Treating Bed Bugs-How To Get Rid of Them

Bed bugs are known for living and hiding in and around our beds hence the name bed bugs. However, they can live in other places too. They thrive in tight dark places like behind picture-frames, curtains, baseboards, electrical outlets, furniture and everywhere else they can hide. These tiny little bugs need warm-blooded humans and animals in order to exist. Bed bugs are great hitchhikers and get to your home by catching rides on your clothes, luggage, clothing or furniture. Before you go about hiring a bed bug exterminator, it might be best if you educated yourself about this type of infestations.



Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near the areas where people sleep or spend a significant period of time. These areas include apartments, shelters, rooming houses, hotels, nursing homes, hospitals, cruise ships, buses, trains, and dorm rooms.? Infestations are usually confined to one or a few rooms and if handled promptly (see How to Treat Bed Bug Infestations ) rooms can be effectively cleaned and the infestation eliminated. As you might guess, however, establishments are often reluctant to admit that a bed bug outbreak is underway so sometimes the infestation grows and spreads to other rooms.

Removable, washable items can be laundered in very hot water. For those areas or items that cannot be laundered, smaller items can be wrapped in plastic and set in a hot place or in direct sunlight. Remove all clothes into large plastic bags and seal them until they can be washed and dried on hot or dry cleaned. You should do this when you come home from a trip whether you’ve encountered bed bugs or not.

Mattresses can also be wrapped and sealed in plastic film. Be cautious about taking in second-hand furniture, bedding, mattresses or beds. Mattress seams should be examined for brown spots that could be bed bug feces, for shed skins, and for active bed bugs. Cracks and crevices should be examined using a flashlight.

As you can see there are many things you can do to treat bed bugs. However, the best thing to do is to actually contact an experienced bed bug exterminator to do the job properly.