How to get rid of bed bugs and the products you need to do it

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How to get rid of bed bugs and the products you need to do it

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  • Bedbugs are the small, flat, brown insect from the Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus that survive by consuming the blood of mammals, including human beings.
  • Bedbugs can be detected by evidence of their shed skins or droppings, by spotting the insects directly, or, of course, by the bites they leave on your body.
  • A bedbug can survive a year without feeding, so proper eradication is critical - never assume an infestation has simply resolved itself.
  • To combat bed bugs, you need a laundry treatment, a waterproof mattress cover, a pesticide spray, and a bedbug-killing heater. If all else fails, call the exterminator.

First, the good news: Bedbugs are not known to spread any infectious diseases. As they cannot fly or jump, their spread from one location to another is easy to prevent as long as you take proper precautions.

The bad news is that bedbug bites are itchy and often painful and lead to blistered welts and allergic reactions. Also, these parasitic insects can be found in every populated region on Earth. They can live for up to a year without feeding, lurking nearby, and waiting to bite again. And also they're gross. Though adult bedbugs are usually just four to five millimeters long at full size, the sight of one is enough to make most people swoon. Or sprint.

Ideally, you'll never have to deal with a bedbug infestation. But in case you do, we've got a few tips to help out. But first...

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How to prevent a bedbug infestation

Once bedbugs get into your home (or office or shop), removing them can be quite the involved process. So prevent them from infesting in the first place by making sure none ever get in the door.

If you ever visit a location you think may have an infestation, inspect the area carefully, and don't stay there if you find evidence of bedbugs.

To be safe, always place luggage, clothing, and other personal items on stands or hung in the closet, making your property less accessible to these insects that must crawl to move. Keep your effects away from carpets, upholstered furniture, and of course beds.

When you get home later, consider immediately washing and drying all of your clothing that was along for the trip on a hot setting, and if possible, leave unpacked suitcases and even your shoes out in the garage or on a back porch. And change and bathe as soon as you return from anywhere with a potential bedbug infestation.

If you are bringing home a piece of furniture - especially a second hand piece - thoroughly inspect it and consider preemptive treatment if you have any suspicion of bedbug presence.

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Also, make sure to keep your own home as neat, orderly, and clean as possible. Hang clothes or put them away in drawers, don't leave towels, linens, or pillows on the ground, and change sheets and make the bed regularly.

How to remove bed bugs from your home

The first thing you have to do here is be honest with yourself: Can you handle this bedbug issue, or should you call in the professionals? If an infestation has spread throughout your home, if the bites are causing you, your family, and/or your pets extreme discomfort, or if you just don't want to deal with a horde of parasitic blood-sucking insects yourself, then call the pros.

Otherwise, it's time to reclaim the residence from these nasty little characters, and it all starts with laundry.

Here are the products you need to fight bedbugs:

Read on in the slides below to check our our recommendations on how to get rid of bedbugs:

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Wash the bugs away with plenty of heat

Wash the bugs away with plenty of heat

You will need to wash everything you can remove from the area that's infested. That means linens, the mattress cover, clothing, stuffed animals, and even curtains and drapes, if possible.

The most reliable way to kill bedbugs while doing to laundry is to use heat. Set the washing machine and dryer to their warmest settings and run long cycles. Also consider using a bedbug killing laundry additive that can be squirted in along with your detergent.

Buy the Hygea Natural Bed Bug Laundry Treatment at The Home Depot for $38.13

Take care of the bugs in your bedding

Take care of the bugs in your bedding

Before you put your mattress cover back on, use a brush with stiff bristles to scrape along all seams and along the sides of the mattress, removing insects and eggs alike. I recommend a brush with a replaceable head, for the record. And if you aren't already using a mattress cover that forms a complete seal around your mattress, now is the time to start!

Buy a bottle of Hygea Natural Bed Bug & Lice Exterminator Laundry Treatment from The Home Depot for $38.13 Buy the Full Circle Laid Back 2.0 Dish Brush with Replaceable Head on Amazon for $7.83 Buy the Utopia Bedding Zippered Waterproof Mattress Cover on Amazon for $14.99 to $22.99
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Time for pesticides?

Time for pesticides?

When used in moderation and precisely as directed, bedbug-killing pesticides are a safe and effective part of your extermination strategy. These pesticides might be necessary, frankly, unless you want to burn everything in your home and move to a new town, leaving your possessions behind.

Because while you can wash sheets and clothes and such, you can launder carpets, upholstery, or the mattress itself, you can kill the bedbugs hiding therein right where they are using a bed bug killing spray. Note that there are organic bed bug killer options available, though they may not be as effective.

Buy a gallon of Harris Toughest Bed Bug Killer Spray on Amazon for $54.49 (originally $59.99) Buy a gallon of Eco Defense Organic Bed Bug Killer on Amazon for $44.95

Feel the heat

Feel the heat

Bedbugs don't do well with heat. In fact, they die. So if you have items you fear are infested with bedbugs that you can't launder, don't want to treat with chemicals, or if you just want to double down after using other eradication methods as well, get a bedbug-killing heater.

These are essentially just large, well-insulated compartments lined with heat-reflective material that connect to a hot air blower. When set up, many are large enough for full-sized luggage or even small pieces of furniture, while larger and pricier options can accommodate a mattress or a full wardrobe worth of clothing.

You plug the bug heater in, close it up with the infested items inside, then kill all the bugs with prolonged exposure to temperatures over 120º Fahrenheit.

Buy a ZappBug Oven 2 bedbug killing heater on Amazon for $349.99
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