Step – 1 Look for the Bed Bugs
The first step to getting rid of bed bugs is to do some investigative work. Pay close attention to where people sit or have slept for long periods of time. Bed Bugs are visible to the eye. The adult bed bug is brown to reddish-brown, oval-shaped, flattened, and about 1/4 to 5/8 inch long.
Be prepared to inspect all areas of the room using a bright flashlight and a magnifying glass if you have one available. Bed Bugs can leave reddish-brown spots on mattresses and have a distinct smell. Remember that the bed bug’s flat shape and small body enable it to hide easily in cracks and crevices. Bed bugs, eggs, larvae, and fecal deposits will go unnoticed with just a casual inspection.
You should leave nothing unturned when doing your inspection for bed bugs and no site should be ignored that may be a bed bug hiding place… they hide anywhere! Examples: wall sconces, behind electrical switch plates, behind wall posters, between books and magazines on shelves and in racks. Inspect all the places near sleeping areas, which may mean taking the bed frames apart! Bed bugs can migrate to other rooms and even travel with you!
Step 2 Prepare The Area
A thorough cleaning of the premises will make bed bug control efforts much more effective. Strip all beds down to the bare sleeping surface. Bedding, sheets, blankets, comforters, covers, and shams should be washed in very hot water. Very hot water (120°) will kill the bed bugs. Personal items (stuffed animals, soft toys, blankets) should be removed, cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, and bagged in plastic for several weeks or more. Clutter should be removed from furniture tops and bed stands. Open up the clock radio and phone (that’s right, Bed Bugs may be hiding in there too!). Tap the open ends into a bag or on sticky tape so the bed bugs can’t jump and hide. VACUUM EVERY SURFACE IN AFFECTED BEDROOMS INCLUDING THE INSIDE OF DRESSER DRAWERS, DRESSER CAVITIES, WALLS, AND CLOSETS.
Step 3 Attack the Bed Bugs Where They’re Hiding
Hot Steam from an electric steamer is the next step in fighting bed bugs. After vacuuming, use a steam machine to get in all of the cracks, crevices, carpet, and even on the bedroom furniture and mattresses. Anywhere you think they may be hiding. This will ensure that you got most of them prior to final treatment. To get rid of bed bugs effectively, you’ve got to hit them hard where they’re hiding–in cracks and crevices. Spray Natural Bug Killer on wall voids and under baseboards and in cracks and crevices, soak the areas thoroughly. Concentrate most of your efforts on vacuuming, steaming, and final spraying our Natural Bug Killer into crack and crevices. These are the areas where bed bugs hide.
Step 4 Treat the Bed
The bed area needs to be treated next. Look carefully at the folds and seams of the mattress, the headboard, footboard (if present), box spring/support platform, frame, etc. You will be able to see the bed bugs with the visible eye or the aid of a small magnifying glass. Use the electric steamer to hit these areas hard. All cracks and crevices of the bed structure should be treated for bed bugs with a light application of Natural Bug Killer. Apply the spray on the tufts, folds, and seams of the mattress. The underside of the box spring may be sprayed as well.
TIP: Cover the mattress with a mattress cover being careful not to make any tear holes in the new cover. Also, spray a perimeter with Natural Bug Killer around the bed floor as a repellent.
Step 5 Treat the Furniture
(Night Stand, Chests, Dressers, Couches, and Chairs) the last step in bed bug elimination is to do a very thorough crack and crevice treatment of the furniture in the room. For wooden furniture pieces, you cannot miss any cracks. Apply Natural Bug Killer to upholstered furniture; use a similar treatment as the mattress and box spring. Always turn bed bug-infested furniture over and treat from the bottom. Look carefully underneath all the legs of the furniture! Bed Bugs love to hide in the most unlikely places! Some furniture may have hollow metal framing (children’s bunk beds are an example). Treat inside the metal tubing with dust, aerosols, or liquids as discussed in the bedding paragraph above.
Step 6 Follow-up in 2 weeks
Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum & steam everything! Getting rid of bed bugs is not easy. Inspect the treated room again in two weeks. Perform a thorough inspection (especially cracks and crevices) and continually treat any area where bed bugs are persisting or where they have moved.
TIP: Heavy bed bug infestations may need more than a second treatment. Be persistent!
