Exposed to Bed Bugs? Know How to Get Rid of Them

Have you been exposed to bed bugs, and now worried about them getting into your home? If so, you'll need to take precaution to make sure that they do not infest the rest of your home. Thankfully, there are some easy steps to follow to ensure that those bed bugs are dead.

Shake Off Your Clothes

Don't make the mistake of entering your home with bed bugs on you. Instead, you'll want to shake off your clothing in a place that is away from carpet fibers and other fabric. A good place to do this is your garage. As awkward as it may seem, strip off your clothes and shake them off in your garage before you enter your home. It will make sure that they are not hiding in the folds of your shirt or pants, and then get into the house.

Wash Clothes in Hot Water

The key to killing bed bugs that are in your clothing is to use heat. You'll want to wash your infected clothes in your washing machine, but use hot water instead of cold water. The prolonged exposure to the hot water should be enough to do the trick.

Keep in mind that some clothes will not wash well in hot water. Make sure that you follow all care instructions on your clothing to ensure you do not ruin them by putting them through a hot wash cycle. You can also throw them in the dryer first for about half an hour, then wash them as you normally would.

Put Items into a Sealed Plastic Bag

Have something you just cannot wash? You can kill off those bed bugs by putting the item into a sealed plastic bag for a couple weeks. This should be long enough to starve the bed bugs inside and kill them off, so keeping the items in longer is better just to be safe.

This technique works great for things that you cannot wash. For example, if you have a stuffed animal from your child's daycare that you want to clean after a bed bug infestation.

Put Items into a Freezer

Another technique is to use a deep freezer to kill off those bed bugs. This works great for killing off bed bugs that could be hiding in shoes. Just put the item into a bag, then place it in a freezer that reached temperatures below 0°F. 4 days is about all it takes for the bed bugs to be killed.

To get rid of the bed bugs for good, contact services such as Expert Bed Bug Exterminator LLC.