Bed Bugs: Four Easy-To-Follow Steps to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

How do I know if I have bed bugs?"

1- Bed bug bites look very similar to mosquito bites. If you start finding them on your body, mostly on skin that's exposed while you sleep, you may have bed bugs.

2- If you suspect bed bugs, inspect your bed and the area around your bed. Consider using a flashlight. Look in every little nook and cranny (bed bugs love to hide in dark little places), like the seams of your mattress, along the floor boards, around your nightstand, sheets, mattress, and bed. Look for tiny small dark insects about the size of an apple seed, very tiny black specks (fecal matter) or dark red stains, (dried blood) and/or black smudges that may look like mold.

"How do I get rid of bed bugs?"

If prevention didn't work for you and you suspect you may have bed bugs, here's what to do:

1- REMOVE AND CLEAN YOUR BED CLOTHES THOROUGHLY.

Remove all sheets and pillows from your bed and launder them in very high heat. Dry cleaning will work. Because of the chemicals in dry cleaning fluid, consider dry cleaning your linens and then laundering washable items in your washing machine to remove any remaining chemicals. If you have a washing machine that heats up to very high temperatures, use it. If you are not able to use a drycleaner to clean your bed clothes, launder yourself in bleach if possible, and then heat it very thoroughly in as high heat as the items will tolerate. Even heat will KILL the bugs.

2- VACUUM THOROUGHLY. Vacuum your mattress completely and thoroughly, including in all the seams. Vacuum everywhere around your bed room. When you're done, throw away the vacuum cleaner bag.

3- APPLY FOOD GRADE DIATOMACEOUS EARTH.

Food grade diatomaceous earth is a safe, natural powder made from powderized fossils. When bed bugs and many other insects, including fleas and cockroaches, come into contact with the powder, they dehydrate and die. Apply the powder as directed on the package to the perimeter of your rooms, all over your mattress, around the base of furniture, and on all rugs. Leave the powder there at least 24 hours. If you have pets, the powder will also kill fleas as a bonus. Diatomaceous earth can also be used in your garden to kill garden pests.

4- VACUUM THOROUGHLY AGAIN. Vacuum everything thoroughly to remove the powder, dead or dying bugs, and their tiny little almost invisible eggs and larvae. Again, immediately discard the vacuum bag.

If you wish, you can re-apply the diatomaceous earth to continue to kill any remaining insects that may hatch.

Other considerations: Since mattresses are difficult to clean thoroughly, many recommend discarding the mattress completely rather than cleaning it. Of course, this can be a consideration. If you do discard your mattress, please be a good human and don't pass on the problem to someone else.

Never use diatomaceous earth that is NOT food grade. It is quite different than food grade DE and is harmful to people and pets to breathe. FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth is safe to breathe in small amounts (use as directed) and even ingest.