What Is The Best Way To Kill Bed Bugs - Part 1

So, you have just discovered that your house has a bed bug infestation, your face, arms, legs and other body parts are covered in itchy red welts and all you want to do is to get rid of these blasted bugs.

The big dilemma is which bed bug killer do you choose? There is a whole host of products on the market and making an informed choice about how to effectively tackle the problem is vital

Bring In Professionals

Your first choice may be to use a professional "bed bug killer" company, however this comes at a price! They will come and spray your home with chemicals which should eliminate the bed bugs however before engaging a company you should perhaps consider a couple of points. To begin with, you and your family will most probably have to vacate your home whilst the work is carried out and will be unable to return until the chemicals are dry.

Secondly, pesticides and insecticides can be very harmful to the health of both humans and that of any pets living in the affected property, it is possible that over time you or someone in your family could have health issues.

The third problem to consider if using bed bug killer chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides is that bed bugs can build up immunity - this has already happened with many types of chemicals in the past - so greatly reducing the effectiveness of the treatment, and perhaps leaving you with a much lighter wallet and a house still harbouring unwanted guests.

I should actually stress at this stage that this really is the worst case scenario and that most bed bug killing companies only use treatments which are safe - the last thing they want are law suites!

You could of course take things into your own hands and save yourself a fair amount of money - become a D.I.Y bed bug killer! So, where do you begin?

There are quite a few ways in which you can tackle a bed bug infestation, non of of them using hazardous chemicals.

No matter which treatment you intend to use the first job which is essential is to clear the room of clutter. Through magazines, books and anything else which can be disposed of into plastic bags, seal them tightly and remove them from the house! Remember, do all of this in the room which is infested, the last thing you want to do is allow bugs to spread to other areas of the property.

Next, remove bedding, gather up clothing and other items which can be machine washed. Place these also into plastic bags and remove them to your laundry area. Launder all these garments at as high a temperature as possible, garments which cannot be laundered could perhaps be placed in your tumble dryer on a high heat for 10 minutes. Alternatively go over them carefully with a steam cleaner, paying special attention to pockets and under collars. It is essential that you disinfect and clean your laundry area very carefully once you have done. Place all clean garments into CLEAN plastic bags and seal them to prevent re-infestation.

Once you have done this it is time to get the vacuum cleaner out. This is a fantastic tool because it allows you to get into all the cracks and crevices where these nocturnal creatures like to hide removing the bed bugs at all stages of development. Vacuum EVERYTHING, the mattress, box spring, curtains, inside drawers, closets, soft furnishings and so on. Don't forget the more obscure places - bed bugs do travel and will hide out behind pictures, in light switches and smoke alarms etc. This is also a great time to fix holes or cracks in walls or floors because bed bugs will use these to hide in as well.


Read part 2 and discover what your D.I.Y. bed bug killer options are.