Bed bugs are a common annoyance found typically in older and soiled mattresses. You may have encountered these unpleasant creatures in older motels. They feed on the soft materials in your mattress and pillows, adding dead and unwanted weight to your bed, and making your night of sleep less comfortable. In some cases, bed bugs have been known to cause some serious irritation.
They can bite. To get rid of these and save your mattress, it is usually necessary to call an exterminator, because ordinary pesticides should not be used where you sleep. An exterminator will know what to look for, where to look, and also give you recommendations on how to take preventive steps so that another infestation will not happen. Some things to watch out for to recognize a bed bug problem is welts on your skin after waking up, or dark spots on your bed, mattress, and linens.
A bed that gets used a lot is more likely to develop a bed bug problem. If you’ve already vacuumed and cleaned your mattress and done everything else you should to recover your mattress, there may still be escaped bugs lurking, which can lay more eggs. There are sprays and poisons that can be applied around the areas where you sleep to kill the bugs that are left, but you should not apply these poisons directly on the bed where you sleep.
Throwing out an old mattress is a good measure to prevent further problems, but if this is not an option for you, then be sure to call an exterminator. Terminix is a pest control company with a good reputation and affordable prices, so you should consider looking into their services. If you find blood stains on any of your bedding, this is another sign of a bug problem, as you may have crushed a mature insect in your sleep. If you are concerned about any bites you may have gotten, see a doctor immediately. Bed bugs have been known to carry diseases.
Unlike dust mites, bed bugs can be seen and are dark brown in color. Check out your closet and clothes hampers, too, because they may have jumped on some of your clothes at one time or another. You should thoroughly vacuum out your mattress and apply a slip cover, and wash affected clothes in hot water, and you should vacuum around your bed. After these measures have been taken, you should still call the exterminator to ensure that there is no further problem. There are some sprays that can be applied directly to your mattress, but it will say so on the bottle. If it does not, don’t use it, as it may irritate your skin or worse. If you have endured bites from bed bugs, you should wash them with soap and warm water regularly. To relieve the itch, you can use calamine lotion.
Be extra careful to take care of the bites on small children to prevent infection. Children have weaker immune systems than adults, and you should take the necessary precautions. If you’re concerned about your child, take him or her to see a doctor. Boric acid can be purchased in a powder form to help control bed bugs in the surrounding area, but because of its irritating qualities, it should not be applied directly to the bed.
If you decide to buy a brand new mattress, you can prevent having the same problems in the future by using the steps discussed above. In addition, you can prevent infestations by keeping your room clean and vacuuming on a regular basis, including corners of the room and under the bed where dirt and dust tend to accumulate. A thoroughly clean house will have fewer problems than a house where dust, pollen, dirt, and other contaminants are allowed to roam free. Cleanliness is better for your health, too, in that it will keep outside germs and bugs outside where they belong, and they cannot bring diseases inside with them or cause irritating or rash inducing stings. Bed bugs are nasty, but they are easy to get rid of by following some of the above suggestions, and if all else fails, call your local exterminator for help.
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