Bed bug infestations can happen to anyone, regardless of how clean you keep your home, -is what the experts told us! With the bed bug epidemic in certain cities reaching "Biblical Proportions", (Okay, so it just seems like it!), what can we do since we can no longer use DDT (Which did a great job of getting rid of bed bugs, but also destroyed food chains in the process; -like that of the Bald Eagle.) and the subsequent, modern chemical solutions are not nearly as effective. Plus, with the "Green Movement" in full-swing, what can one do? We need a Go Green, natural, non-toxic to us, other animals and insects, solution.
-But just what is that?
The "Double-Green" bed-bug eradication (not-seen-elsewhere) Solution:
Items needed: Vacuum Cleaner (with 1 bag to be thrown out), Steam Cleaner, Blow-Dryer (Hair Dryer), Organic Bed Bug Repellent and Huge Garbage Bags. Then, possible new furniture to replace affected items.
1). Vacuum clean the affected area(s). If you cannot clean completely, then you will need to most likely toss out the affected furniture. For instance, bed frames can be vacuumed off of actual: live bed bugs, a lot of the eggs, bed bug shit (Yeah, I probably should have said: "feces", but this experience was too traumatic for such a clinical term!) dead bed bugs, or bed bug molts.
We ended up tossing a small bed for one of our boys, (where we had our problem), since we didn't feel assured that we had in fact gotten EVERYTHING cleaned off the bed. It was hard for us to do so, since it meant getting a new bed for him. But, that is better than seeing our little one suffer any longer! Plus, from checking other websites, we figured that there was no way we could confirm killing off all of the eggs, since they kind of burrow into the wood of the bed frame. So to be safe, we chucked it. We also got rid of the mattress, which looking back in hind site now, we could have possibly saved, since it did have a mattress guard on it and there was only 6 bed bug craps on the bottom side. However, we thought it better to get rid of it, just in case the crap left some kind of residue in the mattress protector that could cause an allergic reaction to it; even though that had cleaned off easily.
2). Before chucking any furniture or other items, you'll need to vacuum it off thoroughly, then a good measure would be to put it in a large plastic garbage bag and tie it closed before moving, so as to not DROP any bed bug crap, molts, eggs, young or adults into other areas of your home, while moving the affected piece(s) of furniture out.
2a). (Humor anyone?) Then TORCH the furniture in a big bonfire, to a rock anthem of choice. May we suggest: "Highway to Hell"? (Yes, that's where those bugs are headed! -No "Kumbaya", here!)
3). Steam Clean the area and surfaces in concern, with the nozzle, or tip of the steam cleaner being NOT MORE THAN ONE-INCH from the area you are cleaning, at a pace of one-inch-per-second. THEN, use a common, house-hold Blow-Dryer (Hair Dryer) and go over the same area, at the same speed. Next, try an organic repellent/killer like: "Rest Easy" and follow directions in spraying around your bed area so that even in the event you missed something, the bed bugs won't want to try to go near your bed. However, we are pretty confident that the Steamer/Blow-Dry Combo will work pretty good, because you are in affect running over the same area TWICE with heat above 180-degrees, which is needed to kill bed bugs, from all of the egg-through-adult stages.
No expensive extermination fees to deal with, too! -We've heard stories of up to $9,000 to take care of a room!!! ---OUCH!!!
Please see our Cleaning Solutions page to view other solutions for a "Double-Green" way to clean your home, -and Go Green!!!
If you like what you see, please purchase your steamer or blow-dryer from our Products page for great deals on the products we've used and confirmed to work!
Good Luck!
Michael
GTH