You probably heard the saying "Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite," at least once in your life. Now, this saying can ring true if you awake one morning with small pink bumps on your skin in a linear formation. According to the Mayo Clinic, bedbugs are tiny insects that are 0.5 centimeters long. They inject a clotting agent into your skin as well as a numbing agent so you do not feel their bite. The bites are usually harmless, although it may lead to severe allergic reactions in rare cases. There are specific steps to treat bedbugs.
Step 1
Go to your local pharmacy and purchase a topical cream such as corticosteroid or an antihistamine medication. Apply the topical cream on your bedbug bites to relieve the itching. Follow the instructions as directed on the bottle. Take an antihistamine medication if you develop an allergic reaction.
Step 2
Go to your family doctor if your itching becomes severe and bothersome despite the topical cream. She can prescribe you prescription-strength oral corticosteroids to relieve your symptoms.
Step 3
Wash your clothes and bed sheets in hot water. Place your clothes and bedsheets in a freezer for one day if you do not have a washer and dryer. This serves to eradicate the bedbugs.
Step 4
Vacuum your bedroom daily. This also helps eradicate any bedbugs in the surrounding area.
Step 5
Hire an exterminator. You can research online or ask your family and friends for advice. An exterminator will use pesticides and steam heat to kill the remaining bedbugs. Make sure the exterminator revisits your home to check that all the bedbugs are gone.
Step 6
Put a vinyl mattress cover over your mattress. Many bedbugs live in mattresses and emerge during the night to bite you. This can prevent your mattress from being infiltrated with bedbugs, according to the New York Times.
Things You'll Need
- Topical cream such as a corticosteroid
- Antihistamine medication
- Prescription-strength oral corticosteroid
- Freezer or washing machine and dryer
- Detergent
- Vacuum
- Vinyl Mattress Cover
