Bedbugs are brown, flat and oval-shaped, with adults reaching approximately 1/4 inch long. Their excrement leaves rusty brown to reddish stains on furniture and building surfaces. Bedbugs feed off the blood of humans and mammals and are attracted to warm places where blood and carbon dioxide are present, which explains why they tend to live in mattresses. Although bedbugs are a nuisance, they do not pose a health risk to most people, besides causing skin irritation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Bedbugs are prolific breeders; a multi-angled approach is necessary for eradication.
Step 1
Check the care tag labels on linens, curtains, throw rugs, clothing, plush toys and shoes in infested rooms to see whether they are machine washable. Wash the machine washable items in hot water. The hot water needs to be at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the bedbugs and eggs, according to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, so adjust your water heater, if needed, to assure your water is hot enough.
Step 2
Linens, curtains, throw rugs, clothing, plush toys and shoes labeled "not washable" on the care tag can be placed your automatic dryer set to high heat for 20 minutes, which UKAG states is long enough to kill bedbugs. Alternatively, instead of placing items in the dryer, enclose nonwashable items in sealable plastic bags and place them outside in the sun on a hot day for one hour. The EPA warns that the temperature inside the bag must reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit in order to kill the bedbugs. Alternatively, place the sealed bags in your freezer for four days to kill the bedbugs. Adjust your freezer to the coldest temperature setting. The EPA states temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit kill bedbugs.
Step 3
Inspect all areas in the house for bedbugs and bedbug eggs, using a flashlight to help you spot them. Look carefully in areas where bedbugs commonly hide, such as mattresses, box springs, headboards, baseboard, furniture and corners of walls.
Step 4
Vacuum all areas thoroughly, paying special attention in infested areas. Use a crevice tool attachment on your vacuum cleaner to reach cracks and crevices. Bedbugs and eggs stick stubbornly to surfaces, rub the crevice tool vigorously against all infested to release and pick up bedbugs and eggs. Vacuum all areas of each item, paying special attention to corners, creases and seams, where bedbugs tend to hide. Discard the vacuum bag or empty the vacuum canister in an outside trash receptacle to prevent re-infesting living areas.
Step 5
Seal cracks in walls with putty or caulk to prevent bedbugs from hiding there.
Step 6
Discard and replace infested mattresses and box springs if possible or treat them to remove bedbugs. To treat mattresses and box springs, wrap them in dark plastic and place them outside in the sun on a hot day where the temperature of the mattress will reach at least 113 degrees Fahrenheit. If placing beds outside is not feasible, enclose the mattress and box spring in zippered plastic mattress cases to trap the bedbugs and prevent them from re-infesting living areas. Leave beds in plastic zippered cases for one year.
Step 7
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on carpets, baseboards, furniture and mattress seams. McGill University lists diatomaceous earth as a nontoxic pesticide, however, inhalation and ingestion should be avoided. Let the diatomaceous earth sit overnight before vacuuming it up. Wear a respirator mask when applying diatomaceous earth, and keep children and pets out of the room until after you vacuum it up. Diatomaceous earth provides long-term control of bedbugs, according to Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
Step 8
Repeat the above bedbug control methods weekly until the infestation is gone.
Step 9
Hire a professional pest control company to treat infested areas if home methods are unsuccessful. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences recommends that people avoid applying chemical pesticides themselves and instead hire professionals. They also suggest that people ask the pest control company to apply the least toxic pesticides available and to avoid applying pesticides to the tops of mattresses, instead treating only the side seams of mattresses.
Tips and Warnings
- Most garden supply stores sell diatomaceous earth.
- Chemical pesticides can cause ill effects to humans and pets. Ask the pest control company what precautions you should take after the application of pesticides. The EPA and Penn State note that bedbugs have developed a resistance to some pesticides, particularly pyrethroids.
Things You'll Need
- Washer and dryer
- Sealable plastic bags
- Flashlight
- Vacuum with crevice attachment tool
- Putty or caulk
- Zippered plastic mattress cases
References
- Environmental Protection Ageny: Controlling Bedbugs
- University of Kentucky College of Agriculture: Bedbugs
- Ecological Agriculture Projects Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at McGill University: Diatomaceous Earth - A Nontoxic Pesticide
- Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences: Bedbugs
- Ohio State University: Bedbugs
