Home Remedies for Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are small nocturnal bugs that find a way into the seams and folds of mattresses. While one might be in deep sleep, these crawl out and pierce through the skin to suck the human blood. A bed bug infestation, must therefore be prevented. If your home is infested with these blood-sucking parasites, scroll down to find out more about home remedies for bed bugs extermination.

Are bed bugs giving you sleepless nights? Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects that are oval-shaped and reddish-brown in color. These insects that can easily crawl into narrow cracks and crevices in the walls or even squeeze into the seams or folds of mattresses due to their flattened bodies. Since these are nocturnal, they become active at night and crawl out from their hiding places, looking for a blood meal. If you often spot red, itchy welts on your skin in the morning, make it a point to check if your home is infested with these nasty bugs. They could be hiding in the mattress seam or inside the cracks or crevices in the walls. If steps to get rid of them are not taken quickly, they will soon start reproducing. Such an infestation might become a nuisance for the home owners. If you feel that your home might have become infested with bed bugs, you can either seek professional help or use simple home remedies for beg bugs extermination.

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

Bedbugs are wingless insects, but they can easily find a way into your homes. Seams of mattresses are their most common hiding place. Bed bugs commonly inhabit places that have used furniture. So, if you stayed in a motel or dorm recently, it's possible that these might have crawled into your luggage and found a way into your home. They crawl into hiding places in your home and come out at night to pierce the host's skin and suck their blood. If you have ever been bitten by a bedbug before, you will surely understand how painful these bed bug bites can be. A bed bug bite causes a red, raised itchy welt on the skin. Scratching over the red itchy welts caused by a bed bug bite, can also make one susceptible to a secondary infection. Besides the bed bug bites, dried excrement around their hiding places and rust-colored spots on bedsheets and pillowcases are sure signs of a bed bug infestation. If all the signs of an infestation are present, you must take steps for getting rid of bed bugs before they grow in numbers and start giving you sleepless nights. Here are some natural home remedies for bed bugs extermination.

Household Remedies for Bed Bugs

If you think that your home might be infested by these nasty creepy crawlies, it would be worthwhile to find out about remedies on how to get rid of bed bugs. First of all, you must have a basic idea about their hiding places. Look into the seams or folds of your mattress. You are most likely to find these bugs hiding in there. You must also look under the carpets or the loosened wallpaper. Look around for cracks or crevices in the walls. These could even be hiding under wall hangings. If you have recently bought antique or used furniture, give it a good look. If your room is cluttered, then they will have plenty of place to hide, so, it would be worthwhile to keep the room clean. Given below is some information on certain effective home remedies for bed bugs elimination.

Clean the Room: If you think that bed bugs might be hiding in your room, get your hands on a vacuum cleaner. Vacuum around the bed stands, foot mats, mattress, bed seams and carpets. You must run the vacuum cleaner over any cracks or crevices on the walls. Also clean the furniture. If possible, dismantle the bed frame and look for bed bugs. Look in every nook and corner. Steam cleaning is another very effective way of getting rid of bed bugs naturally. The heat will not only kill the bed bugs, but also kill their eggs.

Wash the Linen: Make sure that you wash the linen or pillow cases in hot water. Laundering your night clothes and linen in hot water will kill the bedbugs clinging on to them. Sealing the mattress as well as the pillows with a zipped cover will also help in preventing an infestation. Such zipped mattress and pillow covers will prevent the bed bugs from entering into the mattress. If bed bugs are trapped within such covers, they will also die of suffocation.

Use Diatomaceous Earth: Diatomaceous earth is a mineral-based pesticide which comes in a powdered form. It is made from tiny fossilized shells of algae or marine plants. Its ability to kill bugs is attributed to its abrasive and absorbent nature. When bed bugs come in contact with this abrasive powder, the covering over their exoskeleton gets damaged. Generally, the bugs die due to lacerations. To use this powder, add a little water to it and use a paint brush for coating it over the cracks and crevices in the walls. Make sure that you use a food-grade diatomaceous earth. Cover your face with a face mask and wear gloves while using it. You can also use bed bug repellent sprays available in the market.

Many a time, bed bugs might cling to the luggage and travel into our homes. So, make sure that you clean your luggage and get rid of these creepy crawlies. If the aforementioned home remedies for bed bugs extermination don't seem to help, then avail the services of professionals for extermination of these nasty bugs.