THERE are many ways to get rid of bed bugs, with using a steam cleaner being just one.
If you want to get the critters out of your house, here’s the guide.
How can you use a Steam cleaner to kill bed bugs?
Just one way of getting rid of bed bugs is by using a steam cleaner.
If you find you have an infestation of the bugs, go and have a look in your cleaning cupboard and pull out the steamer.
Turn it on and run it over the infested sheets, making sure not to miss any sections there might be bugs on.
The reason the steamer kills the bug is due to the high heat.
The hot steam burns the insects and kills them instantly.
Here are some other ways of getting rid of bed bugs:
- Exposed to direct heat – Similar to using the steam cleaner, if you find bed bugs on your bedding, put them straight into the washing machine and the heat will kill them.
- Vacuum – If you get your vacuum up the bed bugs this will most likely kill them, but make sure to carry the vacuum outside straight away.
- Rubbing alcohol – One of the most popular ways of getting rid of bed bugs is using rubbing alcohol. If you dilute it in water and use a spray bottle, the bugs will die almost instantly.
- White vinegar – Use white distilled vinegar on the edges of infested areas and spraying it on the critters directly will kill adult bugs.
- Professional treatment – If you want your bed bugs gone once and for all you may need to call in a professional. They will have all the right chemicals and tools to get rid of them.
How do you get bed bugs?
Bed bugs can travel from place to place by grabbing onto a bag or onto someone’s clothes.
They are able to end up in your bed by being on your clothes and jumping off or already being in the room and climbing up to your bed.
Bed bugs are able to survive up to a year without and food.
They tend to live in places such as small gaps or in furniture.
Can you see bed bugs with the naked eye?
Yes, you can see most bed bugs with the naked eye.
Adult bed bugs are usually around the size of an apple seed, at around 5-7mm.
If they have recently eaten they are balloon-like in shape, a reddish-brown colour, and elongated.
But if they haven’t fed recently they are long and brown, with a flat, oval-shaped body.
Bed bugs drink our blood by biting skin with their saw-like mouths.
However, they are able to also numb our skin at the same time as their saliva is full of anaesthetic.
