Pest control experts have revealed how you can prevent bedbugs from entering your home and fix the problem before it becomes an infestation.
Nobody wants to deal with an outbreak of bedbugs - tiny red-brown insects the size of a grain of rice that spend their entire lives indoors and feed on human blood.
They're nocturnal, meaning they usually come out at night while you're asleep, but they can also learn how to mimic a human's sleeping patterns.
So if you think you've spotted some, it's vital that you deal with the problem quickly to ensure that they're gotten rid of, reports the Express.
The experts at Shield Pest Control said: “While these are effective home remedies, you may also wish to call for professional help to securely process the extermination of your bed bug infestation."
Step one: Identify the areas infested by bed bugs
Some areas in the home that are worth checking out are mattress seams, under sofa cushions, behind bed frames or underneath loose wallpaper.
Once you know where they're hiding, and determined how serious the infestation is, it's time to work on containing the bedbugs.
Step two: Contain the bugs
Bedbugs move and spread quickly, so it's vital to contain them in the location you found them at.
The experts said: “The most effective way to do this is to use a vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean the mattress, light sockets, carpets, dressers, and other places you’ve found the bed bugs to be in.
“Once you’re sure you’ve vacuumed the infested items then it’s time to contain the bugs in a sealed bag and throw it away once they are trapped inside.
“You must then kill any remaining bugs on affected linen and clothes. We advise you to wash bedding at a high temperature or with very hot water for the best impact.”
For furniture that can't be put in the washing machine, you can steam it instead, even though it's not entirely effective to get rid of an infestation - you may need pest control professionals for that.
Step three: Kill the bed bugs
Killing bed bugs can be done using natural remedies, according to the experts. One of these is temperature control as the pros claimed that this will help “eliminate an infestation”.
The experts continued: “Making sure to wash and dry fabrics for at least 30 minutes at hot temperatures is an effective home remedy to kill bugs right away.” Steaming affected items at a hot temperature will also have a positive effect and help solve the problem.
Instead of this, you can also put infected materials in a plastic bag and placing them in the freezer for at least four days.
Step four: Monitor future bed bugs
To stop bedbugs from “returning and quickly spreading” throughout the home again, households should evaluate the effectiveness of their treatment.
They should start by checking all of the areas they treated at least every seven days for signs of activity, keeping in mind that they hide very well.
The experts noted that it’s possible that the treatment that was tried wasn’t 100 percent effective so to stop them from returning to beds, they said: “You may want to place bed bug interceptors under each leg of the bed.”
For those who find that they have tried multiple treatments but the bed bug infestations, unfortunately, keep returning, it would be advisable to contact pest controllers to manage a serious infestation.
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