, boil neem leaves in a bucket of water and dip all the clothes inside until it becomes cold. Wash these clothes in a strong detergent solution, preferably in hot water. You can use neem water for taking bath before you retire to bed to prevent the bugs from sucking your blood.
Heat Treatment
Fortunately, bed bugs cannot survive very high and very low temperatures. This is precisely why they cannot survive when heat is applied in any form. Red hot clothes irons are therefore best solutions for removing bed bugs. Heat the iron to a maximum temperature and iron all the sheets and clothes that are infested with this pest. If your upholstery can withstand iron treatment, press your iron on them too.
You can leave the furniture and carpets along with all the clothes and sheets under hot sun for a few days. The heat emitted from the dryer of the washing machine too can kill bed bugs effectively. The vigorous rotation and the hot and dry air will destroy the eggs and the bugs to a certain degree. While you do the hot treatment, it is advisable not to use these furniture and upholstery in order to prevent nourishment for the bugs.
Ice Treatment
Bed bugs cannot tolerate cold climate as well. You can leave your clothes outside if it is winter season. Other methods that you can adopt are leaving the clothes and sheets inside the freezer. This could be possible if you have a big cold storage area. In the absence of this, you can wash the clothes in very cold water or leave it in ice until it melts and forms into water. This could be time consuming, but will have sure results.
The treatment may have to be continued for a few days for sure results. You must also avoid using the furniture and clothes for a few days altogether in order to prevent the bugs from getting nourishment.
Storing The Clothes In Sealed Bags
After resorting to one of the methods mentioned above for disinfecting the clothes and sheets, you must not use them immediately. This is to prevent any bugs which must have escaped the harsh treatment to die without giving them further opportunity to survive. You may put neem leaves inside before sealing them in plastic bags. This will suffocate the bugs to death and destroy the eggs completely.
Insecticides
In spite of all the home remedies, some bugs could be stubborn and some houses could be infested with too many bed bugs for the home remedies to be completely effective. When the bugs are spread all around the house, things can get a little out of hand. Here, you will have to resort to an insecticide for removing the bugs.
You may do this on your own or employ the services of a professional company who would do a better job and give you tips on how to prevent further infestations.
Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.