Bed bugs are nasty creatures that can infest your entire home, not just your bedroom. But what do you do if only one room has bed bugs? Is it possible to contain the infestation in a single room, so you and pest control professionals have an easier time getting rid of them? Yes, it’s possible. Here are the things you should do when only one room in your home has bed bugs.
What to do when only one room has bed bugs…
1. Confirm the bed bug infestation
First, you have to confirm that you are dealing with bed bugs. Different pests require different pest control methods. You have to be sure you are actually dealing with bed bugs and not something else. Look at the signs of a bed bug infestation.
Live bed bugs are the most obvious sign. These bloodsuckers are reddish-brown wingless insects the size of apple seeds. They leave behind exoskeletons and carcasses, especially in areas where they like to hide, such as in the corners and edges of mattresses, bedside furniture, carpets, curtains, and walls. Their eggs are milky white capsules that you will often find in clusters.
Bed bugs also spread brown and red stains. The brown stains are from their bodies while the red stains are from the blood of their victims.
2. Isolate the room by closing passageways
Bed bugs can go beyond the infested room by crawling out. They can only crawl at the speed of four feet per minute. But given enough time, they can spread throughout your entire home. They actually like crawling to where you are, so they can feed. They can follow you to another room.
Limit the mobility of bed bugs by isolating the infested room. Close all potential passageways, such as doors, windows, and vents. Also, seal the gaps on the edges of these passageways with weatherstrips because bed bugs are small enough to squeeze through them. And don’t forget to fix structural damages like cracks and holes in your walls.
3. Throw away clutter
Bed bugs are masters of hiding. They don’t just hide in mattresses. They hide in different kinds of clutter, including clothing and bags and luggage. You may even see them in wall decorations like paintings and picture frames, and personal belongings like stuffed animals and toys, especially those that stay directly on your mattress.
Declutter. Throw away everything you don’t need anymore. This will prevent them from becoming hiding spots for bed bugs. If you don’t want to throw away things that can hide bed bugs, don’t even think about moving them to a different room. That’s the worst thing you can do. It can be the very things that spread the bed bug infestation to your entire home.
4. Use a vacuum cleaner
If you are suffering from a pest infestation, one of the first things you should do is clean up the infested area. This may not get rid of the infestation. But it helps in disturbing the pests, making them feel that they are not welcome, and getting rid of potential hiding spots.
Use a vacuum cleaner for the entire infested room. Give particular attention to flat surfaces and the small gaps on their corners and edges. This is also for hygiene purposes. Remember that bed bugs leave behind many disgusting things like carcasses and stains. Vacuuming helps get rid of these. In large numbers, bed bugs can also give a musky smell in a room. Vacuuming also helps eradicate this smell.
5. Get a steam cleaner
Bed bugs die when they are exposed to temperatures greater than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Steam cleaning may not completely get rid of a bed bug infestation, but it can help in reducing the population of bed bugs. It’s also very hygienic because the heat will help kill bacteria. When using a steam cleaner, give particular attention to mattresses and other upholstered furniture like chairs and sofas.
6. Wash all fabrics
Fabrics, including bedsheets, blankets, carpets, clothes, curtains, and pillowcases are some of the most favorite hiding spots of bed bugs. It’s a good idea to wash them all to kill all the bed bugs hiding in them. Use a high-temperature setting in your washer and dryer. If the water doesn’t drown them, the high temperature will surely get them.
Once the fabrics are clean and dry, don’t bring them back to the infested room. Put them temporarily in another cabinet or container in another room. Usually, you shouldn’t move objects around your home when you have a bed bug infestation. But you should be fine in this case because the fabrics are already not infested with bed bugs.
7. Sleep in another room
You can actually sleep in the same room to help contain the bed bug infestation. You just have to make sure you are covering as much skin as possible, encasing your mattress, and cleaning the entire room as much as you can. But this can still be problematic because you can’t fully avoid bed bug bites.
Sleep in another room. But make sure you are not bringing bed bugs with you. Use fresh clothes every time you go to the new room. Bed bugs are master hitchhikers. They can actually spread from room to room through your clothes.
8. Try commercial insecticides
If only one room has bed bugs, it may mean that the bed bug infestation is not that bad. You may be able to get rid of it on your own with commercial insecticides. There are many insecticides to choose from. There are aerosols you can spray on the entire room and dusts you can sprinkle on hard-to-reach areas like cracks and crevices. Just make sure that the commercial insecticides specifically say that they can get rid of bed bugs. And follow the instructions to make sure you are using them correctly and safely.
You can also try to get rid of the bed bugs naturally with home remedies like diatomaceous earth and petroleum jelly. But take note that these home remedies may be completely ineffective if the bed bug infestation is severe.
9. Call pest control professionals
Bed bugs are complex pests because they are great at hiding and spreading throughout your home. They are very difficult to get rid of on your own. This is why many people just hire pest control professionals.
Pest control professionals have many different ways to get rid of bed bugs. They can use insecticides, heat, steam, and other techniques, depending on the details of your specific case.
There are things you can do when only one room has bed bugs.
Yes, it is possible to contain the bed bug infestation in a single room. There are many ways to control the infestation from cleaning and de-cluttering to calling in the professionals. Just follow our handy hints above.