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Simply mention the words ‘bed bugs’ and many people will cringe. These tiny creatures are known to inhabit your bed and enjoy feasting on you as you sleep.
The good news is that bed bugs don’t carry diseases. However, that doesn’t mean they are completely harmless. They feed on your blood as you sleep, that means they need to bite you in order to get to the blood. A bite is irritating, multiple bites can be intensely annoying as you’ll spend the day itching.
In This Post:
1. Recognizing The Bed Bug
Bed bugs are small and almost flat. They are a brown color and can range in size from 1mm to 7mm. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that they can live for several months without feeding.
They are adept at hiding, usually choosing places near your bed and will spend the day in nooks and crannies, avoiding detection. At night they make the short trip to your bed and suck your blood until they’re full and return home. That is providing you haven’t rolled over and squashed the in the process.
It’s important to note that bed bugs can appear in any house or hotel, the level of cleanliness is irrelevant.
While you may not see the bed bugs, you will see rust-colored spots on your sheets, this is what’s left of the bugs after you’ve rolled over and squashed them. You’ll also know that they are thereby the telltale bites on your body.
2. Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs
The first step should always be to call your local pest control experts. They can help to advise on the steps you need to take to eradicate the bed bugs and will even do the work for you if required.
Bed bugs are surprisingly tough and can easily spread. They simply need to attach to your clothes, climb into a bag, or even be carried in your dirty washing. They can then drop off anywhere else and spread the issue.
If you realize you have bed bugs it’s important to strip your bedding and place it into a plastic bag. This can then be carried to the washing machine and put straight into the machine. Dispose of the bag and then turn your washing machine on a hot wash. Heat over 60° for 20 minutes will kill the bed bugs.
You’ll also need to vacuum your room completely. Pay particular attention to all the nooks and crannies where the bedbugs may have been living.
It’s a good idea to get a pest control service to treat your room. They’ll be able to kill all the bed bugs and even flush some out to inspect them. That will allow them to confirm they are bed bugs and take the appropriate action.
Don’t forget, when cleaning a bedbug-infested room, you need to assume that everything is infected. That means bagging all your soft toys and blankets and sealing the bags. Leave them in direct sun for at least 24 hours to ensure you cook any bed bugs in them.
Once you’ve cleaned be vigilant, this will help to prevent a repeat attack.
