Getting attacked by bed bugs can be a terrible thing. You may find it difficult to sleep knowing there are lots of little creatures crawling all over the place, even though it's not really that bad. While they can be difficult to get rid of, bed bugs are actually relatively harmless. Bed bugs don't spread diseases like ticks or mosquitoes, and are harmless (unless you're allergic to their bites). Even if bedbugs make your space dirty, know that these pests will not harm you.
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Method 1 of 3: Taking Action
Step 1. Tell the manager or owner of the property if you are renting it
Skip this step if you live in your own home. If not, contact the owner or property manager. Depending on where you live, they may have to finance or help with this issue. Even if they don't want to help, it's a good idea to keep them informed about everything that happens to the building you live in.
- Although rare, bed bugs can crawl onto different floors. If you live in an apartment, contact the apartment manager and let them know what you're going through.
- Keep the furniture in place and don't rush things. If you remove everything from a room that has been infested with fleas, you will end up spreading bedbugs all over the place. You still have a good chance of saving the furniture.
Tip:
Bed bugs are a common problem and property owners are usually used to it (unless they're new to real estate). Bed bugs are not related to cleanliness, and their presence in the house is not your fault. Most property owners can know this and understand it.
Step 2. Gather information from several exterminators if you want to get rid of bed bugs professionally
Depending on the severity of the attack, a flea removal procedure can cost around IDR 15 million to IDR 30 million. However, this is the only sure way to get rid of bed bugs completely. Look for information from 4-5 professional extermination services to get the lowest price.
- Unfortunately, bed bugs are quite difficult to deal with on your own, and if you have the money, it's best to leave the matter to a professional. It's not that you can't get rid of them yourself, but it may take you 4-5 attempts to get rid of all bed bugs completely.
- If you decide to hire an exterminator, they will come by, check for infestation, and take care of your home. Maybe you should stay somewhere else for 1 or 2 nights.
- This is the only solution that has been proven to work for getting rid of fleas that have invaded all parts of the house. It seems impossible for someone who is not a professional to be able to handle the entire house.
Step 3. Keep pets out of the bedroom in the next few days
If you have a cat or dog, and you don't seem to be scratching too much, it may not be bed bugs (these fleas tend to attack humans more than pets). When you handle the mattress, bed bugs may be transferred to the pet. Keep your cat or dog in its crate overnight in another part of the house to keep the animal safe.
This action only needs to be done until the problem is resolved. Maybe your pet will be screaming for a few nights. However, this was much better than allowing a lot of bedbugs to migrate to his body
Method 2 of 3: Handling Mattresses and Fabrics
Step 1. Place bed linens, blankets, and clothing infested with bedbugs in an airtight trash bag
Prepare a trash bag that can be tightly closed. Put sheets, blankets, and dirty clothes in them and tie them tightly. Maybe you should use some trash bags if necessary. Take this trash bag to the laundry or laundry room.
- Don't worry about bed bugs spreading as long as the bag is tightly closed, you don't remove the clothes on any surface, and you put the clothes straight into the washing machine.
- Maybe you don't need to handle hanging clean clothes. You'll have to wash all the clothes in the drawer, but you can deal with that later as lice and eggs aren't a major problem at this point.
- On average, about 70% of bed bug infestations will be on the mattress. If you can't bring in an exterminator today, or haven't made a choice yet, you should at least treat your mattress before bed to get a good night's sleep.
Step 2. Wash and dry sheets, clothing, and blankets on high heat
Take the plastic bag to the washing machine and put the dirty sheets, blankets and clothes in the machine. Wash everything with detergent on a high heat setting. When finished, dry the cloth on high heat. Use the appropriate amount of weight. This will kill bed bugs and eggs that cling to sheets, clothes, and blankets.
Repeat this process (from putting the fabric in the trash bag, to using the washer and dryer) on all the clothes in the drawer for the next 1 to 3 days. Anything hanging may be safe from bedbugs, but it's a good idea to wash all the fabrics that are in the drawer
Step 3. Place items made of non-washable fabrics in a plastic bag and place in the freezer for 4 to 12 days
If you have a sensitive object that cannot be washed, or a layer of cloth that is stuffed or covered in something, put the item in an airtight plastic bag. After that, place the plastic bag in the freezer that has been set to the coldest setting. Continue to store this object and small items in the freezer. If the temperature in the freezer can be set to 18 °C, leave the plastic bag there for 4 days. Otherwise, let the bag stay in the freezer for 8 to 12 days.
- This applies to teddy bears, hacky sacks (balls of cloth filled with sand or grain), hats, knick-knacks, and other small items that cannot be washed in a washing machine.
- Bed bugs will freeze to death and the eggs attached to these objects will not be able to hatch.
- Do this section by section if your freezer is only small. Free up as much freezer space as possible by removing the frost and eating leftover frozen food.
- This actually only needs to be done on objects that are near or above the bed. A cloth object sitting on a table or elsewhere may not be a problem.
Step 4. Vacuum the mattress, bed frame, box spring (a kind of box containing springs to support the mattress), and carpet to get rid of bed bugs
Clean the vacuum cleaner bag. Next, attach the additional hose and suck out all the objects. Handle each section of the mattress 2 to 3 times. Vacuum the sides and bottom of the bed frame, then vacuum the floor. Vacuum the carpeted area 2 to 3 times. This will remove any adult bed bugs that are stuck around the bed.
Use a HEPA vacuum cleaner or vacuum bag, if possible. Bed bugs will not be able to get out of this bag after being sucked out
Step 5. Wrap the mattress with a protective layer before you go to sleep
If you've vacuumed everything, wrap the mattress in plastic designed to ward off bed bugs. Close the plastic wrap tightly and place the new sheet on top. Now you can sleep in peace knowing that you won't be bitten by bed bugs. Some fleas may be able to sneak out, but you won't wake up from getting a lot of bed bug bites.
- Install another mattress cover to wrap the box spring when you use it.
- Place items that have been washed and cleaned in a clean, bedbug-free area of the house to keep them safe.
Step 6. Place bed bug traps along the bottom of the bed to keep them out
This trap, known as an interceptor, will attract bed bugs to enter it and be trapped there. Purchase 4-8 interceptors and place them around the foot of the bed frame. This prevents adult fleas from getting into bed while you sleep. When you wake up, look at the trap to check the number of bed bugs you caught, then throw the trap in the trash can outside the house.
This can give you an idea of the severity of the bed bug infestation. The more fleas trapped, the bigger the problem you're in
Warning:
Understand that you haven't actually gotten rid of bed bugs. All you do is clean the mattress and get rid of adult fleas in the surrounding area. There may still be eggs or adult lice hiding. This is what people often say that bed bugs are very difficult to get rid of!
Step 7. Repeat this procedure on the day you plan to get rid of the bed bugs completely
All these actions will get the bed bugs out of the way, but your task is not done yet. When you're ready to do a complete final wipe, repeat the whole process. Vacuum up everything, wash dirty clothes, and freeze any forgotten stuff. This will make it easier for you to get rid of any remaining bed bugs.
- One thing that doesn't need to be done anymore is wrapping the mattress and box spring. If these two items are already wrapped, you can leave them alone. You don't have to take the mattress out and vacuum it again.
- If all these steps have been taken and you haven't rested or are waiting for the exterminator to arrive, you don't need to do anything else.
Step 8. Use a steamer to clean walls, furniture and carpets at 50 °C
On days when you plan to get rid of bed bugs, prepare a steamer and fill it with water. Set the steamer to the highest available heat setting, then run the appliance along the bed frame, floor, baseboard (the board that fits between the wall and floor), carpet, and crown molding (the angle between the top wall and ceiling). All bed bugs exposed to steam will die.
Running the steamer on a high-risk surface will kill all bed bugs and eggs that come into contact with the appliance
Method 3 of 3: Getting Rid of Bedbugs
Step 1. Use silica airgel or diatomaceous earth to kill bed bugs
Both are safe ingredients when you want to use a bedbug pesticide to spray yourself. The pesticide of silica airgel will cover any ticks that come into contact with this material and cause them to suffocate to death. The option that people use more often is diatomaceous earth. This material is in the form of a powder that will poison fleas that touch it. You can use both of these products safely at home.
- Organic or "natural" ingredients, such as tea tree oil or homemade spray solutions are usually not effective at getting rid of bed bugs.
- Anti-flea fumes and smoke bombs are not usually recommended for treating bed bugs. This concurrent treatment option is tempting, but bed bugs can sneak in nooks and crannies that these gaseous aerosols or insecticides can't reach.
Warning:
You must wear gloves and a respirator (gas mask) when handling this pesticide. It's actually non-toxic as long as you don't touch the powder. Read the label carefully and follow the handling instructions. This is to ensure that you don't run into any problems.
Step 2. Apply pesticide to cracks, baseboards, drawers and carpet
Aim the top of the nozzle that contains the pesticide. Spray pesticides quickly around bed frames, in drawers, and around corners of the house. If there are cracks in the walls, spray pesticide powder into them. Treat any hidden, hard-to-reach areas, then let the pesticide powder do its job.
You may be tempted to coat the entire house with the powder. This is actually not effective. It's a good idea to target only areas where bedbugs often congregate. Spraying all parts of the house will actually bother you
Step 3. Let the pesticide do its job for at least 10 days before you suck it up
Leave the pesticide for at least 10 days as this is the time it takes for the eggs to hatch. However, the longer you let it go the better. If you're sure the bedbugs are gone, suck up all the pesticide you've applied. After that, put the clothes back in the drawer, and enjoy a bed-free home.
- If you're still bitten by fleas or if you find a few new fleas, repeat the whole process one more time. You may have to do this 2-3 more times to get rid of bed bugs completely.
- If the bed bugs don't go away even after you've exterminated them multiple times, you may have to give up and hire a professional exterminator.
