10 Ways To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Clothes
Bed bugs are a common nuisance and if not treated immediately can lead to more severe infestation within a short period of time. A pest control company like Go Local Pest Control, (check out their “how we work” page for more info), will be able to exterminate bed bugs and they can also check your home for any other infestations too. Bed bugs are very tiny and stay well hidden in cracks, crevices, and folds where they are not easily visible or accessible to kill. It can be even if find that you got bed bugs from a hotel or somewhere you stayed that neglected to inform you that they had bed bugs, this could result in you suffering from a severe reaction, requiring hospital visits as well as emotional and physical distress due to the bed bug bites or even worse you might find that you’ve brought them when you’ve returned now requiring expensive treatment to get rid of them. If you have found yourself suffering from this scenario you might want to look into a law firm similar to Ruloff, Swain, Haddad, Morecock, Talbert & Woodward, P.C. who might be able to help with your bed bug related personal injury case.
Bed bugs are not always restricted to bed or mattress and can easily spread to other furniture or even clothes! Bed bug bites can cause, irritation, inflammation of skin, itchy rashes and in some cases pose a much more severe health risk. Their ability to reproduce quickly and stay well hidden makes them difficult to completely get rid of unless done so in a systematic and cautious manner. Bed bugs are difficult to kill by regular aerosol sprays and need proper cleaning techniques for complete eradication. Even one bug remaining can lead to another infestation sooner than you can imagine.
If you find bed bugs in your clothes you are likely to have quite a severe bed bug infestation and should consider hiring services that specialise in bed bug control! But it is not always possible to opt for professional pest management help. In this article, we will focus on 10 easy home remedies to get rid of bed bugs on clothes fast.. If you want a professionally done job of getting rid of bed bugs, you may want to check out something like pest control Des Moines for a comprehensive elimination of bed bugs.
1.) Hot Water Wash To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Clothes
Any of your clothes that have been in the vicinity of infected bed or mattress are susceptible to bed bugs too and the easiest way to get rid of them would be to wash your clothes in hot water. Bed bugs do not survive extreme temperatures and washing possibly infected clothes in rather hot water helps you kill bed bugs in clothes. Proper cleansing and washing with hot water not only guarantee the complete elimination of most bed bugs, but also ensure that hidden eggs are also washed away and do not hatch later to start another infestation.
2.) Vacuum Cleaners To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Clothes
Even though washing with warm water is pretty much sufficient to kill these bed bugs, but like the famous saying goes – ‘Better safe than sorry’. To ensure complete eradication, make sure you vacuum all your clothes properly specially in the folds and crevices of the material. Bed bugs have a tendency to hide in the most inaccessible corners and can be difficult to eradicate if not done so with caution. Also, once vacuumed, you should safely take out the filter bag and dispose it off carefully in a sealed trash bag to prevent any of those tiny pests from escaping.
3.) Disinfectants To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Clothes
After the intricate process of washing and vacuuming your clothes and accessories, make sure you clean the surrounding areas, wardrobes, cabinets, or other furniture properly with disinfectants to keep it wipe it clean and prevent any immediate germ threat.
4.) Steam Wash To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Clothes
Exposing infected or possibly infected clothes to hot jet of steam works wonders too when you are trying to kill bed bugs in clothes. Neither the bed bugs, nor their well-hidden eggs survive extremely hot steam and if properly steamed in all cracks, crevices and folds can ensure the end of bed bug infestation in your clothes and surroundings.
5.) Paper Towels And Stick Tapes
Another widely used DIY method to remove bed bugs from clothes or linens is to blow with a hair dryer or something similar to force them to come out in the open. Then killing them using paper towels. Similarly, you can use sticky tapes to trap them after forcing them out of folds and hidden crevices. Although not a foolproof method, for a not so heavy bed bug problem, it is quite an easy method for fast results.
6.) Isopropyl Alcohol
Alcohol is usually used as a fast relief from itchy rashes caused by bed bug bites, but is also an effective way of keeping an infected area or clothes clean thus preventing further growth of these tiny blood sucking pests. Rubbing isopropyl alcohol on your clothes, linens etc. even after just being treated to remove bed bugs can help preventing more to return and to keep it clean and safe.
7.) Lavender To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Clothes
Lavender oil is widely considered to be very effective against bed bugs because their strong fragrance repels these bugs. There are two different approaches to get rid of bed bugs in clothes fast and both are very useful and can be tried. You can either use dried lavender between two pieces of cloth or in between their folds. Likewise, lavender oil can be sprayed or sprinkled in clothes, accessories and linens to mete out the purpose. Lavender oil is easily available in liquid form everywhere and can be used as an easy and authentic way of eradicating bed bugs from your wardrobe.
8.) Tea-tree Oil To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Clothes
Just like lavender oil, tea-tree oil has a remarkably strong and pungent smell which is known to drive bed bugs away. Instead of sprinkling all over in clothes, you can also use tea-tree oil to rub furniture, wardrobe or surroundings from where your clothes might pick up bed bugs. If you are using tea-tree oil as a spray on your clothes make sure you dilute the oil with equal quantity of water before your sprinkle them on clothes.
9.) Diatomaceous Earth
Made of solid rocks, sharp edges and rich algae content, diatomaceous earth powder is very effective when it comes to bed bugs. But to use diatomaceous earth, you have to wash and clean all clothes and accessories probably infected before sprinkling this powder. Another important thing to keep in mind is that the layer of diatomaceous earth sprinkled or spread over a cloth or linen has to be thick enough for bugs to crawl in them and absorb it thus enabling the particles to cut the innards of the bugs and eventually kill them by bleeding.
10.) Laundry To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Clothes
Clothes unlike furniture or mattresses are much more delicate and to some extent, the best possible option to ensure complete eradication of those tiny blood thirsty leeches is to have your clothes cleaned, washed, and disinfected at a proper laundry which caters to such services and does them with a certain professional expertise than an individual might otherwise lack.
These are easy and effective ways of getting rid of bed bug infestation in your clothes but more often than not, it seems like a much more convenient option to discard an infected clothing item rather than to ensure a proper bug removal process.
