You might not wish to think about it, but there are bed bugs in homes across the country. Thriving during spring and summer, households will want to keep on top of the pests and a cleaning expert has shared just how to do this without the need for chemicals or expensive treatments.
Although you may not realise it, bedbugs are likely to be sharing your home. According to the NHS website, the tiny creatures, which measure just 5mm long as adults, live on furniture or bedding and can hide in various places around your home including behind pictures and, of course, in mattresses or on bed frames.
Over the winter, or when temperatures drop below 13 degrees Celsius, bed bugs go into a state of hibernation, according to the Express, and can stay in this dormant state for up to a year. However, when the parasites awaken once the weather warms up and when they sense food (humans) nearby, you need to act to keep them under control and from nipping you.
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For those in need of a low-cost way to spot and remove bed bugs from their homes, Nigel Bearman, owner of cleaning company Daily Poppins, has shared a guide on how to spot and remove the pests “effectively”.
Bed bugs and how to spot them
According to Nigel, there are “two main ways” to spot bed bugs in a home - blood spots on a mattress and black bed bug traces. If you start to notice small red blood spots on the bed, it could be a sign of bed bugs. While bites are often not painful they can leave a trace of blood behind in a row-like pattern as the pests feed on blood vessels in a linear way.
Bed bug traces look like small black spots and can appear in the path that the bug has taken. The marks are usually between 0.5 and 1 mm and are the excrement of the mites after they have ingested blood. These spots are most commonly seen on the mattress, bed frames, and occasionally duvet covers.
How to get rid of bed bugs
Providing a step-by-step guide on how to get rid of the pest, the cleaning expert says the first step to banishing bed bugs is to spot them early. This will help to reduce the infection and stop the problem before they begin to reproduce. Once the infestation has been spotted, the next step is to contain it. The expert claimed that this can be done by vacuuming any infected areas including the bed, carpets, curtains, and dressers.
Before treating, Nigel says: “It is crucial to prepare the surrounding area to prevent damage and maximise the chances of destroying the bedbugs.” According to the expert, this should involve moving or throwing out any bed bug hiding spots such as books and magazines that may be near the bed. Also make sure to seal any areas, including electrical units and loose wallpaper, to stop the movement of the bed bugs to the exposed area.
The final step is to kill the bed bugs. The cleaning pro said: “It is easy to kill bed bugs with high heat (46.11 degrees) or extreme cold temperatures (0 degrees). Insecticides can also be used to chemically kill bed bugs. We would suggest using the natural methods before introducing chemicals as strong odours can linger in the home on soft furnishings for long periods.”
Methods to kill bed bugs immediately
Nigel said: “Steam kills bed bugs instantly at a temperature of 100 degrees. Be sure to steam tufts and folds of mattresses, as well as seams on sofas, bed frames, and corners where bed bugs might be hiding. Make sure the steam is kept away from electricity, since steam may damage some finishes."
As well as using steam, freezing infested items is an effective home remedy for bed bugs. For this bed bug home remedy to be successful, the temperature of the freezer must remain at or below zero degrees, and the items should be left in the freezer for at least four days.
What else kills bed bugs naturally?
According to the expert, lavender oil has a variety of uses in the home, and one of which is to get rid of bed bugs. To use it, in a spray bottle, combine 10 to 15 drops of lavender oil with 50ml of water.
Nigel said: “The solution should be sprayed directly into the areas where bed bugs are present.” Another “popular home remedy” for bed bugs is baking soda, which is one of the most versatile home remedies that can be found in a kitchen cupboard.
In the battle against bed bugs, using baking soda causes the surface fluids on the waxy shell to be absorbed, causing them to dehydrate. The expert said: “The small granules of baking soda can also cause internal bleeding due to the fact that they can cut into a bed bug's shell.”
To treat bed bugs with this DIY method, sprinkle baking soda around the mattress and the area around the bed, where bed bugs usually live. It should be vacuumed up after a few days, and the process should be repeated.
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