Bed bugs can be readily transported via luggage, clothing, bedding and furniture and are a major problem. National Geographic Channel claims that a person can be bitten by a bed bug up to 500 times while asleep. Clothes get infested with bed bugs when they are left untouched in the cupboard for a long period of time. When they enter your home, the safest haven they find for themselves are your old clothes, since they are not used for a long time. Also, they spread through luggage when you go on a trip and stay in a hotel that is infested by bed bugs. They crawl into your luggage and unexpectedly, travel to your home. Quick prevention and precaution must be taken to get rid of these damn things; else, they are likely to spread all over your house. Read on further to know all about getting rid of bed bugs from your clothes.
How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs From Your Clothing
- Separate all the clothes that have been infested with bed bugs. Do not try to stamp out the bugs in your cupboard, as they are more likely to spread to other locations in your home. Transfer the clothes to a spare room that contains no furniture, bed or clothes for bed bugs to escape. Spray a liberal amount of insecticide on the clothes and set them aside. This will make the bed bugs die.
- Another effective way of killing the bed bugs is by keeping the clothes in the center of the room and sticking a two-sided tape around the clothes. When the bed bugs leave the clothes, they will get caught on the tape. Now, spray insecticide on the bugs to kill them.
- For getting rid of bed bugs naturally, keep the infested clothes in a heated room, with a minimum temperature of 120°F. The bed bugs will die naturally due to the heat.
- Use a cleaning agent to map all walls and floors. Purchase 90% alcohol and fill it in the spray bottle. Wipe the tables and furniture with this alcohol, using a rag or sponge. The cleaning agent will bring out the bugs and the alcohol present in it will kill them.
Tips
- If you have any doubt on killing the bed bugs by yourself, it is better to take help from pest control.
- Make sure that the bugs do not enter your home again. For the purpose, vacuum your house daily, as this will suck up all the bed bugs. It will also suck up any eggs laid by them.
- Another way to prevent bed bugs entering your home is to regularly get your home disinfected by the pest control people.
- Place leaves of neem tree in the bed bug hotspots; this will act as a natural pesticide and bug repellant.
- Wash all clothes in hot water, using your regular laundry detergent. For whites, add a cap full of cleaning agent.