Bed bugs are a terrible pest to have in your home. They can cause you to become quite itchy after they bite you. This can cause you to become highly irritated with your living situation.
In the scarce circumstance, you can be allergic to bed bug saliva, in which case the bites that make you itchy can be A LOT worse and can also hurt. But how do you rid yourself of these bed bugs in your furniture?
Here are eight ways you can rid bed bugs from your furniture:
- Hire a professional exterminator
- Use portable propane space heaters
- Do your laundry on high heat in the dryer
- Vacuum your entire house regularly
- Steam everywhere you see bed bugs
- Spray pesticides all over
- Create traps for the pests
- Lure them to one specific area
Get FREE quotes from licensed pest control technicians in your area today. Whether you need spraying for ants, roaches, spiders, ticks, mosquitos, or bed bugs, We Can Help! All technicians are screened, licensed, and insured.
In this article, we will be discussing numerous different methods of getting rid of these itchy pests. Do keep in mind that there is only one method that will take care of the infestation in its entirety by itself. All other methods are best used altogether.
How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are attracted to the heat and carbon dioxide you produce. It draws them to areas where you spend most of your time, such as your bed.
On the other hand, where you spend most of your time will also attract bed bugs, like your living room in your chairs and couches. These are all prime spots where bed bugs congregate.
As previously stated, there are many ways to get rid of the bed bug infestation in your home. The methods listed below are best when used in conjunction with each other, other than the first method we will discuss below.
1. Professional Exterminator
First on the list is the only actual method to take care of the bed bugs in their entirety. While it can be pretty expensive, depending on the size of your home, professional exterminators are your best option.
This is especially true if you are in dire need of mass extermination. These professionals will quickly take care of the issue if you have a nasty infestation in your home.
Besides the cost of the extermination itself, the only downside is that the method they choose can leave you with minor damage to your home. Bed bugs are very susceptible to heat.
Being exposed to a blast of heat around 180 degrees, Fahrenheit will instantly kill bed bugs and eggs of all ages.
Because heat is the easiest method of killing bed bugs, most bed bug exterminators will have large heaters and fans to distribute the heat throughout your home. While covering any possible escape, the heat may be with tape or tarps.
After your home is sufficiently heated, all the exterminators walk through the house, flip furniture and open the creases on the table.
After a day of work from the exterminators in this method, you will be bedbug-free, but there is a decent chance of slight heat damage throughout your home.
2. Portable Propane Space Heaters
Propane heaters are an effective treatment for ridding bed bugs. These heaters are 100% eco-friendly and an excellent alternative to conventional methods.
Propane heater treatment is usually referred to as a “heat treatment” because your building or room will have high temperatures, eliminating bed bugs.
This method is very similar to professionals’ technique, but you will do it all yourself rather than having a professional’s help. You can easily rent them out through Uhaul or other companies. Our article Ultimate Guide To Killing Bed Bugs Using A Portable Heater explains what you should know.
3. Laundry
Doing laundry will always be the first thing you should do when getting rid of bed bugs. Take off all your cushions and any fabric you decorate your couch with.
Take whatever you can put into your washer and set aside any large cushions for later. Set your washer and dryer on the highest heat possible. Once again, heat is becoming an effective killer of bed bugs.
Bed bugs can not survive in high heat and tend to die in 100 to 120 degrees heat in less than 20 minutes. Once you have washed and dried anything that can reliably fit them, set them to the side in a guaranteed bedbug-free zone until you are properly finished.
4. Vacuuming
Vacuuming is an integral part of self-bed bug extermination. Vacuuming is a great way to see some results for your cause instantly.
When vacuuming, it is recommended to use a vacuum with plugs and a shake-free bag so the bed bugs can not escape while moving the vacuum around and emptying it.
While vacuuming, aim for tight-fitting areas as these are vital areas bed bugs like to live in. These hot spots can contain many bed bugs that can be pretty hard to clean after using pesticides.
While vacuuming alone will not eliminate the bed bugs in your home, it is a crucial step.
5. Steaming
If vacuuming is a crucial step, then steaming is doubly so. A steamer is a great tool to have for multiple reasons. Steam is essentially boiling water, so you can use this steam to clean your furniture and kill the bed bugs infesting it.
Most steamers should come with a pinpoint nozzle. Use this to get into those tight-fit areas on your furniture. Set it to its highest if you have adjustable heat on your steamer.
The hotter the steam, the better it is at killing bed bugs. A lot of steamers can hit temperatures of 170 to 180 degrees. Temperatures this high will almost instantly kill bed bugs on contact.
Here is a professional tip: Use a microfiber cloth and wrap it around the end of your pinpoint nozzle, covering the hole. Once the fabric is wrapped around the end of the nozzle, tape it into place. This will help spread the heat a little more for better coverage.
Not only that, but the microfiber cloth will also add extra warmth to the steam and the end of the nozzle, thus bumping up the killing effectiveness of your steamer.
Another tip from a professional bed bug exterminator is to lower the heat when you are steaming large surfaces of your furniture and turn the heat back up when moving back to the tight-fit areas. Once you are done, set everything aside and allow it to dry off.
6. Spraying Pesticide
After you have thoroughly cleaned and steamed your infected furniture, it is time to spray the pesticide to kill any very tough bed bugs that may remain. Spraying pesticides will also set up a preventative barrier for future bed bugs that may come back.
The main areas you will be spraying are those same tight areas where bed bugs like to stay in your furniture.
Attach the straw to the nozzle of the can to give you a more accurate spray. Take the can and carefully go across all of the seams, zippers, and other tight areas on your furniture where you have seen or suspect bed bugs to stay.
Once your spray is done, go ahead and once again let everything dry off so the pesticide can set and create the barrier that will kill any new bedbugs that may show up on your furniture.
7. Traps
Once your new bed bug barrier has been set, it is time to start looking into more defensive walls for your furniture. Traps are a great way to prevent new bed bugs from crawling into your furniture.
The traps themselves have two layers; the first wall can be easily climbed by the bed bugs, while inside the confinement itself has a thin layer of talcum powder that makes it impossible for the bed bugs to crawl further into the trap and back out of it.
8. Bed Bug Lures
Along with the traps, you can get some bed bug lures. These have an ActivCR bed bug lure that attracts bed bugs. Rip open the bait along the dotted line and set it in the middle of the trap where the legs of your furniture will sit.
Final Thoughts
Bed bugs are one of the worst things that can happen to any household. Not only do they make you itch, but they can ruin your furniture and cost you a fortune to get rid of if they get bad enough.
They are a silent pest that can be hard to notice. But hopefully, this article has provided you with the information you need to rid yourself of the bed bugs that infested your home’s furniture.
See our article, A Guide To Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs On Wood Furniture for more tips.
Get FREE quotes from licensed pest control technicians in your area today. Whether you need spraying for ants, roaches, spiders, ticks, mosquitos, or bed bugs, We Can Help! All technicians are screened, licensed, and insured.
