Bed bugs are pests that nobody wants in their homes. Most people who have had bed bugs before will tell the tale of just how difficult they are to deal with. These insects are sneaky and fast – and on top of that, they will find a way to make your life much more difficult than it has to be. Today, we are here to bring you a whole brief on how to remove bed bugs naturally, so that you won’t have to keep dealing with these annoying little bugs. Be ready to do a lot of work, because bed bugs are mighty stubborn and difficult to evict from your home.
It’s true – getting rid of bed bugs is not at all an easy task. First of all, bed bugs can be sneaky. They can fit in a lot of tiny spaces, small holes, and even crevices just about anywhere. Truth be told, the easiest way to get rid of them is probably by using chemicals. Another easy way to rid yourself of these blood-sucking critters is, of course, by calling an exterminator. Unfortunately, these may not always be ideal options, because there are some people who suffer from allergies or illnesses that make them more sensitive to these chemicals. People who are pregnant or have small children or maybe even pets in the home will want to avoid using harsh chemicals as well.
If you fall under one of the above categories, don’t worry! As we have said, we are here to talk about how to remove bed bugs naturally. Yes, it certainly is possible to get rid of them in this manner – and if you want to learn more, read on!
Containing the Bed Bug Infestation
Before we can even get to how to remove bed bugs naturally, there are some steps that you can take in order to make your life easier. These steps are aimed at cleaning up the current bed bug infestation and then containing it, so that the methods we are going to talk about for how to remove bed bugs naturally will have a better chance of success.
To increase the probability that you will be able to completely eradicate the pesky little pests from your home, we certainly advise that you do the following steps. These steps are really impactful when it comes to getting rid of the bed bugs that we know are certainly making your life a living hell. If there are any steps here that are unclear, don’t hesitate to ask us! But we will do our best to explain everything clearly and concisely.
Decluttering The Area
If you find that the area near and around the infestation is a mess, it is certainly time to declutter. Take this as an opportunity to get rid of many of the things you are probably holding on to that you no longer need. If it seems like your room is full of items that are scattered everywhere, it is also a good idea for you to begin organizing everything.
You see, bed bugs thrive in cluttered spaces. This is due to the fact that bed bugs love hiding in small spaces. Therefore, if you have plenty of clutter, you offer bed bugs many hiding places that they can call their home for the duration. This is why we find it rather important that you get rid of stuff that you no longer need or want. Take them and put these items into plastic bags, to ensure that any bed bugs within will not be able to escape. Throw these bags away in the outside garbage.
Trust us, once you do this you will feel a lot of relief – not just because you now have a much less cluttered home, but also because it will now be much easier to deal with the bed bugs.
It’s essential that you do this step, so that as a result what we are about to discuss in terms of how to remove bed bugs naturally will work.
Temporary Storage
If you have some items in the bedroom that you do not exactly want to get rid of, you can place them in tightly lidded plastic bins for temporary storage. It’s important that the plastic bin is really tightly lidded. We would even suggest that you use maybe something that is air tight, just to be sure that any bed bugs inside won’t be able to get out (and vice versa).
On the other hand, you can also probably get away with just putting the items in a vac-lock plastic bag before you put the bags away for storage. You can choose to put them in bins or boxes for organizational purposes.
Do Your Laundry
Another thing that you will need to do is to wash all of your clothing and bedding. You will need to wash them in high temps, for the reason that the heat will kill off any bed bugs, larvae, and eggs. You have to wash all of your clothes and linens – even the ones that haven’t been used recently. Yes, you certainly still need to launder the items you’ve been keeping in your closets.
If you can’t wash certain items, an alternative method for how to remove bed bugs naturally is to throw the items in the dryer. Let the dryer run on high heat for fifteen minutes. This should be sufficient enough to kill any lingering insects. But if something that you have cannot be washed at all and also cannot be thrown in the dryer, you can take it to the dry cleaners instead. Oh, and don’t forget stuffed animals and shoes here, too!
Wash It All Again
Here’s where this gets exhausting: you will need to keep doing your laundry regularly for a few months. This whole process will need to be repeated once or even twice weekly for the reason that there still may be some bed bugs you haven’t yet gotten rid of. You’ll have to keep doing this until the bed bugs are all completely gone – and then you maybe would still want to do it until you are absolutely sure. If you don’t want to have to keep washing everything over and over again, you can store some items away in vacuum bags or boxes after you wash them. That way, you will only need to launder items that are out and exposed.
Vacuum Frequently
For this purpose, we suggest that you maybe purchase a vacuum with a disposable bag. This is because you want to get rid of everything you vacuum up to ensure you won’t be reinfecting your home again. While this may be expensive, we believe that it is a justifiable expense because you minimize the risk of the bed bugs flourishing in your home even more.
Yes, vacuuming several times a week is an important step in how to remove bed bugs naturally.
How To Remove Bed Bugs Naturally
Finally, we’ve made it to the methods you can do for how to remove bed bugs naturally. If you’re dealing with an infestation you can’t shake, you will probably find this information very beneficial to you! Without further ado, let’s talk abougt these methods for all the things that you can do!
Steam Clean
One thing that we certainly suggest is to purchase a steam cleaner. It may be an outright expense, but we still suggest you do it for the reason that it will be an incredibly worth it invetment. Steam cleaners will kill bed bugs and they are an amazing way for how to remove bed bugs naturally. They are also excellent at cleaning your home. We believe this is something that you will benefit from greatly.
When purchasing a steam cleaner, it’s important to get one that can reach at least 200 degrees fahrenheit. Most noteworthy is you must look for a steamer with the capacity to produce “dry steam”. This is rather important because dry steam will not cause your home to become soaked, thus risking mildew and mold.
Herbs
Once you have performed all the steps we have listed above for how to remove bed bugs naturally, herbs can come into play. Insects hate the smell of certain herbs (regardless of whether it’s fresh or if it’s dried), and bed bugs are not an exception. You can maybe hang some eucalyptus, mint, lavender, or rosemary around your room. You could probably even hang them around your bed. Doing so will ward off the bed bugs, consequently helping to keep your room free of these pesky little bugs.
You can choose to use bundles of herbs (replaced every so often), or sachets of them inside your dressers or linen closets. You can use a potpourri bag or a tea bag for this purpose!
Essential Oils
No article on how to remove bed bugs naturally would be complete if essential oils were not mentioned at all. Essential oils work great when it comes to keeping insects away. Consequently, using certain ones will keep your home free of bed bugs too. Some of the types of oil you can use are: eucalyptus, mint, citronella, lavender, and even rosemary. You can choose to diffuse these essential oils, or use them in a linen spray formulation. You can even choose to simply rub some of these essential oils right into your bed frame or furniture.
Essential oils can also be used in your laundry in order to infuse them with the scent.
Please note that you must be careful with essential oils if you have pets. Although essential oils are natural and are a great way for how to remove bed bugs naturally, they can be toxic to animals. We do not suggest diffusing these oils if you live with some furry friends!
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
Bed bugs and other insects. Have a weakness: diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is a white powder made from the calcified or fossilized carcasses of tiny marine creatures called diatoms. To humans, diatomaceous earth or DE simply looks like a white powder. However, to the bed bugs and to other insects such as ants, DE is a death sentence. Diatomaceous earth is like tiny shreds of shattered glass to insects. If bugs come into contact with DE, more often than not it will prove to be rather fatal to them.
Please use pesticide grade diatomaceous earth, which will kill the insects without harming humans or animals. Even if you’re using pesticide grade DE, however, we still advice that you remain careful if you have young children or pets in the home. Although DE is not necessarily harmful to humans, you still do not want to inhale or consume these tiny grains.
Mattress Encasement
If you’ve only just cleaned your mattress off and you’re concerned that you might still have some left over, you can use a mattress encasement. Mattress encasements are not exactly a method for how to remove bed bugs naturally per se, but it still works! Encasements aim to keep the bed bugs inside the mattress until they starve to death. However, you will need to keep the casing on for at least one year or a year and a half. It’s probably better if you keep it on as long as possible because bed bugs are resilient and can live for a very long time without food.
Make sure that the mattress encasement you purchase has a micro zipper, is tightly woven, and is nonpermeable! This way, you are guaranteed that the bed bugs will not be able to get in or out.
Conclusion
We hope that this article on how to remove bed bugs naturally was helpful to you. With this information, we hope that you will be able to get rid of your infestation completely! Bed bugs are a pain in the neck, but with enough effort and time, they no longer have to be! Finally, remember to be vigilant so that you can eradicate the insects completely (and so they never, ever come back)!
