How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs Around The House
Temperatures over 120 degrees f will kill bed bugs and any eggs they ve left behind.
How to get rid of bed bugs around the house. Tea tree oil in your laundry and sprayed in affected areas will repel bed bugs as well as lavender oil. The first thing to do after confirming an infestation is to bag up all your clothes towels bedding and curtains in plastic bags. Wash bedding and clothes in hot water for 30 minutes. If you misidentify a bed bug infestation it gives the bugs more time to spread to other areas of the house or hitchhike a ride to someone else s house to start a new infestation.
Bed bug bites can look like bites from other insects such as. Spraying rubbing alcohol can kill some bugs on contact. Scented dryer sheets tend to deter bed bugs. Bites on the skin are a poor indicator of a bed bug infestation.
Mix lavender oil with eucalyptus and rosemary oils and water to make a repellent spray. Seventy percent of infestations are located around beds so much of the process focuses on treating those areas. The common bed bug otherwise known as cimex lectularius is a very common pest in the united states. Tie tight knots to seal the bags and keep them tied until they reach the washing machine.
Repair cracks in plaster and glue down peeling wallpaper to get rid of places bedbugs can hide. Get rid of any unsealed dry foods including flour cornmeal oats rice pasta and prepackaged items that don t have sealed pouches inside. Bed bugs are sensitive to movement and will flee and hide explains jody gangloff kaufmann a senior extension associate at cornell college of life. Then throw away all the boxes of sealed items like.
Use a steamer on mattresses couches and other places where bedbugs hide. Then put them in a dryer on the highest heat setting for 30 minutes. According to a 2018 survey 1 in 5 americans has had or suspected they had a bedbug infestation in their home and over half of all americans take some form of. To discourage them keep your trash cans tightly closed and bag all trash thoroughly so no gnats or fruit flies will find a way to them.
Get rid of clutter around the bed. The two words alone are enough to strike fear into the heart of house and apartment dwellers alike and for good reason. Wash with hot water and dry thoroughly. Here s how to get rid of gnats both indoors and out.
Learn about identifying bed bugs.