Home Remedy to Kill Bed Bugs | eHow

home section Interior Design Housekeeping Entertaining Home Improvement Gardening & Plants Landscaping eHow Home & Garden Housekeeping House Cleaning Home Remedy to Kill Bed Bugs

Moira Clune

Moira Clune is a freelance writer who since 1991 has been writing sales and promotional materials for her own and other small businesses. In addition, she has published articles on VetInfo and various other websites. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hartwick College.

Bed bugs are small, blood-feeding insects that occur worldwide. Long associated with seedy, "fleabag" hotels, bed bugs are moving uptown: surprisingly high-end hotels and resorts are battling bed bug infestations and the associated negative publicity. Tiny bed bugs are hard to spot, hiding and traveling easily on clothing and in suitcases, bedding and furniture. Once settled in their new home, bed bugs congregate in clusters, leaving behind dark spots and stains on mattresses and bedding. They feed while you sleep, usually causing red, itchy welts on areas of skin exposed during the night.

To exterminate bed bugs, thoroughly clean the infested rooms. A stiff brush will help to dislodge eggs from baseboards and bed frames. Vacuum all surfaces in the room, paying close attention to cracks and crevices where bed bugs may hide. Remove the drawers from dressers, pull furniture out from the walls and remove chair cushions. Inspect and vacuum all of these areas carefully. A steam cleaner is effective against bed bugs, but they are not suitable for use on mattresses or upholstered furniture.

If you can afford it, infested upholstered furniture should be replaced. If that isn't practical, you can try leaving the items outdoors. Bed bugs cannot survive freezing temperatures, but freezing bed bugs takes at least two weeks. Heat also kills bed bugs. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture suggests sealing infested upholstered items in plastic bags and placing them in direct sunlight or a closed car for at least a day. A thermometer should be placed inside the bag. The ambient temperature inside the bag should reach at least 120 degrees for success. Items that can be placed in a clothes dryer should be tumbled on medium to high heat for 20 minutes. For "dry clean only" garments, medium heat is safe if the garments are not damp.

Special mattress bags are available that seal in bed bugs and control infestations. Once encased, bed bugs will eventually die inside the bag. These bags must be inspected regularly for tears and rips because any escaping bed bugs will begin to breed and reinfest your living space. These mattress casings can be used on new mattresses as well, protecting them from any subsequent bed bug infestation.

Bed bugs are parasites that can cause irritation to the skin. The insects feed off warm-blooded animals. They live in cool and...

Comments You May Also Like. Natural Herbal Home Remedies for Bed Bug Control. Natural Herbal Home Remedies for Bed Bug Control. Bed...

Often found hidden inside your mattress, bedbugs are little parasites that feed on your blood while you sleep. The only sign a...

Read the original here:
Home Remedy to Kill Bed Bugs | eHow