Bed Bugs Getting Rid Of

"Bed bugs getting rid of the pests. With some hard work and perseverance, you can get rid of bed bugs in your home or apartment. Follow the steps outlined in this guide to rid your home of a bedbug infestation. "  

Getting rid of or killing bed bugs is a multi-step process which requires thorough cleaning of infested rooms and at minimum an inspection of adjacent rooms. On average, bed bugs will travel approximately 20 feed to find a host. Use that as a general rule when deciding what rooms to clean. Bed bugs will also to adjacent rooms that are above and below the ones where your spotted the bed bugs.

This can be a frustrating process since it is easy to miss bed bug eggs which are small and white and can be found anywhere. However, if you keep on attacking the problem, eventually it will be at tolerable levels and then completely gone. If you live in an apartment, be sure to involve the landlord and other tenants, since rooms above and next to the bed bug problem may be the cause.

It is unlikely that products made for other insects will kill bedbugs, since insecticides tend to be insect specific.

Bed bugs getting rid of them will at minimum take a full day for each room.

Bed Bugs Getting Rid of Them

The key to getting rid or killing bed bugs is to not only kill or remove the bugs themselves, but to protect against the eggs they leave behind.

Identify Bed Bugs First

Bed bugs getting rid of them involves looking around, under and behind every object in the room. The bugs are flat and range in size from a speck or poppy seed sized when born to 1/4 inches when they are adults. They can cling to any surface, even upside down. Bed bugs have a range of colors including burnt orange, brown and even white if they just molted.

Here are some pictures to help you identify bed bugs.

Photo of Bed Bug - Adult

On a mattress you can identify bed bugs by looking at the seams and what they left behind. If a bedbug has been on a mattress, they sometime leave behind blood stains or fecal matter.

Photo of Bed Bugs - Source: University of Kentucky

Preparing the Room Before Bed Bugs Getting Rid of Action is Taken

There are also several steps you will have to go through to prepare the room where you are planning treatment before you determine how to kill bedbugs.  These steps f include:

1. Loosen carpets around the edge of the room if possible since this is a possible bedbug hiding place.
2. Removing all bed linens.  Bag and wash them.
3. Loosen all electrical and cable switch plates so that you can inspect behind them.
4. Make sure there are no items in the floor
5. Empty and bag the contents of closets and any nearby drawers.  Never transport items from the infested room to another area such as a washing machine unless they are bagged to avoid dropping any bed bugs around the house.
6. Throw out any items such as newspapers and magazines since these are favorite hiding places.

Bed Bugs Getting Rid of Them - Products You Will Need

There are several products that will be helpful in bed bugs getting rid of them. To save money you can buy all you need in a kit from All Stop or Dermisil for Bed Bugs. We highly recommend a kit since they come with detailed instructions.

Products you will find in a kit for bed bugs getting rid of include:

Bed Bug Spray: A bed bug spray will kill bugs on contact. They are helpful since they can reach into cracks in the floor. A few products to consider are Bug Patrol, Benzarid, and Dead Bed Bugs Contact Killing spray. Keep a bottle of spray handy, since it kills the bugs on contact.

Dust to Kill Bed Bugs: A fossil dust to kill bedbugs is sprinkled around the room, particularly in cracks and crevices, after you do your thorough cleaning and spraying. The reason is that since bed bugs are hard to find, any that you miss will come in contact with the dust, which will attach to their outer shell and kill the bed bug. Also, since bed bug eggs are very hard to find and destroy, when they hatch, the new born will come in contact with the dust. It is easy to miss the eggs since there is no specific place where they are laid out by the female. Eggs take 10 days to hatch.  Dust is also helpful around electrical outlets, since liquid sprays could be dangerous.

Disinfectant and/or Steamer - Bed bug eggs are not killed by sprays or dusts. The eggs stick to surfaces and can only be killed by a strong disinfectant such as PuraCleenRx, steam or by a professional company that can super heat a room to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (45C). The kits mentioned above come with a steam cleaner for this purpose.  Steam can also kill the bed bugs themselves.

Zippered Mattress and Box Spring Cover - After cleaning, lock any bugs or eggs you missed into the mattress with a zippered cover. The bugs inside will eventually die. Make sure the cover is made for bed bugs such as the one in the kits above or you can get the AllerZip Waterproof Bed Bug Proof Zippered Bedding Encasement from Amazon.com. If you buy one that isn't made for bed bugs or have one in the house, make sure it is hypoallergenic. You may also want to purchase a pillow cover, although these are just as easy to replace.  If a mattress is ripped, it  should be thrown out.

Bed bugs Getting rid of them is a multi-step process:

Note that is not unusual to have to repeat the process to treat bed bugs for 3 to 5 times since it is very easy to miss when eliminating bed bugs and their eggs.

1. Clean :

Vacuum - A vacuum will pick up bed bugs. If you have carpet, vacuum every inch, and then do it again. Dispose of the vacuum bag in the room where you just vacuumed by placing it in a securely tied plastic bag. Remove and dispose out of door, preferably in a garbage can that is outside in the sun.

Wash - Wash any fabric item including clothes, blankets, sheets and bedding. Wash in hot water. After the items dry, seal in plastic bags to avoid re infestation.

Clean Carpet - After vacuuming, there may be bed bug eggs in the carpet. Consider renting a carpet cleaner or if you have one, add a strong disinfectant to the cleaner such as the PuraCleen mentioned above. Test an area of the carpet first to avoid discoloring. If this doesn't work you may need a professional to super heat the room.

Inspect - Look in every crack and crevice, particularly near the bed. Look in the cracks of the bed frame, cracks in wooden floors, at the edge of carpets, in the box spring and behind the clock radio. Looks in the cracks of windows. Go inch by inch and check every item. Even pull off electrical plates and switch plates from the wall for inspection.

Bed bugs can be sucked up in a vacuum cleaner, and swept up in a rag which is a fast and convenient way for bed bugs getting rid of them. Vacuum everywhere. Remove and dispose of newspapers and magazines. Bed bugs only travel about 20 feed, to so don't move objects from one room to another. Anything that leaves the room gets sealed in plastic bags. Do not carry items into another room, this will only spread the bugs.

2. Protect:

Zipper the Mattress/Box spring: Seal the mattress and box spring in a zippered casing as mentioned above. This will kill bugs trapped inside.

Use the Bed Bug Dust: Follow the manufacturer directions. Spread the dust under the bed, in cracks and anywhere else the bed bugs might be. When a bed bug nymph is born, the dust will kill them.

Put Climbup Interceptors under each bed leg: This is one of the more helpful bed bug remedies.  When bed bugs approach the bed, they climb the outside of the bowl, and when they reach the top they fall in and get trapped.

3. When all Else Fails, Hire an Expert that specializes in bed bugs getting rid of the pests.

A bed bug exterminator will use other techniques such as bed bug sniffing dogs (they give off a distinct odor), and super heating a room to kill the bugs. These approaches may be necessary for bad infestations. One good source is either our Local Bed Bug Prevention Resources Guide which lists exterminators in many cities where there have been problems.

Share Your Bed Bug Experience With Others

Do you have a great story about bed bugs? Share it!

Help Others With Your Bed Bug Story

Tell Us Your Bed Bug Story! [ ? ]

Close Help Entering your story is easy to do. Just type!... Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story. TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Upload A Bed Bug Picture (optional) [ ? ]

Close Help Do you have a bed bug picture to add? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

Click here to see the rest of the form and complete your submission.

What Other Visitors Have Said About Bed Bugs

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

---