Bed Bugs: 4 Steps To Treating Bed Bugs (How To Treat Bed Bugs)
Bed bug infestations are not only a physical attack on your body, but a psychological attack that can cause insomnia, anxiety and increased stress. Many people describe having bed bugs as one of the worst feelings they’ve experienced. Bed bugs can greatly impact you and your family, which is why Bed Bug Supply is here to offer solutions to the bed bug epidemic spreading across the United States.
As stated in our section of the website How Bed Bugs Re-Emerged After Being Mostly Eradicated for Over 50 Years, bed bugs are immune to many of the pesticides used today, which is why using the right treatment is crucial to your success. As you read on, we’ll explain in detail how to rid your home of bed bugs using methods that can be done yourself.
Our program is broken down into 4 steps, which will keep the bed bugs from biting the very first night! The four steps are:
(1) Cover and Elevate
(2) Climbup Interceptor
(3) Steam and Clean
(4) Powder And Spray
Bed bugs and their eggs are most likely located in or on your mattress, box spring and pillows, which is why Bed Bug Encasements should be applied first. Our bed bug proof encasements from Luna Mattress can be used effectively to prevent bed bugs from entering or escaping. With bed bug encasements, you will not need to dispose of your mattress saving potentially hundreds of dollars. Don’t forget to encase your box springs as well if applicable as they are hollow and can create an ideal environment for bed bugs to reside.
Start by stripping off your bedding from the mattress and then place them into sealed garbage bags preventing potential bed bugs from escaping. Once you're in front of the washing machine, carefully unload your bedding directly into the washing machine and wash using the “hot water” setting. Once the wash cycle is completed, dry the clothing on the “high heat” setting if possible. The "wash and dry" method kills bed bugs and their eggs allowing you to sterilize your bedding. Be sure to reseal the garbage bag the bedding was initially placed in and dispose of properly.
While your bedding is being washed use a vacuum cleaner to remove any bed bugs, shells, fecal droppings or eggs that may be present along the seams of your mattress, pillows and box spring. We recommend cleaning the hose lines of the vacuum with STERI-FAB and disposing of the vacuum bag into a sealed garbage bag after completing this step. If your vacuum doesn't have a bag, thoroughly clean the vacuums collection canister preferably with STERI-FAB.
Once the mattress has been vacuumed, our Steamers can be used to penetrate deep inside the mattress killing bed bugs and their eggs. Beds bugs are highly susceptible to heat, which is why a steam treatment can be used effectively to kill bed bugs and their eggs on contact. Some bed bugs are resistant to chemicals, but none can withstand 200+ degree heat. Use the included cloth attachment provided with each of our steamers to limit the moisture applied to the mattress for best results. When steaming, move at about 1 inch per second ensuring an even application of hot steam is applied. Our steamers should also be used to steam the entire bed itself including all metal and wood surfaces along with any cracks and crevices.
An alternative to steaming your mattress is to use Topia Organic Pesticide, STERI-FAB or Bedlam Bed Bug Spray . STERI-FAB or Bedlam can be sprayed directly onto the mattress and box spring in order to kill bed bugs and their eggs. Lightly spray your mattress set and allow to dry for 30 minutes or until fully dry. When applying spray to the box spring, we recommend removing the bottom dust cover allowing access to the inside of the box spring. The dust cover does not have to be re-applied as it's there mainly for aesthetics.
We will now need to elevate your mattress off the floor. Bed bugs often travel from hiding places within 5 feet of the bed to feed so creating a barrier between your and the bed bugs through elevation is very important. Bed bugs cannot jump or fly so they must climb to reach you. Elevating the mattress will help accomplish this preparing you for steps to come. Only the legs or castors of your bed should be in contact with the floor (bed skirts should be removed).
If your bed has storage below the mattress that is touching the floor horizontally it will need to be removed as it creates an easy access opportunity for bed bugs to climb in. If your bed contains a large amount of cracks and crevices, you may want discontinue use as bed bugs could be hiding inside making treatment difficult. However, you may be able to use a Steamer to treat these cracks and crevices if there are accessible access points. A simple metal bed frame is the best way to elevate the mattress and box springs from the floor. If there is anything hanging above your mattress (ex. Shelves) they should be removed or the bed should be moved away as bed bugs can fall onto your mattress from above.
Once the bed and mattress are elevated, vacuumed and completely dry the zippered mattress, pillows and box spring covers should be applied and fully zipped up. This again will trap any bed bugs deep inside your mattress from escaping. Without a blood meal, they will eventually die inside the cover. Encasements should be applied and not removed for at least 18 months to ensure all beds bugs are dead.
After the bedding encasements are applied you may now add your recently cleaned and bed bug free bedding including sheets and pillows cases. Be sure that nothing is touching the floor except for the legs of your bed. If your sheets are touching the floor at any point bed bugs can climb up and bite you!
With your mattress set now elevated, covered and free from bed bugs, it’s important to keep it that way by adding Climbup interceptors to each point of your bed touching the floor. Our Climbup Interceptors create a barrier preventing bed bugs from climbing into your mattress isolating you from the bed bugs. This step is very important as bed bugs must have at least 5 blood meals to reach all five stages of development where reproduction can then occur. If you can prevent them from feeding, you help prevent them from reproducing. Preventing the bed bugs from biting also offers relief both physically and emotionally. Simply place an interceptor below each leg or castor touching the floor. Once applied, you will be protected from bed bugs while you sleep as long as step one was properly followed. Climbup interceptors also collect bed bugs using its patented trapping feature allowing you to monitor the infestation from start to finish. Now we need to work on killing the bed bugs in your room.
In order to kill the bed bugs in your room everything needs to be thoroughly cleaned (STERI-FAB works well and kills bed bugs). Cleaning should include inside book shelves, books, cabinets, night stands etc. Everything should be thoroughly cleaned inside and out. This might also be a good time to go through your closet to dispose of anything you may no longer need. Items needing to be disposed of should be sealed in thick trash bags to prevent infesting other areas of your home or building. All of your clothes should also be placed in trash bags and sealed off ready to be machine washed and dried.
With all your clothing placed in sealed garbage bags its time to wash. Machine wash the contents of each garbage bag individually using the hot water setting. After the wash cycle has completed, dry the clothing on high heat. If your clothing is already clean, you can skip the wash step and place your clothing directly into the dryer for 20 minutes on the “high heat” setting, which will kill bed bugs at any stage of development including the eggs. Be sure to reseal the garbage bag used to carry the potentially infested clothing and dispose of responsibly.
A vacuum works great to clean most items in your room including unseen bed bug eggs. Books must be vacuumed including papers and just about anything your can get at with a vacuum hose. Again once finished with the vacuum, the bag should be replaced or the canister cleaned.
A great way to treat sofas, chairs, furniture, mattresses, cabinets, walls and just about anything else is with a Steamer. Our steamers produce 200+ degree steam, which is needed to kill bed bugs and their eggs on contact. A steamer can also be used on carpets and is one of the best ways to treat baseboards, cracks and crevices. Remember when applying steam to move at one inch per second to kill bed bugs on contact.
STERI-FAB Bed Bug Killer is a fast drying liquid that can also be used to sterilize your room and kill bed bugs. What's great about STERI-FAB is it kills bed bugs and eggs on contact and completely evaporates with no residue within 20 minutes based on a light application. STERI-FAB can be used on mattresses, frames, bedding, furniture, countertops, carpet and sofas (please check the product label for full instructions and uses).
An easy way to treat difficult items such as books, papers, luggage, shoes, dry clean only clothing or any other items that can be heated to 130 degrees Fahrenheit is by using our PackTite Bed Bug Heater. With the PackTite Bed Bug Heater, you can place belongings that cannot be washed into the PatckTite where it automatically kills all stages of the bed bug life cycle. PackTite is also popular as a preventative tool travelers can use to sterilize their luggage after returning from a trip. Upon arrival from a trip, simply place your luggage into the PackTite and let it do the rest (for luggage that is packed with clothing you may want to run the PackTite twice back to back to ensure the inner most portion of the luggage is heated above 117 degrees).
Any shelves, boxes, storage boxes should be cleaned or steamed. EVERTHING SHOULD BE CLEANED. You get the picture.
A great way to keep your recently cleaned clothing from being re-infested with bed bugs is by using our Hefty Big Bags. Hefty Big Bags are in our opinion the best for storing your belonging during a bed bug infestations and cost a fraction of what other bed bug bags cost. Simply insert your clothing into Hefty Big Bag and then seal closed. Hefty Big Bag's patented One-Zip seal creates a watertight seal that bed bugs cannot escape through or enter. The One-Zip seal also cannot be pulled apart, unlike the ZipLoc version, preventing accidental openings. This offers peace of mind knowing that your clothing, shoes, etc will be free from bed bugs or their eggs.
We are now at the final step!
With the bed cleaned, covered, elevated, intercepted and the room cleaned thoroughly, its time to apply the bed bug spray and bed bug powder.
Spray:
To kill bed bugs we use a combination of different products that are designed specifically for bed bugs, which are made up of both contact and residual bed bug sprays. Contact killers, as the names implies, will kill bed bugs quickly, but offer no long lasting protection or residual. Residual sprays, applied after contact killer sprays, offer protection against future bed bugs, but kill slower (this is why we use both). When treating bed bugs, you have to think like a bed bug in regards to areas where they may be hiding. Be sure to inspect every square inch of the infested room for possible hiding places. The following recommended contact and residual sprays discussed in this section should be applied in cracks and crevices that do not come into contact with skin. Applying sprays all over an area is not recomended. What we want to do is treat any hiding spot, crack or crevice where bed bugs may be or could move to. If we can cut treat all the hiding spots, we can kill all the bed bugs. Always read the products labels to ensure proper usage and to see what areas the product are specifically labeled to treat.
To effectively treat small or large infestation, begin by blitzing your bed bug bugs with a contact killer spray. STERI-FAB is a very popular alcohol based spray that kills bed bugs very effectively on contact. We also recommend JT Eatons Kills Bed Bugs Red Bottle Contact Killer, which uses natural pyrethrum to kill bed bugs quickly. An alternative all natural contact spray is Topia Organic Pesticide made up of a powerful plant extract called Geraniol and distilled water. Start by spraying along baseboards, below drawers and on drawer slides, behind cabinets and behind night stands (please see the bedroom illustration below). The Red Bottle of JT Eaton Bed Bug Killer, STERI-FAB or Topia Organic Spray work fast and will kill a large percentage of bed bugs within 24 hours.
After the contact spray has been applied, a residual will then be used on the same areas as the contact offering long lasting protection against returning bed bugs. Use either our Phantom Aerosol, Bedlam Bed Bug Spray or JT Eaton Bed Bug Killer II (blue bottle) on your crown moldings, baseboards and furniture to kill bedbugs and their eggs. Try to spray into any cracks in your room where bed bugs may be entering your room from. Spraying around (not in) electrical outlets can help. Our bed bug spray is a residual, which means its killing ability can last 1-3 weeks depending on the surface it's applied to. Repeat both of these steps every two weeks making a total of 3 applications. To see a helpful illustration of where to apply the contact and residual sprays scroll down to the bottom of this page.
Video Demonstrates How To Apply Residual Spray
Powder:
Three days after the bed bug sprays have been applied, its time to put down the bed bug powder. Our Bed Bug Powder is made up of diatomaceous earth and is completely natural. Our powder works by creating a perimeter bed bugs must crawl across to get to the bed. When a bed bug crawls over the powder, its abdomen is cut open eventually leading to the bed bug dying of dehydrations and asphyxiation. Bed bugs are made up of 65% water so it doesn't take a lot of powder to dehydrate and kill them. Bed bug powder is safe for humans and animals, but can be abrasive to the skin and like any dust should applied carefully to reduce the amount stirred up in the air (we recommend wearing a dust mask when applying bed bug powder). We offer a Professional Applicator, which offers better control when applying the powder and allows the user to gain access to hard to reach areas. Apply the bed bug powder directly into the cracks of baseboards, into crevices and inside walls by removing the electrical plates (do not powder into the electrical outlet). Apply powder only into cracks and crevices (places where bed bug hide) and not all over the place in large powder mounds. If applied properly, you shouldn't be able to visibly see the powder. Unless the powder is disturbed, wet or vacuumed up, an additional application is not needed. As mentioned above, the powder should be applied 3 days after the bed bug sprays have been applied. Powder should be applied after the room is steamed and the first application of JT Eatons Kills Bed Bugs Red Bottle Contact Killer and either our Phantom Aerosol, Bedlam Bed Bug Spray or JT Eaton Bed Bug Killer II (blue bottle) is applied. Bed bug powder should be kept dry and away from moisture to be effective.
Application Of Bed Bug Powder
Bed Bug Traps and Monitors:
When treating for bed bugs, you must also understand how they are drawn to their next blood meal. Bed bugs are attracted by body heat and carbon dioxide (CO2). Without such attractants, but bugs can remain dormant and inactive several months. This makes treating infested rooms that are unoccupied more difficult as there is nothing to draw the bed bugs across the applied powders and sprays.
One example is someone that moved from the master bedroom to the spare bedroom after being bitten. Many of the bed bugs will remain behind, but some may follow the person to the spare bedroom or adjacent wall. If the person returns to the master bedroom there may now bed bugs in two rooms. This person can only be in one room at a time so an attractant is needed to draw the bed bugs out in the unoccupied room during treatment.
Another example is a vacant apartment where the tenants moved out because of bed bugs. Spraying for bed bugs may no be effective if attractants are not present to re-activate and make the bed bugs mobile again.
Fortunately there is a solution to both of these examples. We carry Bed Bug Attractors that can be placed in infested rooms such as spare bedrooms, living rooms, family rooms, bathrooms or even the kitchen to draw out bed bug from walls, cracks and crevices during treatment. These products include the Bed Bug Beacon and NightWatch Bed Bug Monitor. Give us a call or visit each product page to see how our bed bug attractors can help make your treatment more effective especially in unoccupied rooms. Both of the attractors can also monitor and trap bed bugs allowing the user to know if they have bed bugs and when they are finally gone.
What to Expect:
Week 1: (First Application) Most adults are killed - However, for up to 5 days after your initial treatment, eggs were being actively laid (5 a day each) by the females that fed the night before your first treatment.
Week 2: Eggs from right before the initial treatment are hatching this week and are hungry. Remember it takes 5 feedings in order for bed bugs to start reproducing. As long as they come in contact with our bed bug powder and sprays before the 5th time they will die and never have a chance to lay eggs.
Week 3: (Second Application) The few eggs that were laid 5 days after the first treatment are now hatching. Keep up the barrier! You're almost done!
Week 4: All the eggs should have hatched by now and no new eggs are being produced. This is the mop-up week where you will be killing the few bed bugs that managed to survive until now.
Week 5: (Third Application) Mostly precautionary, you just went through 4 weeks of treatment, let's make sure they are gone for good!
Review
After all 4 steps are completed you should be bed bug free. To prevent bed bugs from spreading, powder and spray is recommended to be used in all rooms of the home. Be sure to continue sleeping in the infested room until the bed bugs are eradicated as you don't want the bed bugs to follow you to another room.
In order for this program to work, all steps must be thoroughly followed. Due to treatment practices and variables outside of our control, Bed Bug Supply is not liable for any outcome against bed bugs.
At Bed Bug Supply we have the solutions you and your family needs to sleep comfortably without bed bugs. Call today to speak to one of our bed bug experts at: (866) 238-9868
