If you and your kids have woken up with red bites on your body, there's a good chance you have bed bugs. Bed bugs are small nuisance bugs that feed on your blood. If you have bed bugs, you need to get rid of them as quickly as possible. They multiply quickly, and they can travel on your clothing and luggage. Unlike their name, bed bugs can be found anywhere in your home, although they do tend to spend most of their time in beds. Here are four steps you need to take now that you've discovered bed bugs in your home.
Clear Out the Bedding
If you need to tackle a bed bug problem, start with the bedding. This is where you'll find the majority of the pests. Start by placing plastic sheeting on your floor. The plastic sheeting will collect any bed bugs that fall off the sheets. Place your bed sheets in plastic bags. Seal the bags tightly and take them to the garage. Place the plastic sheeting in a plastic bag and toss it in the trash can. You'll want to take your bedding to a local laundromat for cleaning. Laundromat washers and dryers tend to get hotter, which is what you need to kill the bed bugs. This will also keep the bed bugs out of your laundry room.
Sort Through the Toys
Next, you'll want to sort through your kids' toys. The sorting process will allow you to separate any toys that might be infested with bed bugs. You should assume that plush toys are infested. That's because bed bugs can hide in the fur. Place another layer of plastic sheeting on the floor. You can set plastic toys aside. You'll want to wipe them off later. Sort your plush toys by size. Small toys can be placed in a plastic bag and taken to the laundromat for cleaning. Large plush toys that are too big for a washing machine should be sealed in a black plastic bag. Set the bag in the garage for at least a month. The heat inside the bag will kill the bed bugs.
Steam-Clean the Carpets
After you've taken care of the bedding and the toys, focus on the carpets. Carpeted floors are another spot where bed bugs like to hide. Begin by vacuuming the carpet. Empty the filter outside before you move on to the next room. That way, you don't transfer bed bugs throughout the house. Once you've vacuumed, you can steam clean the carpets.
Go the Professional Route
If you want to make sure the bed bugs are gone from your home, go the professional route. Bed bugs can linger in your home; even after you've cleaned from top to bottom. Not only that, but you never know when someone will carry them back into your home. Professional pesticide treatment will make sure they're taken care of.
Contact a provider of bed bug control in your area for more information.
