How To Stop A Bed Bug Infestation Naturally
Many people believe that bedbugs only infest mattresses and live only in bedrooms. However, this is not the case. Bedbugs can infest your home and crawl into cracks in the walls and flooring of any room in your home. If you are suffering from a bed bug infestation in your entire home and need help to get rid of them, it is a good idea to try non-toxic solutions. There are several ways you can get rid of these bugs without exposing yourself or your family to toxins. Here are the most effective solutions.
Hot Water Wash and Steam Clean
If you find these bugs living in your bedroom, the best thing to do is to vacuum your mattress and cover it with a sealed mattress covering. Once you have vacuumed your mattress, wash your sheets in hot water to kill the bugs. Sometimes, bedbugs may survive hot water washing and vacuuming, your next best option is to steam clean your items. Bed bugs cannot survive the heat given off by steam. You can purchase a steam cleaner online or at your local store. However, you should always use the dry steam setting and not the wet, since wet steam tends to damage fabrics and furnishing.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth is a powder that you can purchase and sprinkle around your house. It is completely chemical free and you should sprinkle it anywhere you find bed bug nests. Sprinkle the powder liberally into any crack you may find in your walls or in any other spaces near and around your bed or furnishing in other rooms.
Baking Soda
Baking soda will suck moisture out of bedbugs when they come into contact with it. This will effectively kill the bed bugs. Sprinkle the baking soda in areas of the home that are affected. Leave the baking soda in these areas for about a week then clean or vacuum it up. You may need to do this several times to completely get rid of bed bugs.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is an antiseptic that helps to kill the bugs by stopping their growth. You can make your own tea tree oil spray to get rid of bed bugs. All you need is a spray bottle that is filled with water. You can then add at least twenty drops of tea tree oil to the solution and spray it wherever you find a bed bug infestation. Spray areas near your mattresses and in the crevices and corners of your home where you see bed bugs in order to repel them.
Bed bugs can breed rapidly but if you apply the natural solutions given vigilantly, you will be able to clear up any bed bug infestation quickly.