A Guide to Eliminating Bed Bugs Do you think that you may have a bed bug problem, then it is extremely lucky that you have found this article. This article is meant for the average person that wants to get rid of bed bugs in there own home and not hire an exterminator. Just because bed bugs can be gotten rid of by the home owner does not mean it is an easy job, in fact some of the best exterminators have issues completely eliminating a bed bug problem depending upon the level of infestation.
The very first step you must take in battling bed bugs is cleaning your entire home. Bed bugs typically live within a twenty foot radius of there food source, but please clean your entire house bed bugs can and will be hiding. It is best to start the cleaning process in the bedroom, remove all bedding and wash in hot water, hot water will kill bed bugs, also wash all of your clothing and put them in plastic bags once they come out of the dryer.
The best item that you have in your fight against bed bugs a bed bug mattress cover, you will want to place these specifically made covers that lock bed bugs out of your mattress and box spring on all of the beds in your house. The alternative to not putting bed bug mattress covers on your bedding is throwing away your old bed and replacing it, this is a very expensive option that most of us simply cannot afford.
Bed bugs are fantastic at hiding and can hide in very small places. Remember bed bugs are about the size of a pencil eraser and while they can be seen with the naked eye, you really have to be looking for them to see them. This means you must clean the every nook and cranny in your house, common places people miss cleaning for bed bugs is behind wall trim, outlet covers, cracks in hardwood flooring, and the closet area.
The rule of thumb when cleaning is to wash everything you can in hot water and for hard surfaces use a bed bug spray that will kill bed bugs and bed bug eggs on contact. If you have pets or small children in the home be careful with bed bug spray as they are can be unhealthy for them and even deadly. If you do in fact have children or pets in the home there are bed bug treatments that do not contain poison, but some are not very effective.
After all of the hard surfaces and everything that can be cleaned in the washing machine has been done you will want to clean the furniture. An exception to using a steam cleaner on furniture is if you have leather furniture, this can be cleaned with chemical cleaners similar to the hard surface cleaner you used before. If you have upholstered furniture you will want to either buy a steam cleaner or rent one from your local home improvement store. A steam cleaner can and should be used on any rug or carpet in the home. Special attachments for the steam cleaner can be used to clean the upholstered furniture.