The Best DIY Bed Bug Treatments

If you are frightened by things that go bump in the night, then bed bugs are probably on your list of scary things. It’s when your asleep in the dark that bed bugs come out from hiding and feed on your blood. You never feel it, either, because when they pierce your skin, they inject into you a powerful, but temporary painkiller.

There is hope, however, for a better night’s sleep, starting with six do-it-yourself bed bug treatments in this article. Before we push on, though, we must provide this disclaimer: If you are dealing with but one or two bed bugs, then these treatments will be effective; if you are trying to contain an infestation, however, then you need the help of a professional bed bug treatment company.

What are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs, which feed on the blood of humans and animals, derive their name from their desire to hide in dark, soft places and crevices – particularly in mattresses. Why mattresses? Because bed bugs don’t want to travel far for their next meal, and you’re an easy target at night when you sleep.

These little blood suckers are small – about the size of a grain of rice – which makes them difficult to see with the naked eye, which is why extermination is often best left to a bed bug treatment company. If you have bed bugs, though, you’ll know it, as you’ll wake up with itchy bites on your body.

How Did They Get into My Home?

Bed bugs are notorious hitchhikers and will grab a free ride whenever one is available. So, if that hotel room you just stayed in had bed bugs, then your home probably now has them, too. If the consignment shop where you just bought that cute top has bed bugs, then there’s a good chance that one or two hopped a ride to your home. If that Golden Doodle at the dog park has bed bugs, then your little Fido may have been their ticket to your house.

Get the idea?

Hitchhiking is not the only way bed bugs find their way into homes. If you share a wall with neighbor (for those of you who live in townhomes) who has bed bugs, and that neighbor’s preferred bed bug treatment is a bug bomb, then these little insects will scurry for a safe haven, which usually means a neighbor’s house. Because bed bugs have very flat bodies, they can slip through even the smallest of cracks and crevices.

6 Bed Bug Warning Signs

1. Bites on Your Skin: A lot of people mistake bed bug bites for flea bites, but they are easy to tell apart. While flea bites will be single, randomly placed bites, bed bug bites will be clustered and arranged in a straight line.
2. Black Dots: Black dots are signs of either bed bug poop or the skin bed bugs shed when maturing into adults.
3. Red or Rusty Stains: If you find small red- or rusty-colored stains on your pillows or sheets, it is blood (your blood) from either your puncture wounds or from bed bugs with full bellies getting squashed after they eat.
4. Egg Shells: These very light-colored, ivory dots are hard to spot, but if you do, they are likely the eggshells left behind by hatched bed bugs.
5. Living Bugs: Bed bugs are tiny, but possible to see. If you look closely, you may spot them. If one appears a bit bigger and redder than the others, that’s because it recently finished eating.

6 DIY Bed Bug Treatments

1. Vacuum ’Em Up: If you have a strong vacuum cleaner with a powerful hose attachment, then vacuuming up your bed bugs every few days will help fend off an infestation. You must be thorough though, meaning you must attack the mattress, bedding, sofas, any soft furniture, and chair cushions. Miss a few bed bugs, and they’ll keep laying eggs until you have a problem again. You’ll also need to vacuum the carpet, floors, and any cracks in the walls or floorboards. When you’re done vacuuming, discard of the vacuum bag outside, as far away from your home as possible. If this is too much work, then call a professional bed bug treatment company.
2. Give ’Em a Steam Bath: Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive temperatures greater than 140 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if you can’t reach places with the vacuum, then steam your bed bugs to death. Just be careful to follow the steam cleaner’s instructions carefully to avoid damaging furniture.
3. Wash ’Em Away: If your clothes and bedding can tolerate hot water followed by being tumbled dry on the hottest setting, then wash everything that’s been exposed to bed bugs. The combination of hot water and dryer heat will help kill these pests.
4. Get ’Em Drunk: Well, not really, but rubbing alcohol does kill bed bugs on contact. Just put the rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spritz away.
5. Give ’Em a Blowout: If you’re just trying to make it through the night before you call in a professional bed bug treatment company, then take a hair dryer and blast it over your sheets and bedding. The heat will kill the bed bugs that are eagerly awaiting your return. Be aware, though, that this is only a temporary solution, as other bed bugs will soon set up shop in your bed.
6. Brush ’Em Out: Your final DIY bed bug treatment is to run a stiff brush along the mattress seams. This will dislodge any clinging bed bugs and eggs that resist the suction of a vacuum cleaner.

When to Call a Professional Bed Bug Treatment Company

If you have a full-blown infestation, the six DIY bed bug treatments above will likely not do the trick. If you decide to go the do-it-yourself route to get rid of your bed bug infestation, we urge you to proceed cautiously. We do not recommend foggers, as they do not reach all crevices where bed bugs are hiding and can cause fire and explosions when used improperly. In addition, we urge you not to use untested remedies purchased online.

Because bed bugs are so difficult to get rid of, we recommend getting help from a professional bed bug treatment company, such as Eco Pest Control. We can help you identify and locate the bed bugs in your home and can give you a treatment plan to get rid of the bugs permanently.

Why Eco Pest Control is the Leading Bed Bug Treatment Company in the Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg Areas

Losing sleep over bed bugs? Rely on Eco Pest Control, the leading bed bug treatment company in the greater Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg areas. We give you four reasons why you can trust us to take care of your bed bug problem.

1. Our company provides staff with extensive training in the treatment and extermination of bed bugs that enables them to solve your most basic bed bug problems.
2. We invest in ongoing education in the treatment and extermination of bed bugs to ensure we stay abreast of industry advances.
3. We offer free bed bug inspections, which come with a complimentary bed bug treatment plan.
4. We offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. If you are not fully satisfied, we will come back for free. What else would you expect from the area’s leading bed bug treatment company?

Resources

• Environmental Protection Agency: Bed Bugs: Get Them Out and Keep Them Out
• National Pest Management Association: Bed Bugs
• Mayo Clinic: Bed Bugs: Symptoms and Causes
• Eco Pest Control: The Ultimate Guide to Bed Bugs and Extermination Companies
• Eco Pest Control: The Work of a Bed Bug Control Company
• Eco Pest Control: Did You Travel This Summer? You Might Have Bedbugs
• Eco Pest Control: Bed Bug Extermination

Bed Bugs, From National Geographic

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