How to get rid of bed bugs – Part 1

There are mainly two categories of approaches for getting rid of bed bugs: Chemical and non-chemical options. Each category offers you several options.
In this article we will focus on non-chemical options.

Please keep in mind that getting rid of bed bugs is not easy and you may have to combine several options for quicker and permanent results.

Non chemical options:

This is where you can really shine without help from a certified Pest Control Professional (PMP).

Here ia quick list of non chemical options:

A. Physical removal:

• Locate and vacuum
• Reduce clutter

B. Isolate the bed bugs:

• Filling cracks and crevices
• Mattress covers
• Isolate the bed

C. Kill bed bugs with with water and temperature control:

• Laundry and drying
• Steam treatment
• Thermal treatment
• Cold treatment

A. Physical removal:

It refers to the options where you physically remove the bed bugs and reduce the clutter which provides hiding place. It includes vacuuming, reducing clutter, scrubbing of surfaces with hard brush and removing bugs by using a brush or a sticky tape where vacuuming may not be possible.

Locate and vacuum:

First of all search thoroughly bed room furniture for bed bugs. Do not leave anything un-searched. Assume that every piece of furniture can be and is contaminated.
What you are looking for is live bed bugs, nymphs, their white color eggs, bed bug skins and dark brown or red spots which are from the bug feces and blood.

Mattress and box spring: Remove all the bed linens and check the mattress. Pay particular attention to the edges of mattress and box spring. Turn mattress and box spring and check underneath. Remove mattress and box spring and check the head board. Dismantle the bed frame and check.

Chairs, couches, dressers, tables, picture frames and mirrors, loose wall paper:Remove picture frame sand mirrors from the wall. Dismantle the frames. Check the edges carefully for the evidence of bed bugs. Remove all the protective layers, fabrics etc. from the chairs, couches, dressers and tables. Pull out the drawers of tables and dresses completely and check for the evidence.
If possible, remove the loose wall paper and inspect the area it was covering.

Thoroughly vacuum all the above with a vacuum cleaner attachment. If possible scrub all the above with a hard brush to dislodge the bed bug eggs. Then thoroughly vacuum the carpets or floor. If you have carpet, scrub it with a hard brush to dislodge the bed bug eggs. Vacuum again.

Dr. Harold Harlan (US Armed Forces Pest Management Board) has mentioned that using HEPA Filtered Vacuum Cleaners  removes more than 99% of all particles bigger than 0.3 microns (one third of one millionth of a meter). It ensures that many allergens (substance that causes allergic reaction) associated with bed bugs and their debris is removed.This should get rid of bed bug eggs as well.

After you are done with vacuuming, remove the vacuum bag and seal it and put it in a big zip loc bag and throw it in the dumpster right away. Vacuuming could remove a portion of bed bugs and may kill some of them.

If you find bed bugs on a surface where vacuum cleaner or its attachment does not work well, use a sticky tape and press it on them. Then immediately put them in a zip loc bag and get rid of it.

Reduce clutter:
By now you already know that bed bugs have very flat body structure and they can hide in very small holes and in any crack where your credit card can fit.
Now go to your centre of the bed room and look around. Is there anything other than your bed which has small holes or cracks? Is there anything which can provide hiding places, like curtains, books, boxes, furniture etc?

Ask yourself hard questions like: Do I really need this in bed room? How does it help me get good sleep? If I have to choose between good sleep and this piece of furniture, what would I select?

Remove all the unessential things. One you get familiar with the pain and frustration and sleeplessness bed bug victims go through, you will probably never keep anything in bed room other than your bed.
Throw away everything you can. Whatever you can not throw away put them in big zip loc bags and put it away for at least 18 months. Yes. That is how long bed bugs can survive without blood meal.

Use Space Bags to store your cloths, comforters and blankets, pillows, patio cushions, sweaters and jackets, and other bulky items.

B: Isolate the bed bugs:

Bed bugs have weak claws and mouth parts. They can not claw through or bite through even very thin films of coatings. You can make this weakness, your one of the most effective bed bug fighting strategy.

Filling cracks and crevices:

You can stop bed bugs movements very easily by filling all the cracks and crevices where they are hiding. You can seal holes, cracks and other crevices by using Expanding Foam In a Can or Caulk or Steel Wool.

Once you find bed bugs in a room, you can control their spread to other rooms by sealing holes and cracks as mentioned above and by keeping the door of that room shut. You need Breeze Blockers for preventing bed bugs spreading to other rooms from underneath the door.

You can use this isolation strategy for safe guarding your cloths and books. Store all the cloths and books in plastic bags or plastic containers.

Mattress covers:

Depending on the age, condition and severity of bed bug infestation you should consider throwing away your mattress, box spring and bed frame.

However in case you decide to keep your mattress, you can cover mattress and box spring in Bed bug proof mattress protectors. Once you do that, any bed bugs which are inside the mattress or box spring, are trapped. They can not reach you.

Buy slightly expensive high quality covers as they are less likely to rip. After you place the mattress and box spring in the cover, carefully check the cover for any cracks. The bed bugs can come out very small cracks. If you find cracks, seal them with tape. Then seal the zipper with a tape.

Many bed bug victims feel using mattress covers is a complete solution and they do not need to do anything else. This is completely wrong.
The bed bugs inside the cover can not reach you. However what about the bed bugs hiding in the frame, head board or in the crevices in the wall or in other furniture or clutter? They can still reach you during the night.

That is why you need a comprehensive plan utilizing several (actually all) the options.

Isolate the bed:

Bed bugs can not fly. They have to crawl to reach to you. This is very effective strategy. Take all steps you can to make it extremely difficult for them to reach you.

· Pull your bed away from the walls.
· Make sure that bed linens and cover do not touch the floor.
· Put double sided tape on the bed frame and the legs of the bed.
· Put legs of the bed in a glass or small pots/pans/dish with very smooth surface. This will make it very difficult for bed bugs to climb up your bed.
· As an added precaution, you can fill the glass/pots/pans/dish with soapy water. Every couple of weeks, refill them.
· Rub glue or Vaseline or petroleum jelly on the legs of the bed.
· When it is time to buy a new bed, please buy a metal one instead of wood. Bed bugs love wood and fabric.

· When it is time to buy a new linen, please buy a light colors or plain white. They make it easy to detect bed bugs and bed bug spots.

 

C. Kill bed bugs with with water and temperature control:

Bed bugs can not survive at very high (above 120 F/50 C) and very cold temperatures (0 F/ -19 C). Hence temperature control can be another effective strategy for getting rid of bed bugs.

Laundry and drying:

Put all the cloths you think could be infested in Green Clean Dissolvable Laundry Bags and wash them at high temperature in soapy water. You use the bags to ensure that the bugs do not get fall off the wash load and infest other areas. Then dry them in dryers at high temperatures for two cycles. Some commercial dryers let you select the temperature. On such dryers, set the temperature to above 120F.
Cloths and stuffed toys which can not be washed should be put in dryers for one or two cycles. If you think excess heat of 120Fwill damage the cloths then use the highest temperature as per the manufacturers instruction.

What about stuff which can not be put in washer or dryer?
For expensive cloths, luggage, sleeping bags, dry-clean only cloths, stuffed toys, shoes, backpacks, purses and linens you can use PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heater Unit to kill bed bugs. It kills all stages of bed bugs including eggs. It kills bed bugs safely and gently from your non-washable possessions.
Many hotels have bed bugs at the beginning stage. You can not detect them from visual inspection. When you come back from travel you can use PackTite Heater to kill bed bugs from your luggage. Just put your luggage in the PackTite Heater and turn on the heat.

Steam treatment:

Steam treatment uses steam at very high temperature for killing bed bugs. Care needs to be taken in making sure that the steam outlet is hold very close (about 3 cm) to the crevices and holes. If the stem outlet is farther away then the the steam temperature drops significantly and does not kill the bed bugs. If it is closer than ideal distance recommended by the manufacturer then excess moisture could get into the surface being treated. This could cause mold and other moisture related issues.
Some of the steamer which produce steam at very high temperatures are: WhiteWing Steamer – Vapor Steam Cleaner (285°F) and Reliable T630 Enviromate Steam Cleaner (220F).

Thermal treatment:

Please note that thermal treatment should be done by a certified Pest Control Professional (PMP). We have mentioned here for information purpose only. There is a risk of fire and furniture frames could change the dimensions.

PMPs use commercial heaters to raise the temperature of the room or the entire house. If you want to kill bed bugs from expensive cloths, luggage, sleeping bags, dry-clean cloths, stuffed toys, shoes, backpacks, purses and linens, see the section “What about stuff which can not be put in washer or dryer” under “Laundry and Drying”.

Cold treatment:

Cold treatment refers to the killing of bed bugs at very low temperatures of around 0F. Cold treatment of the entire room is not practical. However some of the furniture can be put in plastic bags and then stored in cold containers.
Some Pest control professionals use Carbon Dioxide gas for rapid freezing for killing bed bugs.
Please note that the cold temperature needs to be reached very quickly and needs to be maintained for a long time. Hence you can not leave the windows and doors open in winter and hope the cold temperature will kill the bugs. Instead of dead bed bugs, you will find water pipes frozen.