It is completely possible to get rid of bed bugs permanently. All you need to do is focus on both prevention and treatment. I do believe that it is quite hard to go away from bed bugs at first. But, once you understand how actually bed bugs live, it is much easier for you to get rid of bed bugs.
In this article, let me share how to get rid of bed bugs forever from your house. The primary key to dealing with this is patience because bed bugs have a life cycle that may need further treatment in the future. Do not give up and stressful because the second or even third infestation can be treated too.
Let’s dive in.
Clean your sleeping area deeply
The first thing you need to know is that bed bugs will live near the area wherever the host sleep. They will not go far unless they have bad mating seasons which make female bed bugs run away, hide, and lay eggs. So, the very first thing you need to do is clean your sleeping area.
In this case, not all people will sleep on their bed. So, focus on doing the treatment on the spot where you usually sleep like your couch, sofa, mattress, carpet, or even a pile of warm blankets.
Apart from that, the key to killing bed bugs is to kill all adult bed bugs, nymphs, and eggs. Therefore, you can check your sleeping area first and decide which type of treatments you need as follows.
Spray directly adult bed bugs
The easiest way to get rid of bed bugs is by spraying directly all the appeared bed bugs on your sleeping area. You can do this treatment when you are completely sure that there are only adult bed bugs. Any spray products you can get in the market are only effective for adult bed bugs and their nymphs.
Here, you can’t kill bed bugs’ eggs with spray. Research shows that the shell of the eggs prevents any poisonous substance from the outside. That is why you may find other infestations after a few days or a week when you only use bed bug spray.
Vacuuming all the unreachable area
Another option you can do is vacuum your sleeping area. This treatment is so perfect to suck both adult bed bugs and nymphs. Here, a professional pest exterminator uses a vacuum with a HEPA filter that can trap bed bugs’ nymphs. It is a standard you need to follow if you want to get rid of bed bugs completely.
Apart from that, you can be lucky enough to get some bed bugs’ eggs that are laid on the surface. But, still, you can’t get rid of bed bugs’ eggs with a vacuum cleaner completely because the eggs are so sticky, tiny, and even hidden in a deep area such as inside your couch or sofa.
So, to increase the success rate, you should vacuum the sleeping area frequently like every seven days. It is because bed bugs’ eggs take about seven to ten days to hatch. So, it is likely you can catch the newborn before they grow old, start mating, and lay other eggs.
Heat the sleeping area
The last thing you can do is to heat your sleeping area. Here, you can kill all adult bed bugs, eggs, and nymphs. Here is the detail of the temperature you need to do heat treatment based on this research.
- At 113°F (45°C), it takes 90 minutes to kill adult bed bugs and 8 hours to kill bed bug eggs.
- At 118°F (47.7°C), it takes 2 minutes to kill adult bed bugs and 90 minutes to kill bed bug eggs.
- At 122°F (50°C), it takes 0 minutes to kill both adult bed bugs and bed bugs eggs.
Current research suggests that heat at 122°F (50°C) – 122°F (51.6°C) is effective and safe to kill both adult bed bugs and their eggs.
Well, based on the data above, you can use some useful heaters such as steam cleaners, hair dryers, clothes irons, or any possible and available heaters you have. The point is you need to set the right temperature to kill both adult and bed bugs eggs.
Here, you can repeat the process every seven days until the bed bugs are ridden off completely.
Seal things that can’t be cleaned
The last treatment you can do is to seal all the things that can’t be cleaned. Some things like smartphones, books, electronic devices, etc that are fragile can be sealed.
Here, you can use a plastic bag to seal your stuff. Just wait until 6 months till bed bugs die from starvation and desiccation. After 6 months, you can check that bed bugs die.
The concept here is to isolate bed bugs and prevent them from getting any nutrition they need. In short, this technique is similar to desiccation means to dry bed bugs.
Wash and clean all the fabrics
Fabrics are the best material for bed bugs to live and lay eggs. That is why you need to clean them all. Here, you can use bed bugs detergent or a heater.
First, you can get bed bugs detergent in the market to wash your blanket, bed cover, socks, clothes, etc that are made of fabrics. Then, you can heat them in a dryer or iron. So, you can double the treatment to make sure all bed bugs and eggs getting rid of.
The other aspect you need to do is separated all cleaned fabrics in a safer and sealed place. You can use a big plastic bag to seal them. So, there will be no escaped bed bugs that could crawl and hide there during the treatment.
Check the areas around where you sleep
The second thing you need to do is to cut off bed bugs’ life cycle. It means that you cannot let any bed bugs escape and makes a new generation before they make an epic comeback.
Generally, there are two reasons why bed bugs spread. First, female bed bugs will escape from a brutal male in mating seasons. Second, they look for the safest area to hide and will back at night to suck your blood.
Well, whatever the reason is, instinctively, they will not go that far from where you sleep. This is why you need to check these areas as follows.
Cracks on the wall
Bed bugs are super thin and small insects. So, cracks in the wall are the perfect space for them to escape and hide. This is why a professional exterminator will always check the cracks around where people sleep. If you find one of them, then it is a serious problem.
Here, you can use a flashlight to check the cracks. Bed bugs are small and thin, so you need to check them carefully. Once you find them, you can spray and kill them instantly. After spraying, you can seal the cracks to prevent other bed bugs to come in.
Hanging stuff on the wall
If you love hanging stuff like clocks, pictures, photos, painting, etc, you need to check them too. Bed bugs can hide behind them. It is the safest and most unpredictable spot which makes you not think that they are there. But, unfortunately, there they are.
In a heavy infestation, you can easily find them there. Spraying is the fastest way to kill them directly. Then, if it is possible, you can treat all the hanging stuff you have because there may be some bed bugs’ eggs. If you find eggs and the material is durable enough, you may use a hair dryer as a heater.
Other stuff around
If your sleeping area is full with so much stuff around like furniture, books, shoes, electronic devices, etc, then you need to check them all.
A complete inspection of your sleeping area is important because bed bugs can be found anywhere. When a female escapes from a brutal mating season, it can lay eggs wherever it hides. So, don’t be surprised when you find bed bugs in an unexpected area.
They can be anywhere. It depends on how heavy the infestation is. The more bed bugs there, the more chance you will see bed bugs appear in any area in your dwelling place. That is why you need to focus on the area around your sleeping area.
Prevent bed bugs infestation waves
The last thing you need to do is to prevent bed bugs from the outside of your house. There are some factors that can be the source of your problems related to bed bug spread.
Now, let’s check it out.
Check your luggage after traveling
When you arrive at your home, the very first thing you need to check is your luggage. It is necessary to inspect all the things you have inside. There may be some bed bugs from the place where you stay like the last hotel or motel where you sleep.
Some places like hotels or motels can be the terminal for bed bugs from one place to another place. It is because you will never know who was there before. Sometimes, it is other travelers who carry the bed bugs and sometimes, it is even the place that has the bed bugs.
So, you need to collect all the things even the clothes you wear in one place after traveling. Then, inspect and clean them completely. After it is all completed, you can then return your stuff to the place where they belong inside your house.
Be aware of guests who stay overnight
If there is a guest who stays overnight, make sure you know well who he is. Here, at least, you can give him his own room so you don’t share the same room with him. In this case, it will make it easier to inspect.
Similar to the first point of bed bug prevention, you sometimes do not where does he come from and what he carries inside his bag. Therefore, by giving him his own room, you can limit and concern to a particular area. Check and clean the room carefully after he leaves.
Here, you need to primarily clean and wash all fabric like towels, blankets, bed covers, mattresses, etc. that your guest uses when he stays there. Well, it not only prevents you from bed bugs but also any other viruses, mites, scabies, and skin diseases that may come from him too.
If you find even a bed bug, get rid of it immediately so there is no chance to let bed bugs spread from your guest. Also, it may be important to inform your guests that he carries bed bugs, so they can get rid of them too.
Be careful with used furniture
The other common media in bed bug spreading is used furniture. You may hear this a lot and bed bug is one of the few things you need to check. Sometimes, you not only get bed bugs but also other dangerous insects such as scorpions, tarantula, termites, etc.
In this case, it is much better to check and repair the used furniture before reusing it again. If you have a large outdoor space, it is much better to put your furniture there. So, there is no worry that any bed bugs will crawl inside your house.
It is important to check used furniture before you take or buy it. If there are a lot of bed bugs there, it is much better to not take it. Please remember that bed bugs are attracted to human warmth. So, you don’t want to invite any of them inside your house, right?
Clean and declutter your house frequently
The most important aspect any of bug treatment is the house’s cleanliness. By cleaning your house frequently, you minimize the chance of bed bugs spreading and continuing their life cycles. It is completely different when you vacuum your sofa once a month and once a week, right?
To avoid bed bug spread, you should clean your house and all of the stuff inside at least once a week. Whether you use a steam clean, heater, or vacuum, the frequency is important. But, to achieve maximum prevention for both eggs and adult bed bugs, steam cleaning works better.
A steam clean treatment not only cleans all the specks of dirt but also kills bed bugs and eggs. That is why the chance of bed bugs spreading would be minimized by this treatment.
The next thing you need to do is declutter all the things you have. It is much better to sell or simply throw unused stuff. Don’t let that unused stuff be the nest of any possible problem like bed bugs, spiders, cockroaches, ants, mice, etc.
Check your new house before moving
If you buy or rent a fully furnished house/apartment, it is completely better to check it first. I believe it is interesting to get a cheap price with all stuff you need inside. But, what if there are bed bugs hiding under your bed?
Here, either you buy or rent it, take some time to carefully check all the furniture inside. If there are some bed bugs, it is your choice to treat them by yourself or ask the owner to get rid of them first. Make sure that the place is ready before you are moving.
Then, what if this is an empty house/apartment?
You can check all the cracks in the wall and floors. Please remember that bed bugs are so thin and small. They can fit and hide anywhere. Here, ask the previous owner where people usually sleep there. If there are bed bugs, they will not be far from there.
Well, that is all I can share to get rid of bed bugs permanently. You can find a deeper discussion about bed bug treatment methods in the article ” How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs ”. This article is a compilation of treatment guides to kill bed bugs.